 |
 |
|
From one of the oldest productive blocks of Marsanne in the world, an opulent white wine of remarkable complexity. The pick of fruit from this very special patch of ancient vines is crafted into a wine that's built to age beautifully in bottle, initially brooding and water white, evolving luxurious caramelled characters while unravelling layers of flavour. Tahbilk» |
|
Of particular importance to Shadowfax are the very close relationships with a select group of growers who provide harvests of the most intensely flavoured fruit. A prolific trophy winner, Shadowfax are a refreshing new wave, vigorously fruit driven, livelier than her Victorian siblings, characterised by slatey, flavoursome acidity, a touch of lees complexity and judicious dryness. Shadowfax» |
|
Excellent Langtons Classification. The legend continues for the stately Katnook of Coonawarra. Katnook» |
|
Originally planted during early settlement, the sandy loam soils of Haan Vineyard yield an outstanding quality of Shiraz. Fortuitously positioned along the hallowed mile of Siegersdorf Road, mid way between the ancient winegrowing hamlets of Angaston and Tanunda, the heirloom parcels once known as Hanenhof, have claimed significant trophies at the prestigious London International. Haan» |
|
Samuel Dunn was an early Amherst resident, one of the first settlers to plant grapes in the Pyreness. His land was exploited for sheep grazing, until diggers found the locality alive with gold. Amherst» |
|
Given the scarcity of Best's prestige, limited release, old vineyard icons, Bin #1 affords enthusiasts their first taste of the Great Western Shiraz style and leaves them eager to discover more. A classic, cool climate, aromatic wine, floral and spicy, peppery and elegant, retaining vital Great Western fruit character. Bests» |
|
Haan have claimed a breathtaking tally of world class accolades for such a small, boutique Barossa estate. Conspicuous trophies and medals at the prestigious London International, Australian Wine Producer of Year and Trophy for Best Blended Red. Haan» |
|
Earnscleugh Valley was the site of a gold rush in the 1860s, the industrious miners dug a watercourse through the valley which today serves to nourish the world's southernmost appellation of Pinot Noir. The Last Chance is a small scenic terrace, planted to a special Burgundy clone of Pinot Noir which yields a magnificently structured, generously proportioned wine. Two Paddocks» |
|
A mostly Cabernet wine with a tenth of Merlot, a jot of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, representing almost a third of Hollick's annual production. Previous vintages of Tannery Block have won numerous prestigious awards, including the pre-eminent Jimmy Watson, Robert Bryce and Arthur Kelman Trophies. Hollick» |
|
The highly opportune Pinot Noir vines at Bird In Hand are planted on the site of an ancient gold mine, a godsend of fortuitously fertile soils, magnificent growing conditions for stellar quality Adelaide Hill wines. Fermented in own bottle and aged five years on lees in true Méthode champenoise, the term of extended maturation imparts luxurious biscuit notes, chantilly crème and frais de bois. Bird In Hand» |
|
Sourced from Neil Steven's Glenoak property at Pokolbin, a scenically undulating site that's planted to a combination of light sand and red clay soils, widely regarded as one of the finest white wine vineyards in Hunter Valley. The oldest block was established circa 1911, the youngest plantings date back to 1965. Tyrrells» |
|
The five most most exclusive parcels of old vine Shiraz, a secret component of the Barossa's most memorable vintages, hand picked off the De Fazio and Hillview vineyards at Belvidere and Moppa. Batches are crushed into traditional open top fermenters for a week of pumpovers, gently pressed into an extravagantly high proportion of new French oak hogsheads for two years maturation, followed by the final assemblage, unfiltered and unfined. Pirathon» |
|
Grasshopper Rock
About Grasshopper Rock - the Winery
Grasshopper Rock
Grasshopper Rock is a small Central Otago wine producer, dedicated exclusively to the production of first class, single vineyard Pinot Noir
In establishing the vineyard, the proprietors searched for land that would provide the best conditions for consistently producing a premium Pinot Noir in a elegant Central Otago style. The chosen site is situated on Earnscleugh Road, across the Clutha River from Alexandra. The property enjoys high sunshine hours and high mean temperatures and is sufficiently harsh and difficult to make the vines work their hardest. With extremes of heat and cold comes the risk of spring and autumn frosts, providing a demanding but rewarding environment for the production of premium pinot noir.
From its beginnings, Grasshopper Rock has produced award winning wines. The wine is often selected to showcase pinot noir from the Alexandra sub-region of Central Otago. The 2006 vintage achieved international acclaim when it scored 92 points (outstanding) in Robert Parker's Wine Advocate magazine in 2008. The 2007 vintage is a wine of greater intensity and was awarded three GOLD MEDALS including GOLD at the Hong Kong IWSC. The 2008 vintage has been awarded two GOLD MEDALS including GOLD at the International Wine Challange (IWC) in London and BLUE GOLD and TOP1OO at the Sydney IWC. The 2008 pinot noir is one of the best pinot noir of the vintage for Central Otago and New Zealand.
Purchased in 2002, the vineyard at Earnscleugh Road is one of the few large tracts of quality grape land in the Dunstan Basin, which surrounds Alexandra. Within the site, there are three distinct areas: blocks 1 & 2 are hill soils on shattered schist with schist outcrops; blocks 3 & 4 are at the foot of the hill, on loamy sand over schist gravel; blocks 5 & 6 are out from the hill on shallow loamy sand and stony sand on greywacke and schist gravels.
The gentle, north facing slope attracts high temperatures and has the potential to produce a unique wine of greater complexity, from the mix of pinot noir clones planted on the different blocks. 38,000 vines were planted on 8 hectares in 2003 and the first vintage was harvested in April 2006.
Earnscleugh Road is at the southern most latitude of established wine growing in Central Otago. At 45°15' south, the vineyard is one of the southern most vineyards in the world, along with a select group of other vineyards on the Earnscleugh Rim.
At Grasshopper Rock, the passion for the people who make Pinot Noir is to achieve excellence, working with the best raw materials and managing them to the best of their ability. Grasshopper Rock is a unique combination of land, climate, vines and people. The five shareholding families of Grasshopper Rock live throughout the country, from Hamilton to Invercargill. The families originally met through a common interest in agriculture, with four members involved in rural banking. Today, these interests have diversified into banking and finance, dairy farming, sheep and beef farming, pharmacy, fine arts and white baiting. All share an interest in New Zealand wine and food, and annual meetings held at Wanaka are always a celebration of the best of local produce, including their outstanding Pinot Noir.
he vineyard takes it name from a rare grasshopper, Sigaus childi, which is found only in Central Otago, and predominantly on the Earnscleugh gold tailings, which lie along the Clutha River, across the road from the vineyard. And the Rock alludes to the gold that is no longer in the tailings, and probably never was. The new gold is wine, and Grasshopper Rock hope that you will find a little bit of gold in the pleasure you get from their wine.
|
|