|
|
|
Pete Yealands is a natural viticulturalist, happiest at work on the land, he has established many of Marlborough's most splendid vineyards. Single site Awatere Pinot Noir from an exposed terrace on the upper ridge of Seaview Vineyard, planted to some marvelous Dijon clones. Yealands Estate» |
|
. . Bottega» |
|
After many years of dedication to formulating superb Eden Valley Riesling, Elderton have again achieved an excellent expression of the genre, paradoxically the most underrated style of wine in Australia. Small harvests of fruit which show wonderful primary, zesty characters and delicate acid structures are the foundation. Elderton» |
|
Daniel James Wilson would write DJW rules on school book covers, desks, garden edgings and wet concrete whenever the opportunity arose. In 1997 DJW established a small 5½ acre plot of Riesling in the highest and most fertile corner of the family property. Wilson Vineyard» |
|
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» |
|
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» |
|
This enduring flagship wine can boast twenty trophys and over seventy gold medals throughout its illustrious history. Penley Steyning captures and enhances the excellence in first growth Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, highlighted by rich berry tones, superior length and layers of intense flavour, a wine which achieves perfect harmony between massive intensity of fruit, mouth filling grape tannins and elegant acids. Penley Estate» |
|
Only the best vintages are selected for the Premium Rare Old Muscat, all releases win significant awards at major international competitions. In blending, a range of vintages are used, the older wines giving intensely concentrated luscious flavours and aged complexity and the younger wines imparting the fresh fruit character. Morris» |
|
Classically structured with a well established estate styling, Hunter's have won more than 100 gold at international wine competitions, including Marquis de Goulaine Trophy for Best Sauvignon Blanc in the World at the International Wine & Spirit Competition. Jane Hunter is a highly qualified viticulturist with a long family history of wine growing, she worked closely with eminent Australian oenologist Dr Tony Jordan to achieve the quality of harvests which are benchmarks in the world of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.. Hunters» |
|
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» |
|
The uncompromising pursuit of excellence brings the Yealands team to the extreme viticultural climes of Gibbston Valley in Central Otago. It is here under the frigid cloudless night skies that Pinot Noir vines, planted to undulating granite schist soils, struggle to yield harvests of parched grapes, redolent with cherry berry perfumes, bursting with an intensity of flavour and wrapped in a muslin of seamless, velvet tannins. Yealands Estate» |
|
From the home of the 2007 Jimmy Watson, prior vintages of School Block have claimed gold medals at the London International and UK Sunday Times. A deluxe assembly of Shiraz, Cabernet and Merlot from three Scarpantoni vineyards, each with a unique terroir and mesoclime. Scarpantoni» |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
About Jasper Hill - the Winery
Jasper Hill
The aim is to make great wine, with the preservation of nature's flavours, complexities and balance by using minimal intervention in the vineyards and in the cellar - to allow the individual vineyard's sense of place to express itself
Jasper Hill are produced entirely on the estate using organic/biodynamic principles. The estate produce their own organic compost and have never used synthetic chemicals on either the vines or the soils, since vineyards were planted in 1975. Viticultural practices are as close to nature as possible: own rooted vines (ie. not grafted on to American rootstocks to confer Phylloxera resistance), no irrigation whatsoever, minimal tillage, natural inter-row mulching leading to broad bio-diversity, in turn giving depth and intensity to our wines. Only hand pruning of the vines and hand harvesting of the fruit can allow the human connection to the living soil.
The soils are derived from Cambrian age basaltic rock (500 million years). Quite rare in the world and particularly in Australia, here they are unusually deep (4metre), red coloured, well drained, gravelly loams on undulating hillsides, but with good moisture retention. They occur in a narrow, non-contiguous strip between two naturally occurring North/South faults, typically only a few hundred metres wide. The faults give rise to a complex mineralogy.
Soil organic matter is high, allowing great bio-diversity in micro flora and fauna and supporting large earthworm populations - all beneficial for natural soil fertility. No synthetic chemicals have ever been applied to the soil or vines; the vineyards are totally organic; no insecticides, no herbicides, no synthetic fungicides and no artificial fertilisers.
The soil surface is either covered in mulch derived from vine prunings, leguminous cover crops and native grasses, or is lightly cultivated, with aeration. Minimal tillage is practiced, within and between vine-rows, using lightweight 4WD tractors to minimise soil compaction. Minimal intervention is used during fermentation and maturation, allowing terroir or earth character of the individual paddock or plot to emerge in the wine. More importantly the grapes at harvest are flavour ripe, regardless of sugar ripeness.
The vines have a sunny, open, balanced canopy that keeps fungal diseases at bay and eliminates the need for summer pruning, leaf plucking and crop reduction. All picking and pruning is carried out by hand by wonderfully skilled people from the district. All vineyards are unirrigated and rely on natural rainfall only. Underscoring the quality of the soils, at vintage the grapes retain high levels of natural acidity. Acid adjustment is rarely ever needed, even when sugar levels reach 14 Baume or higher.
Both Emily's and Georgia's Paddocks are on elevated hillsides at an altitude of 320 metres (1000 feet) and are approximately 1 km apart. Emily’s Paddock has a NE aspect and shallower soil, while Georgia’s Paddock has a NW aspect and the deeper soil. The vineyard at Cornella, is 20km north of Emily’s Paddock, within the Heathcote Region and on the same Cambrian soil, with an altitude of 330 meters and a NE aspect. Emily's Paddock is three hectares of Shiraz including around five percent Cabernet Franc, yielding about two tonnes per hectare (14hL per hectare), planted in 1975/76. Georgia's Paddock is twelve hectares of Shiraz yielding about three tonnes per hectare (20hl per hectare). Three hectares of Riesling giving about three tonnes per hectare (20 hL per hectare). Planted in 1975/76 with further small plantings done after the vineyard was ravaged by bushfire in 1987. One hectare each of Semillon planted in 1992, and Nebbiolo planted in 1993. Cornella Vineyard is four hectares of Grenache planted in 1998.
All fermentation is carried out by indigenous (native or wild) yeasts present on the grape skins. All pressings are returned for completeness of the wine. The red wines are then racked off gross lees into small French and American oak barriques (20 percent new each year) for oak maturation of about 15 months with no racking or fining or filtration. Malolactic fermentation occurs naturally in the barrel without any inducement during late spring. After blending, they are given a coarse filtration just prior to bottling on our own state-of-the-art equipment.
|
|