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The quality of Shiraz grown to parched vineyards in Victoria's rugged western districts, has been well known throughout the world of wine since the days of gold rush and early settlement. Taltarni have since established an enviable reputation for vintages of powerfully structured, statuesque red wines, fully exploiting the soft spoken majesty and graceful intensity of Pyrenees Shiraz comes naturally. Taltarni» |
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In exceptional years, parcels of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot are separately fermented. The best lots are assembled into a multiple trophy winer named Harry's Monster and treated to an extravagant maturation in the finest oak. Giant Steps» |
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A stellar achiever around the national wine show circuit, Wicks have claimed significant trophy triumphs for the excellence of their Pinot Noir. After a long family history of orchard farming and viticulture in the Adelaide Hills, priority was given to the establishment of choice clones Pinot Noir along the scenic slopes at Woodside. Wicks» |
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Mandoon are a Swan Valley operation of great provenance, their homestead vineyard being an ancient block established on the first rural grant in Western Australia, circa 1929 at a property named Sandalford. Always on the lookout for exceptional parcels of fruit, the highly decorated Mandoon team have focused on a northern block of Research Station Vineyard in Margaret River. Mandoon» |
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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» |
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Whole bunches and oak barrel ferments, the costly extravagance of three years tirage on sedimentery yeast lees, each bottle individually riddled by hand, disgorged and sent to cellar for the ultimate indulgence of extra age before release, Pamela is the zenith of the sparkling winemaker's art. Her luxurious effervescence exudes brioche, tarte tatin and French boulangere, her creamy textural mousse unravelling ribbons of rich yeasty autolysis, crème caramel and baked fruits. Wicks» |
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Twice Gold Medal Challenge International du Vin! Moscatel and Gewürtztraminer grapes, grown to estate vineyards on the mountains of the Upper Penedes, form the backbone of fruit for Viña Esmeralda, a delicate but strunningly fragrant wine. The dry fig and raisin characters of Moscatel de AlejandrÃa give Esmerelda it's luscious and flavourful palate, fleshed out by the orange of Frontignac or Moscatel de Grano Menudo as the Spanish say, further enhanced by the complex aromaticness and spice of the vivacious Traminer.. Torres» |
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Pinot Meunier like no other, certainly the most distinguished bottling of its kind anywhere in the new world. Mostly old vine Concongella Pinot Meuniere, from grapes picked off parcels established 1970, with the inclusion of a priceless component of ancient vines 1868 Pinot Noir. Bests» |
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The inaugural release of Hanging Rock Shiraz was vintage 1987 and what an event it was, immediately claiming gold and inspiring comparisons to Grange by the industry press. From from fruit grown to the estate Athols Paddock, a complex Heathcote style, more Syrah than Shiraz, boasting several trophies and over fifty gold to its distinguished history, big, powerful and rich, yet exhibiting an elegance and finesse that's rare in Australian wine. Hanging Rock» |
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Villa Maria possess the magic touch with Pinot Gris, regularly clearing international wine events of prestigious trophies. Private Bin has been included in the Decanter Top 50 Best Under £10 and identified as a Decanter favourite. Villa Maria» |
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Paringa is one of Victoria's leading estates, having claimed Royal Melbourne Most Successful Winery Trophy and earning impressive international acclaim for it's founder, the eminent Lindsay McCall. His style is defined by his passion for viticulture and devotion to the art of making nothing but the finest wines. Paringa Estate» |
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Originally released in 1976, the Koonunga Hill range has established a sound reputation for quality and consistency, while availing red wine enthusiasts of the opportunity to approach the enduring Penfolds style. The inaugural 1976 vintage of Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet was a legendary wine, still drinking well at Penfolds red wine recorking clinics. Penfolds» |
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About Devils Lair - the Winery
Devils Lair
The winery takes it name from the nearby Devil's Lair cave, hidden amongst the hills of Margaret River
The Leeuwin Peninsula extends from 33.5 degrees south to the 34.5 South parallel. Tempered by the warm currents of the Indian Ocean, the area enjoys maritime conditions. At the southern end where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet at Cape Leeuwin, the respective warm and cold currents throw a pall of humidity and cloud over the area, moderating summer and winter extremes. Devil's Lair cave is an ancient, mysterious place known to have been inhabited as long as 40,000 years ago. Fossil remains of the elusive Tasmanian Devil discovered on the site are believed to be the origin of the cave's name. Hailing from the premium wine growing region of Margaret River, Devil's Lair forms part of the Great Estates that produce wines of the highest quality.
This strongly maritime-influenced climate is not dissimilar to Bordeaux in a dry vintage; hence the quality of its Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. As the latitude increases, soil type changes from sand, to loam, gravel and finally back to sand. Located 10km from the coast Devil's Lair Vineyard lies on the 34.25 South parallel and enjoys frost free but very cool growing and ripening seasons from the influence of nearby Cape Leeuwin.
The wines made from the region have gained a well deserved reputation for clarity and delicacy of fruit flavours and elegance in their structure. These characteristics are expressed strongly in our wines, which reflect the singular combination of geology, geography and climate that is unique to the Devil's Lair estate.
Situated on the southern end of the Leeuwin Peninsula, the 200ha estate is planted to noble varieties in deep draining ironstone gravel. A man-made, 14ha lake in the central valley of the vineyard provides supplemental drip irrigation. Fruit for the vineyard was first vintaged under the estate's own label in 1990.
Prior to this the annual crush was sold to other wineries. Only Devil's Lair grown fruit is used in the estate labels with approximately 500 tonnes of fruit processed annually. Current vineyard planting's total 87ha, with the first vines established in 1981. Devil's Lair are also headquarters of the dynamic Fifth Leg range, wines which hacve won the hearts of consumers throughout Australia and aropund the world.
Born in Perth, Devils Lair winemaker Stuart Pym began his winemaking career in 1983 at the Margaret River family winery. Stuart spent eight years with Voyager Estate as winemaker and production manager. He has previously worked vintages in the Yarra Valley and Bordeaux, and in 1998 undertook a study trip to Tuscany and Piedmonte, focusing on Sangiovese and Nebbiolo. Stuart joined Devil's Lair in September 2000 to continue working on the foundations laid by his predecessor Janice McDonald. "My focus has always been to make great wine, and I would only consider winemaking positions where the focus is to make the absolute best. Margaret River is the only place I would consider making wine. The stunning quality of the Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from this region, and its regularity, make working in this area a privilege.
Stuart's aim is to allow expression of the unique personality of the Devil's Lair site by deliberately limiting yields and carefully managing every aspect of grape growing and winemaking. "There is no doubt that great wine is made in the vineyard. Devil's Lair has a fantastic site, which is already achieving stunning results, but this does not mean we can't do better. It is a real focus of mine to maximise the quality from the vineyard."
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