Tasting Notes

Colour

Nose

Palate

It is fresh and vertical in the mouth, as well as highly tense and robust, with balanced acidity, which transforms it into a smooth wine. Its red fruit, fine tannins and roundness are vigorously expressed in the palate, ending with a long lingering finish.

Producer

The winery that today produces Luigi Bosca wines was founded in 1901 by Leoncio Arizu, a Spanish citizen from Navarra who settled in Mendoza in 1890. Located in the Vistalba valley, in the Luján de Cuyo region, an area that, due to its characteristics, achieved the first " Denomination of Controlled Origin "of America.  Luigi Bosca launched the first Malbec DOC in Argentina and Latin America.

Winemaking

Specifications

Bright, textural stuff from old, unirrigated bush vines in the Coastal region grown on sandy soils over granite bedrock.

Tasting Notes

Ripe peach and tropical fruit on the nose with fresh citrus notes. Honeyed and textured on the palate with crisp acidity and hints of mandarin and lychee leading to a bright, juicy finish.

 

Specifications

Head Winemaker Felipe Tosso joined Vina Ventisquero in 2000. After seriously considering alternate careers as a tennis pro and classical guitarist, he elected to enter the wine business, describing it as “one of my big passions because it’s more than work – it’s a lifestyle.”

Tasting Notes

Colour

Deep red color, with ruby color.

Nose

With a characteristic fruitiness characteristic of Maipo Costa, red fruits such as fruitllas, raspberries and cassis are mixed with aromas of black pepper, some moist soil and tobacco.

Palate

Of elegant and smooth body, of balanced structure, good acidity that increases the complexity. Tannins present and soft at the same time, ending with a
prolonged end-of-mouth sensation.

Vinification

A pre-fermentative maceration was carried out at low temperatures between 8°C and 10° C for 5 days in order to achieve greater extraction of color and aroma from the skins. The wort was then fermented in stainless steel tanks. Once the fermentation was finished, post-fermentation maceration was achieved, thus achieving a higher concentration and structure of the wine. 100% of this wine was allowed to stand for 18 months in French oak barrels of extra fine grain (33% new) to remain in the bottle for 8 months.

Winemaker

Tosso’s winemaking travels have taken him to Napa, Sonoma, Argentina, France, Spain, Italy, Australia, back to Concha Y Toro in Chile and then finally to Vina Ventisquero. In 2003, Felipe began a close collaboration with John Duval (ex Penfolds) in the production of icon wines Pangea and Vertice, a partnership that continues to this day. 

Specifications

Tasting Notes

Genuine non-interventionist winemaking from Emiliana, this matches up to all levels of the natural wine criteria. A lovely example of cabernet sauvignon with beautiful purity.

Colour 

Ruby red in colour

Nose

A bright nose that offers aromas of ripe blackcurrant and licorice along with cedarwood notes.

Palate

The palate recalls black currants and red cherry fruit with star anise spice, ripe tannins and a full juicy finish.

Production

Soils are alluvial with good porosity and drainage. The land is flat, rich in minerals with a loamy-clay and muddy texture, irrigated by water coming from snow thaw in the mountains. The season 2014-2015 in the Valley of Maipo was characterized by being warm. The spring was favourable as there were no rains in flowering, which gave rise to a healthy and good harvest. The few frosts that occurred did not affect cabernet sauvignon since they were prior to sprouting. The rains, following the trend, were and concentrated in winter with a total of 230 mm fallen. The temperatures during maturation were high with maximum averages of 30 ° C in January and February and averages of 12.5 ° C for the same months. This led to an early harvest, together the oscillation thermal helped maintain natural acidity. The reception included a triple selection using conveyor belts before and after passing through the destemmer-crusher. The grapes then dropped gently (by gravity) into the fermentation tanks, where they underwent a 5-day pre-fermentation cold soak at 8ºC. Alcoholic fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks using only native yeasts at 24º–26ºC with a program of pump-overs determined by enological criteria. The new wine remained on its skins for an 8-day post-fermentation maceration at 22º–24ºC, for a total maceration (skin contact) time of 28–30 days. Malolactic fermentation took place naturally in barrels. The wine was then aged for 12 months. The wine is stabilized naturally, without treatments, and is only very lightly filtered at bottling with a 3–5 micron (absolute) cartridge. The wine was aged for 12 months, 48% in French oak barrels, 28% in concrete eggs, and 24% in a 2,000-liter French oak foudre.

Producers

Voted by Wines of Chile as "Winery of the Year 2016", Emiliana is one of Chile's most exciting producers and pioneers in organic and biodynamic winemaking. Since 1998, this Chilean winery has been producing award-winning wines from almost 1,000 hectares of vineyards in prime sites including Casablanca, Maipo, Cachapoal, Colchagua and Bio Bio.

Its spectacular biodynamic vineyard and winery at Los Robles is a model that attracts visiting viticulturalists and winemakers from across the world. Emiliana's innovative and natural-leaning wines are made with great care and attention and the results are inspiring.

Sustainable

Emiliana began its conversion to organic production in 1998, and today 100% of its properties are organically managed. It is the world’s largest organic winery. It holds organic certifications in accordance with the standards of the United States, Canada (NOP), Brazil, Chile, Japan, South Korea, China, and Europe. In 2006, Emiliana was the first winery in Latin America to produce a wine with biodynamic certification. Since then, the use of biodynamic practices at its farms and cellars has been accredited and today 100% of its properties are certified. Emiliana received its Fairtrade and Fair For Life certifications in 2011 and 2017 and has been selling fair trade wines since 2012.

Emiliana was a pioneer in the implementation of the Wine of Chile Sustainability Code certification in 2012. This standard was developed for the Chilean wine sector to support the implementation of sustainable practices at a national level, as well as social and environmental responsibility at Emiliana.

Emiliana is certified to use the Vegan Society trademark, which attests that its wines are produced without any animal-derived products.

Emiliana also produces an annual sustainability report.

Specifications

"Home of the Worlds Best Shiraz"

The most sold wine in the Hartenberg portfolio, now celebrating 26 vintages. At a previous Classic Wine Trophy competition ten Gold medals were awarded by the French judges to the 385 red wines. Most estates entered their flagship wines. Due to Hartenbergs' uncompromising approach to standards they felt comfortable entering the pocket-friendly Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz. The wine won Gold.

Tasting Notes 

Colour

Vibrant red in colour.

Nose

An alluring blend of wild herbs and spices on the nose with hints of freshly picked dark fruits and berries on the palate, ending in a savoury finish. 

Palate 

Ripe, soft tannins balance well with the lingering finish.

The Estate

On the slopes of Bottelary Hills bordering Stellenbosch, is a family estate where nature provides the perfect backdrop to grow, produce and share award-winning wines. Summer at Hartenberg brings picnics on the lawns followed by buoyant games of boule. Winter invites you to intimate fireside lunches and sumptuous reds, smoky charcuterie and olives, and sensorial cellar tours. Our Wetland Conservation Area, alongside the vineyards, makes for a beautiful setting for walks and shared family fun.

Accolades

Germans were the first free immigrants into Australia in the 1850s onwards. They planted Shiraz in Barossa. Germans also invented letterpress in the 1500s. The suspicion around the “magick” of a printing press coupled with the inky hands of the printers meant that the art became known as the Black Craft. The wine is an homage to both the German influence of the oldest wine-making in Australia, as well as the letterpress.

Tasting Notes 

A compelling, dark and rich chocolately beast. A classic Barossa Shiraz with intense savoury flavours of thick blackberry compote, black pepper and typical iron-rich beefy flavours. Not a hint of jam here, no sweetness, this is serious Shiraz for grown-ups with balanced acidity, a touch of cocao powder in the finish and tremendous length.

Production Method

This Shiraz is sourced from the finest available vineyard sites across the premium Northern Barossa Valley including for the most part Greenock, Western Ridge and Ebenezer. Aged 11 months in a variety of oaks, all American and French, new and old, around 35% new. All oaks were AP John, Barossa coopered. As usual withSmalltown, it was fermented in open fermenters. They don’t set the blades too close together during crushing so a fair bit of whole berry in the ferment which gives the wine generous fruit and soft tannins.

Specifications

Head Winemaker Felipe Tosso joined Vina Ventisquero in 2000. After seriously considering alternate careers as a tennis pro and classical guitarist, he elected to enter the wine business, describing it as “one of my big passions because it’s more than work – it’s a lifestyle.”

Tasting Notes

Colour

Deep ruby red with violet hues.

Nose

The nose initially reveals aromas of black and red berries, such as murtillas (commonly known as Chilean guava, or strawberry myrtle), cranberries, black plums and raspberries.

Palate

The palate has balanced acidity and flavours of juicy black fruit, along with smooth, well-rounded tannins sustained by the notes of soft French oak.

Vinification

The grapes first underwent a cold pre-fermentative maceration to extract their colour and aromas. They were then fermented in open stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature of between 24°C and 26°C. Manual pump-overs were used for 100% of the extraction during fermentation. 100% of the wine was aged in 300lts French oak barrels for a period of 12 months. 15% of them were new, 30% second-use and 55% third-use.

Winemaker

Tosso’s winemaking travels have taken him to Napa, Sonoma, Argentina, France, Spain, Italy, Australia, back to Concha Y Toro in Chile and then finally to Vina Ventisquero. In 2003, Felipe began a close collaboration with John Duval (ex Penfolds) in the production of icon wines Pangea and Vertice, a partnership that continues to this day.

Alan's Tasting Notes

"Another Grey Glacier triumph- red and black fruits vye for your attention balanced by a fresh acidity - all framed in soft tannins from some subtle oak ageing. Incredible balance with an extended finish that stops you reaching for your glass - except that it’s so delicious that you want more. This really is an over-delivering range that demands tasting that will never disappoint. Try it once - any varietal - and you’ll be hooked. One of our fuller, richer, riper styles of Pinot noir."  Tasted July 2022

Specifications

Lovely red plum notes, hints of spice and smooth, silky tannins.

Tasting Notes

The Luigi Bosca Signature Malbec has the best of both worlds, with grapes from Lujan de Cuyo and Uco Valley. Lujan brings ripeness and sweet tannins to the wine, while Uco Valley ensures a lively freshness. 

Tasting Notes

Colour

A bright violet red wine.

Nose

It has intense and balanced aromas, with rather red fruit, spicy and florals notes. It is generous, smooth and expressive in the mouth, with incipient tannins.

Palate

Clean, refreshing and well-bodied in the palate, with attractive character. It has a deep and clear finish, with a fully integrated oak character and good ageing capacity. It is the flagship wine of its variety.

Vineyard

Produced with grapes grown in estate vineyards, located in Luján de Cuyo and Valle de Uco, Mendoza.

Winemaking

Handpicking, selection of clusters and destemming. A pre-fermentation cold maceration process is conducted at a temperature of 8 °C. Fermentation is conducted in stainless-steel tanks at a controlled temperature of 28°C with selected yeasts. After the alcoholic fermentation is completed, the wine is transferred to French oak barrels where it rests for 12 months. Lightly filtered while bottled.

History

Established in 1901, the Luigi Bosca estate covers 700 hectares of land in Mendoza, across 7 vineyards. It continues to be one of the region’s leading wineries and was actively involved in the creation of the Luján de Cuyo D.O.C. Luigi Bosca remains in the Arizu family, where the 4th generation is now bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge to their wine range.

Comments by the winemaker

Malbec is the winery’s emblem wine, which fully expresses the characteristics of the Malbec variety. Grapes grown in the best areas of Mendoza are selected for its making process, thus achieving the ripe character and typical sweet tannins from Luján de Cuyo, together with the freshness, color and vivacity of the Uco Valley. The ageing process in oak barrels adds complexity, structure and elegance, therefore providing a highly aromatic wine, with an elegant texture and great persistence of flavors.

Specifications

A juicy characterful Mourvèdre which comes from Cline’s original Contra Costa ranch. It’s here where the 100-year-old bush vines thrive on the sandy soils.

Tasting Notes

Distinct and luscious. Flavours of dark plum and chocolate leads to a medley of integrated oak spice and a smooth and juicy finish. A blockbuster of a wine that has plenty of earthy soul and character.

Producer

Cline Cellars is a family-owned vineyard and winery in Sonoma’s Carneros Valley. Established in 1982 by Fred Cline, a descendant of Italian US settlers, he originally founded the winery in Oakley, Contra Costa County, cultivating Rhône varieties and Zinfandel on vines dating back to 1906.

In the 1990s, the family moved their winemaking operation to a 350-acre ranch in Carneros Valley, adopting sustainable farming in 2000, and building the largest solar paneled winery in California. While others in California were focusing on Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, Fred Cline saw the potential of Rhône varieties and Zinfandel in his vineyards and continues to produce focussed terroir-driven wines.

Production Method

The Ancient Vines Mourvèdre draws from some of our oldest, most historic and shyest-bearing vineyards. These blocks produce fruit of stunning concentration as a result of sensitive farming practices, the singular Oakley terroir, and a unique cooling band of air that flows in from the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers. By naturally restricting yields to only 2 to 3 tonnes per acre, we achieve a sublime expression of the Mourvèdre fruit. These grapes hold characteristics of dark, dusty berry fruit that makes their Ancient Vines Mourvèdre so lustrous. Individual lots of grapes were harvested separately according to ripeness and balance of acidity. Grapes undergo total de-stemming and a very gentle crushing to ensure a large proportion of whole berries in the must. Fermentation occurred in stainless steel tanks with select cultured yeasts. It was then maintained at the ideal temperature to aid in the extraction of flavor and colour. The wine was pressed off its skins at dryness before being racked to dark toasted American Oak (approximately 30% new) where it was gently aged for 10 months and then stored in neutral cooperage.

A Note on Sustainability

Cline is proud to be a Certified California Sustainable Vineyard and Winery. The program acknowledges a long-term commitment to continual improvement in the field of sustainable winegrowing and business practices, from grape to glass. It is located in Sonoma County, which is committed to becoming the first 100% sustainable wine region in the US by 2019.

Fred Cline and Bob Cannard founded Green String Farm and the Green String method of sustainable farming in 2003. Green String Farm is a 57-hectare natural process, sustainable farm near Petaluma, California. The Green String method meets the highest standard of environmental sustainability practices, which is different from certified organic. The methods reduce soil erosion, pesticide dependency, and loss of biodiversity; and increase resistance to natural predators.

In 2005, Cline was one of the first wineries to fully adopt solar energy. In 2018 it upgraded the original array with the latest technology, designed to offset 100% of its winery’s electrical consumption.

Instead of herbicides, Cline has 1,500 sheep and 500 goats that roam its vineyards, tasked with removing invasive weeds and instead of harmful pesticides, Cline provides owl boxes and raptor perches in the vineyard. These birds of prey are the predators of gophers and mice and help to maintain ecological control.

Cline composts and re-uses all digestible organic waste and materials from its winery, including 3,000 tons of grape pomace per year, prunings from trees and vines, plus chipped materials from the landscape. This waste is turned into a biological stimulant and food for the soils. Cline also grinds its own volcanic rock and then spreads the crushed cinder onto the soil. Having a wide spectrum of mineralogy, these cinders provide the vineyards with a complex array of nutrients and trace minerals, ensuring that the vines have all the necessary components to build fullness of character in the wine.

Awards

Specifications

This label celebrates Chile’s farthest-flung outpost, Motu Nui, the tiny islet (or motu) just off the coast of Easter Island.

Adrift in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and rich in Polynesian mythology, Motu Nui was the essential location for Easter Island’s legendary bird-man cult Tangata manu. Representatives from each island clan would wait for the visiting sooty terns to lay their first egg on Motu Nui, then swim across the shark-infested bay bearing that egg and climb the mainland cliffs of the Orongo volcano to claim rights of power and privilege for their clan for the following year. Many of the protagonists were devoured by sharks or fell to their deaths in this visceral trial of courage. These rituals have long since passed but their history is imprinted in the island’s history and archaeology. Today the sooty tern, depicted on our label, is protected and thrives peacefully on the island’s shore.

Tasting Notes 

The wine is sourced from grapes equally shaped by the Pacific Ocean that grow in the Aconcagua region’s coastal Leyda Valley, grapes that achieve a pungency and aromatic profile redolent of New Zealand’s Marlborough region on the other side of the Pacific Rim. Bright, aromatic and crisply textural. The Myth of Motu Nui is a delightfully aromatic Sauvignon Blanc as rich as the myths that inspire the name.

Production

The Sauvignon Blanc grapes are grown in three excellent sites across the Leyda and San Antonio D.O. The proximity of the vineyards to the Pacific Ocean (only 10km’s away) and its fresh coastal breezes ensures grapes ripen slowly. This allows the grapes to retain their natural citrus flavours and freshness but also to develop great aromatics. Sauvignon Blanc grapes in Leyda are some of the first to be harvested in Chile, and winemaking is simple to preserve this crunchy, bright fruit. Cool fermentation in stainless steel is followed by a couple of months on their fine lees which adds texture and depth. We bottle early to retain the primary characteristics, flavours and freshness of this enchanting fruit.

Producer

Our winemaking team has been building relationships across Chile over the past two decades, sourcing fruit and wine from across the Central Valleys. We work with a number of small family growers who pay particular attention to quality and ensure that our winemaking team has the best possible fruit to work with. Freshness and purity are the preferred hallmarks of Boutinot's Chilean wines.

Each vintage Boutinot winemaker Guillaume Letang travels the vineyards of our grower partners, blending that year's truest expression's of Chile's unique terroirs.

Specifications

 Soft supple Victorian Shiraz, dangerously moreish by the glass.

Tasting Notes

Bright, aromatic and juicy on the nose with just a touch of naughty bacon fat. True to the varietal, the tiny proportion of Malbec in this blend gives a flowery perfume. This vintage is our brightest, most dangerously drinkable Shiraz to date due to its fine, bright fruit and soft silky elegance.

Production

Our Shiraz is sourced from ancient Victorian soils in order to achieve a wine with greater finesse, purity and structure as well as typical eucalypt flavours and saline finish associated with the area. Picked at night and crushed within an hour of picking before being sent to the fermentation tanks. The Shiraz grapes were fermented in temperature-controlled tanks maintained at 22 - 25ºC to avoid extracting any harsh tannins, with the fermentations pumped over to extract good colour. 20% of the final blend is barrel aged. The winemaker also added 5% Malbec at the end of the whole process - a sneaky technique that gives a mulberry fruit twist on the finish.

Specifications

Tasting Notes 

Production

The Merlot grapes that make this wine were grown in the glorious Australian sunshine. Merlot thrives along the banks of Australia’s largest river, the Murray, near the bustling inland town of Mildura, in the middle of Australia’s food bowl. A Mediterranean climate, with plenty of sunshine, we carefully tend the vines and enrich the ancient, sandy soils with recycled organic matter from other crops that also thrive locally, to make the most of every precious drop of water. Speckled light reaches through lush green vine canopies to ensure the berries ripen steadily throughout late summer in time for harvest in Autumn.

Producer

Quintessentially Australian, this range offers consistent quality, hugely appealing, commercial wine styles that have gained a loyal following. Reflecting our skill and experience in seeking out the very best of Australia, our wines capture ideal climatic conditions and pure varietal definition.

Boutinot's Samantha Bailey brings her signature palate and decades of experience to finessing our components into the loveliest Boutinot expressions of Oz.

Tasting Notes

This vibrant Chardonnay exhibits lifted fruit character, bright tangerine fleshiness, textural mouthfeel, a bright palate and a long and foodie finish. The judicious blend of oaked Chardonnay adds palate weight and texture without overwhelming the fruit.

Production

Long-standing working relationships with some key growers enable us to source premium fruit, with the ultimate aim of making excellent quality Australian house wines with true style and character. Grapes are picked earlier than usual to ensure balance and freshness in the final wine. Harvesting took place in the early dawn hours when it’s still cool and calm which helps retain the rich characters within these grapes. Once in the cellar, they are gently crushed to maintain the bright, fresh flavours crucial to the clonal tang. Around 15% of the grapes are sourced from the cooler, sea breeze-influenced Langhorne Creek area. This portion is barrel-aged in French medium toast casks to obtain a more complex, textural and weighty style of wine. It is then added to the greater part of the blend which is fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel to retain the fresh fruit characters.

Alan's Personal Tasting Notes

"Soldiers block is a new (affordable) range to us – and the Chardonnay certainly under promises and over-delivers. I say underpromises as the label is pretty underwhelming and gives nothing away about the beauty of the wine within.

This is made from rich, ripe fruit from Victoria with a percentage matured in French oak which gives a creamy, more textural mouthful. Add to that incredible balance and juicy acidity and you have an overall great wine – a real crowd pleaser and one of our most popular whites which tells me our customers have great palates!" Jan 2022

Specifications

This sublime Chardonnay shows off the full potential of this top-rated Slovenian wine region with richness and complexity perfectly balanced by freshness and elegance.

Tasting Notes

There are enticing hints of caramel, tropical fruit, woodsmoke and vanilla while the first sip reveals a full body and bright fruit flavours held in check by a vibrant acidity. The well-defined structure makes this a good contender for additional cellaring. 

The fruit is sourced from the estate’s top vines and the young wine ages in small oak barrels for 10 months to add body and intensity to the overall flavour profile.

Information about Edi Simčič

Three generations are still at work here, passing knowledge and experience from father to son every day. Edi himself is still very much a key character at the centre of the business, with his son Aleks working alongside him and taking the winery into a new era, while Aleks’ two sons learn their trade to take up the family mantle one day. Historically, Slovenia has experienced more than its fair share of hardships, re-shaping the lives of the whole population. In the case of Goriška Brda, the whole region was under fascist rule by Mussolini’s Italy up until the end of World War II, after which it passed into Communist rule as part of the reestablished Yugoslavia.

Like many other regions in the area, Goriška Brda’s whole agricultural industry suffered greatly under Communist rule, as all growers were expected to surrender a large portion of their grapes to the government, thus leaving growers with no resources to even consider quality growing and winemaking.

Upon independence and the formation of the Repubic of Slovenia in 1991, the family spared little time in pursuing their true calling as one of the leading winemakers of the country. Today their reputation is well-established, very deservedly so. Everything about Edi himself exudes gentleness, and this certainly comes across in the wines, thanks to patient growing, gentle handling in the cellar and utter perfectionism when it comes to ageing. Down in the cool cellars, none of the wines are rushed to be ready, and a masterful use of oak results in complex and slightly (but very attractively) oxidative wines.

Within Edi’s wheelhouse is a delicious Chardonnay, a wine he considers to be the first step everyone must take to fully understand his approach, after which comes the Sivi Pinot, the local name and style of Pinot Gris. The defining grape and wine of this project and indeed region is the indigenous Rebula, the true jewel in the Edi Simčič crown. Finally the range is rounded off with a red called Duet, a harmonious blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. These wines are very special, and Edi and family have worked tirelessly to show the world what their region and country is capable of. This is Slovenia. 

Specifications

Glaetzer Wallace takes on the traditional Barossa Valley blend of Shiraz and Grenache in a modern way. 

Tasting Notes

Colour

Vibrant purple with bright red hues.

Nose

Wild cherries with a hint of blueberry and rose petal.

Palate

Upfront red berry fruit, midpalate richness and brightness from the Grenache. Finishes fresh and long.

Glaetzer Wallace takes on the traditional Barossa Valley blend of Shiraz and Grenache in a modern way. The Shiraz brings backbone, flesh and body to the wine with the Grenache adding a soft, vibrant juiciness. 

Vineyards

Exceptional old vine fruit was sourced from the famed Ebenezer sub district at the northern tip of the Barossa Valley. Vine age 50—80 year old Shiraz and 50—100 year old Grenache. Yield 3.5 tonnes per hectare.

Vintage Conditions

A wet winter and spring coupled with cooler than average spring temperatures resulted in slower yet balanced canopy development and healthy flowering and fruit set. A mild summer with regular rainfall events followed allowing the fruit to be in no rush to mature, perfect for consistent ripening. Harvest commenced a few weeks later than recent years. The 2017 wines are of excellent quality exhibiting purity and lift with firm tannins and exceptional length.

Vinification

Old vine Barossa Grenache has a liveliness and structure that does not benefit from oak maturation—oak contact was thus minimised for the Grenache component to preserve the purity and animation of the fruit. The Shiraz was matured for 16 months in 2—3 year old oak hogshead barrels (80% French / 20% American).

About Glaetzer

This family-owned boutique winery was founded in 1995 and dedicates itself to the production of super-premium, sitespecific red wine made in small volumes. Originally from Germany, the Glaetzer family settled in Australia in the late 19th century and were some of the earliest recorded viticulturalists in the Barossa Valley and Clare Valley. Today the winery is run by internationally acclaimed winemaker Ben Glaetzer, who is responsible for driving the brand’s considerable loyal following. Ben sources all their fruit from the northern sub-region of the Barossa, Ebenezer, which is known for its ancient dry-grown vineyards. Glaetzer’s most exceptional fruit is sourced from 80-110 year-old, nongrafted bush vines. In the cellar, Ben believes in minimal intervention and treating musts as gently as possible.

Though only limited Glaetzer wines are produced every year, the winery is known for producing wines that are unique and intense. 

2018 Wallace from Glaetzer Wines on Vimeo.

Specifications

This is the fundamental organic South American Sauvignon Blanc

Tasting Notes

Colour 

A clear, bright pale yellow in colour

Nose

The complex nose presents citrusy notes of grapefruit and lime with a subtle touch of freshly crushed bay leaf

Palate

The smooth palate bursts with citrus freshness balanced by good volume and persistence

Production

Casablanca Valley is hugely influenced by its proximity to the cool breezes which blow in of the chilly Pacific Ocean. The vineyard soils are alluvial in origin, with sandy textures, high permeability, whose shallow depth restricts yield. These cooler temperatures and poor soils, in consequence, give great character in both flavour and aroma, especially for aromatic white varieties like Sauvignon Blanc. The landscape generally consists of rolling hills that rise toward the east and the Coastal Mountains. The poor, shallow soils are alluvial in origin with sandy loam textures, good permeability, and relatively low yields with respect to other Chilean wine regions. Cool climate conditions allow the fruit to ripen more slowly, resulting in grapes with a tremendous concentration off aromas and flavours in white varieties such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and others. The grapes that went into this wine were hand picked during the first week of March, when the fruit had reached the desired level of ripeness. The fruit came from the Casablanca estate, where the vertically positioned vines produce an average yield of 11 tons per hectare. Fermentation took place with selected yeasts in our Maipo Valley winery. Temperatures were carefully managed to remain cool, with pumpovers and delicate lees stirring to reach the desired results. The wine was fined with bentonite and cold-stabilized before bottling to prevent tartaric precipitations in the bottle.

Producers

Voted by Wines of Chile as "Winery of the Year 2016", Emiliana is one of Chile's most exciting producers and pioneers in organic and biodynamic winemaking. Since 1998, this Chilean winery has been producing award-winning wines from almost 1,000 hectares of vineyards in prime sites including Casablanca, Maipo, Cachapoal, Colchagua and Bio Bio.

Its spectacular biodynamic vineyard and winery at Los Robles is a model that attracts visiting viticulturalists and winemakers from across the world. Emiliana's innovative and natural-leaning wines are made with great care and attention and the results are inspiring.

Sustainable

Emiliana began its conversion to organic production in 1998, and today 100% of its properties are organically managed. It is the world’s largest organic winery. It holds organic certifications in accordance with the standards of the United States, Canada (NOP), Brazil, Chile, Japan, South Korea, China, and Europe. In 2006, Emiliana was the first winery in Latin America to produce a wine with biodynamic certification. Since then, the use of biodynamic practices at its farms and cellars has been accredited and today 100% of its properties are certified. Emiliana received its Fairtrade and Fair For Life certifications in 2011 and 2017 and has been selling fair trade wines since 2012.

Emiliana was a pioneer in the implementation of the Wine of Chile Sustainability Code certification in 2012. This standard was developed for the Chilean wine sector to support the implementation of sustainable practices at a national level, as well as social and environmental responsibility at Emiliana.

Emiliana is certified to use the Vegan Society trademark, which attests that its wines are produced without any animal-derived products.

Emiliana also produces an annual sustainability report.

Awards

Specifications

"Gentlemen (and ladies), grab your Claret, for the game is afoot. Wonderful, sophisticated wine." Gary Walsh - The Wine Front

Mac's much-loved Cabernet blend named in honour of his father. An Australian Bordeaux.

Tasting Notes

Mac has chosen not to provide traditional tasting notes for any of his wines. His aim is that his wines hopefully capture vineyard life and vitality. As such the wines are constantly evolving. He believes that the only tasting notes that matter are yours!

The Wine

Mac Forbes believes the Yarra Valley's best wine is, in fact, the Cabernet blend, rather than Pinot Noir or Chardonnay. He's been inspired by the likes of Mount Mary where he worked for many years, and this blend, named after Mac's father Hugh, is every bit the highly fragrant, medium-bodied and elegant style of Bordeaux blend the region is famous for.

The 2016 season in the Yarra Valley brought lovely ripeness to the Cabernet et. al. in this blend and has resulted in one of Mac's best releases of the wine to date. This site offering perhaps a little more 'flesh' on release than previous versions of Hugh. If you like your Cabernet blends in a more subtle and elegant style, this is simply stunning. Only made in tiny quantities and just a pleasure to drink.

The "Hugh" Cabernet Blend

The Bordeaux blend is still arguably the most successful of all grapes or blends from the Yarra Valley. At relatively low alcohols the wines are elegant, perfumed and ripe. While approachable as a young wine – the 2017 Hugh will age gracefully for twenty plus years. In this wine Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant variety and is complimented by Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

The Vintage

2017 started slowly and took a more leisurely stroll through to harvest in March. Punctuated with regular rainfall and a moderate warmth, 2017 was a gorgeous season with near-perfect conditions for ripening fruit. Low sugars and higher acids dancing with glorious fruit weight define 2017.

About Mac Forbes

If you love premium and artisanal Australian wine, Mac Forbes is a name you need to know. He’s not only one of the country’s most talented winemakers, but he’s one of the most influential spokesmen for promoting the concept of Australian ‘terroir’, believing that wine should represent a time and a place.

Mac specialises in single-vineyard Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet from the Yarra Valley. His wines are delicate and finely etched, characterised by subtlety and grace.

His Pinot Noirs are fine-boned, Chardonnays are loved by those who look for fruit purity rather than winemaking artifice in the variety, his array of off-dry Rieslings from the Strathbogie Ranges are some of the country's most unique.

And his ever-expanding range of experimental wines is a treasure-trove for the curious drinker and he is honestly one of the most genuine and affable winemakers you'll ever meet!

Specifications

Chateau Montelena shot to fame in 1976 at the iconic Judgement of Paris that shook the wine world to its core when their 1973 Napa Valley Chardonnay won first place against an enviable line-up of top French Burgundies. The result was a shock to the wine trade all over the world and changed the history of California wine - and Chateau Montelena - forever.

Tasting Notes

Zinfandel is California’s heritage grape, and as anyone who has tasted long-lived examples from the 1970s, it can produce wines of tremendous quality, both immediate pleasure and age-worthiness, and all in a rich and spicy berry profile that is unique in the world of wine. Like every wine they produce, Montelena looks first and foremost to take the tremendous fruit they work with and transmit it in a complex, balanced package.

Colour

Beautiful and dark garnet in colour.

Nose

This Zinfandel opens with aromas of bright raspberry and floral top notes; followed by cedar, dried berries, dried plums, and the classic Zinfandel briar-berry along with hints of pipe tobacco and dusty cocoa.

Palate

The palate opens softly, with exceptional balance, and builds nicely into a good full finish. Dried fruit notes are perfectly complemented by fresh, red currant and mature black fruit flavors. Very juicy on the palate, it is ripe and sweet, with good length and just a hint of herbs on the finish. It shows good weight and velvety tannins throughout – very fleshy without being overbearing.

Vintage Weather

Not a hot or incredibly early vintage like ‘96 or ‘87, respectively, the weather cooperated and helped us produce wines of finesse, elegance, and balance – aspects that are critical for wines that exhibit a purity of expression and our wonderfully unique growing site.

Producer

Established in 1882 and located in Calistoga, California– the Montelena Estate is one of the oldest and most notable wine-producing properties in the Napa Valley. Click below to explore our beautiful grounds and see for yourself.

Chateau Montelena Winery, originally called A.L. Tubbs winery after its founder Alfred Tubbs, was constructed in 1888 and intended as a barrel-aging facility. The Chateau was unique in materials, plan, size, and style for its era. In nineteenth-century Napa Valley, the majority of wineries were constructed of wood. Instead, the Chateau is made of stone with walls three to twelve feet thick, which provides natural insulation against outside heat or cold. Similarly, the structure built into a hillside, to further regulate temperature - something necessary for producing quality wines but uncommon at the time. Also rare among Napa Valley wineries, the Chateau resembles an English Gothic castle gatehouse complete with rusticated stone walls, battlement with crenels and merlons, narrow arched windows, large arched door in the place of a portcullis, and bartizans with faux arrow slits.

Accounts of the stone winery’s designer, masons and source of materials vary. The design has been attributed to Hamden McIntyre, the well-known local winery designer; however, McIntyre relocated to Vina in 1887 where he took charge of the vineyard and winery of Leland Stanford. The building is unlike McIntyre's other wineries, none of which were designed in a Gothic style. Some sources also suggest that while in Europe, Tubbs hired a French architect to draw plans for the building, brought back French masons to build it, and imported European stone for the walls. Other accounts suggest the design was inspired by the Cellar of Chateau Lafite in France.

Originally, the interior was one large space with a second-story crushing floor, but in 1960, a second-floor apartment was inserted so the Chateau could be used as a home. The space was then converted into our current Tasting room though parts of the private residence remain and are used on occasion today for family guests and private events.

Vineyards

Tasting Notes

Summer pudding reaches from the glass, there is an abundance of blackberry and cassis fruit with a naughty creaminess of oak that marries on the palate for a bold pastiche of old vine Barossa Cabernet.

An entertaining number from start to finale.

Tasting Notes

Luscious strawberry ice cream on the nose supported by a bright, berry fruited palate and an off-dry finish.

Production

Selected from old vine vineyards in the Lodi region of central California. 100% zinfandel grapes, lightly crushed to create a pretty pink wine. Vinified in stainless steel tanks.

Specifications

Specifications

A complex and fruit-driven Pinot Gris from Marlborough’s Awatere Valley, this wine shows aromas of juicy pear and citrus blossom leading to a palate of fresh quince, golden apple, and hints of sweet spice. With integrated fine phenolics and smooth acidity this is a fresh and richly textured wine with a long and lingering finish.

Viticulture

The grapes from this wine are sourced from two vineyards located in the cool southern Awatere Valley region of Marlborough. The majority of the grapes come from a vineyard near the coastal planes of the Awatere, with a smaller portion of the grapes sourced from a vineyard located further inland on young fertile river terraces.

The 2018/2019 growing season in the Awatere began with some unsettled weather over the flowering period which resulted in lower yields throughout the vineyards. However, the warm and dry summer that followed provided a dream run for both the vineyard and winemaking teams. With no disease pressure in the vineyard and ideal weather over the harvest period, grapes were able to be picked at optimal ripeness, resulting in a wine with outstanding aromatics, palate weight and texture

Vinification

Grapes sourced from a number of prime sites in the Awatere Valley are gently pressed once at the winery to obtain beautifully clear free-run juice, with the harder pressings keep separate and allowed to oxidise and soften phenolics before being re-combined with the free-run. The juice is then settled and racked into stainless steel tanks for warming and inoculation with carefully selected yeasts.

Fermentation is carried out at cool temperatures of around 10-13°C to help preserve the fruity characters and lasts around 21 days until the balance of residual sugar and acidity/phenolics has reached the ideal point. Post-ferment the wine is held in tank and matured for a short period of time before being stabilised ready for bottling. With no additional finings judged necessary, this wine was ready for bottling in early July 2019. 

Producer

Tohu produces award-winning New Zealand wine crafted from grapes grown in our breathtakingly beautiful, Awatere Valley vineyard. When Tohu launched in 1998 we were the world's first Maori-owned wine company. Since then we’ve grown a reputation for producing premium wine in a range of varieties, winning awards for our Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Méthode Traditionnelle.

Specifications

Tasting Notes 

Nose

Opulent but genteel and tempting violet-tinged soft black fruit abundance on the nose.

Palate

The palate is all about texture: silky, velvety, smooth and simultaneously plush. Ripe plums, hedgerow fruit, cocoa, cedar and spice, cigar box flavours make for an enveloping mouthful. Complex, elegant and beautifully integrated, the oak is seamlessly balanced with the fruit. Lingering & harmonious with not a single element out of place.

Each component was aged separately and then matured in 225L French oak barrels for 20 months with only 30% first fill barrels being used.

In the Vineyard 

The grapes selected for the Anthonij Rupert Optima, comes from our L’Ormarins Estate in Franschhoek and Rooderust farm in Darling. Specific sites, each with their own unique soil type and climatic conditions, were identified for the ideal grape selection, which make up unique components of the final blend in Optima. With lower rainfall bringing challenging conditions, the total wine grape production was lower than 2015. With drier weather conditions, the vineyards produced smaller healthy berries with high flavour concentration and good colour.

In the Cellar

An Optical sorting machine was used to ensure that only the best quality grapes are used. Wine was fermented dry on the skins and underwent extended post-fermentation maceration. This ensures deep colour and a good tannin structure enhancing the maturation potential in the wine. Malolactic barrel fermentation completed before the wine was racked off the lees.

History

Anthonij Rupert Wyne was founded on the farm, L`Ormarins in Franschhoek. Originally owned by the late Anthonij Rupert, who passed away in 2001, the farm was eventually taken over by his brother Johann Rupert in 2003 and the brand named after him. It was Johann Rupert who constructed a state-of-the-art winemaking facility, catapulting the farm into a prestigious wine estate and the beginnings of what is now a sprawling enterprise.
The focus is on terroir specific wines and therefore it would seem obvious that the brand is made up of an impressive portfolio of farms representing the best in grape producing locations. The portfolio is made up of L`Ormarins situated in Franschhoek, Rooderust in Darling, Riebeeksrivier in the Swartland and Altima in isolated Elandskloof. Individually each site offers optimum varietal specific growing conditions, allowing Anthonij Rupert Wyne to adhere to the requirements of their different brands.

Specifications

At the Western Cape’s Pinnacle Point, evidence remains in maritime caves of our earliest known ancestors - a primitive culture that combed the beaches and fished in the same rock-pools from whence they came. Our aim with Primordial Soup is to introduce South African wine in its most accessible form, red and white familial twins made up of multiple classical cultivars, named without variety. The design inspiration is from the illustration’s of Ernst Haeckel, German naturalist, who identified then drew some of the simplest forms of life on Earth. We then use these to relate to Darwinism and the subject of Creation and evolution as a whole. It’s the story of everything.

Tasting Notes 

A rich and bloody bouillabaisse of the Western Cape’s classical cultivars, packed with juicy life, red in tooth and claw. It has a nose of creamy summer pudding and a palate of crushed cherries with a cranberry tang and texture. It’s the Natural Selection.

Production

This cultured concoction is derived from the Western Cape’s classical cultivars, blended to represent nature’s selection and packed with juicy life. An artful mix of classic South African varieties chosen and blended by our winemaker Ryno Booysen.

Producer

Boutinot South Africa is driven by our passion for discovery and desire to capture the real essence of South Africa in every bottle. It was the simple love of Loire Chenin Blanc that first led us to South Africa in 1994, where we pioneered the wild ferment style that has now been adopted by many producers in this region.

Since then we have been exploring the country's amazing vineyards to make fabulous wines from specific sites and plots that scream location, location, terroir. Our home-grown South African winemaking team of JD Rossouw, Ryno Booysen and Pierre Louw drive the energy and enthusiasm for expressing the loveliest wines from their country, along with Samantha Bailey's expertise in finesse. The key is knowing the characteristics of each plot, understanding the benefits each cultivar can bring, breaking rules and pushing boundaries. We use a combination of knowledge, a love of nature and science to create versatile, expressive and food-friendly wines from a country that has been making wine for 360 years.

Specifications

Directors’ Cut is Heartland’s most powerful expression of Langhorne Creek’s classic varietals. Only the best fruit makes the “cut”.

Tasting Notes

In appearance, an opaque mulberry core softens to a thin crimson rim. The nose is blackberry jam with complimentary aromas reminiscent of a Turkish spice bazaar. The palate offers purple fruit with hints of refreshing rosewater and rich aniseed. The finish is long and refreshing.

Vinification

The grapes are selected from some of the best Shiraz vineyards in the region. These vineyards are chosen for the consistent intensity and texture of the fruit. The strictest pruning techniques are used. The fruit for Directors’ Cut Shiraz was harvested at night and then crushed to small open top stainless-steel fermenters. After 24 hours of skin contact fermentation was commenced with our Rhône isolate yeast. Following 10 days of cool fermentation on skins and pumped over 3 times daily, the wine was transferred to French and American oak hogsheads for 12-14 months maturation. In the 2019 vintage we have limited ourselves to 40% new oak to ensure the fruit remained the focus.

Vintage

Ben reckons this might be the finest vintage he has ever seen from Langhorne Creek. Only time will tell. Harvest was more generous than the previous few years, with above average quantity and quality. Total degree days were up from the last three years, with wonderful ripeness levels recorded leading to amazing fruit intensity. This may supersede the 2012 vintage for overall quality and has led to a very happy winemaker. 

Information on Heartland Wines

Heartland Wines is a joint venture from industry veterans and lifelong mates Ben Glaetzer (of Glaetzer Wines fame) and Nick Keukenmeester in Langhorne Creek, South Australia. From its inception in 1999, Heartland’s ethos has been to create wines of balance, texture and a distinctive Australian identity, with a focus on Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Langhorne Creek’s exceptional terroir is the soul of Heartland. One of Australia’s oldest viticultural regions, the area is unique in South Australia due to its cool maritime climate and significant diurnal range. The resulting long growing season, along with ancient alluvial soils, makes it particularly suited to Cabernet Sauvignon. Many local growers have been cultivating the variety for generations, which explains the prevalence of old vines; Langhorne Creek boasts the oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the world. In addition to purchasing old-vine Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz from the region’s top growers, Heartland has also experimented successfully with plantings of Dolcetto and Lagrein, which make up a few of their unique blends. Sustainability is the cornerstone of Heartland’s approach to viticulture: they encourage plantings of indigenous trees, grasses and bushes, practice rational water management, and eschew chemical treatments in the vineyards. They even have a herd of goats to keep the weeds down. Heartland’s wines are made at Ben Glaetzer’s Barossa Vintners winery in Tanunda, Barossa. Completed in 1995, Barossa Vintners is a purpose-built, pioneering solar-powered and gravityfed winery. Here Ben Glaetzer takes his characteristic minimum-intervention approach, with gentle handling and long, cool fermentations to guarantee freshness, elegance and drinkability in the wines. The whole range truly reflects the terroir of the region and demonstrates the stylistic differences that can be achieved in this beautiful area of Australia

Accolades

Specifications

The rivers of Australia help to irrigate the vineyards. Although water is important; the drier the river the better the concentration of flavours in our wines. We are working in close partnership with a family-owned winery, which prides themselves on producing consistent and good quality wines. After harvest, our wine buyer traveled to Australia to specially select these wines for this range.

Tasting Notes

Colour

Light straw in colour

Nose

Dry River Chardonnay displays an enticing nose of peach, citrus and lemon aromas. 

Palate

The tropical fruit flavours and luscious mouth feel mid-palate complement each other to deliver a deliciously rounded wine with a crisp and clean finish, balanced nicely by acidity.

Oak Treatment - Aged with French and American Oak Chips

Specifications

Head Winemaker Felipe Tosso joined Vina Ventisquero in 2000. After seriously considering alternate careers as a tennis pro and classical guitarist, he elected to enter the wine business, describing it as “one of my big passions because it’s more than work – it’s a lifestyle.”

Tasting Notes

Colour

An intense red colour with violet hues.

Nose

Notes of fresh red fruits, such as raspberries and cassis, are very noticeable on the nose. It also has some earthy notes and a hint of black pepper.

Palate

This medium-bodied wine is highly expressive and very refreshing because of its high acidity, with lots of fruit, such as cherries. It has smooth tannins and is long in the finish.  This wine reflects its origins and, being a blend of three varieties, it is a complex wine. It has red fruit from the Garnacha, structure from the Cariñena and some animal notes from the Mataro. Unfiltered and unfined.

Vinification

First the clusters of grapes were selected and 50% of them were crushed. Next, the grapes were put into small open 400-kilo containers, where they underwent a pre-fermentative maceration for 3 to 5 days. en they were fermented gently and slowly, at a low temperature of between 22°C and 26°C (72°F and 79°F), with 2-3 pump-overs each day. Next came a post-fermentative maceration for one to two weeks to ensure balanced tannins. 100% of this wine is aged in 2,500-litre foudres for approximately 1 year

Winemaker

Tosso’s winemaking travels have taken him to Napa, Sonoma, Argentina, France, Spain, Italy, Australia, back to Concha Y Toro in Chile and then finally to Vina Ventisquero. In 2003, Felipe began a close collaboration with John Duval (ex Penfolds) in the production of icon wines Pangea and Vertice, a partnership that continues to this day.

Specifications

Native Assyrtiko combines with a dash of Sauvignon Blanc to create a wine of great aromatic purity, fermented and matured in large Acacia barrels.

Tasting Notes

The Meth`Imon Acacia has seductive aromas of candied lemon, hay, mandarin zest and quince. Fresh and zesty in the mouth with a fleshy mid-palate. Skin contact gives this wine depth of flavour and a hint of tannin. This is a very subtle `orange` wine which still retains the typicity of Assyrtiko and shows fantastic barrel integration.

History

Alan's Tasting Notes

"This is different and absolutely delicious. Honeyed candied fruit, some pleasant minerality, enough acidity and length you just don’t expect from white wine - even at this price! An organic Greek triumph without a doubt. One of these truly great finds you sometimes get when you wander off the well-worn wine paths." August 2021

Accolades

• Julia Harding for Jancis Robinson - 17.5 Points

'Pale gold. Layered aroma that makes me think of gold bars (though I realise they probably don't smell), but there's a rich, seductive oily-mineral spice with ripe pear and citrus fruit. Intense flavours of citrus and cedar, and a creamy texture from the barrel ageing and lees. Fabulous acidity is a counterpoint to the power, and all at such a modest alcohol level. Long, layered finish. Really impressive. Drink 2023 - 2030.' Julia Harding

Specifications

Tasting Notes

It is reminiscent of blackberries, red cherries and a little of pepper. A wine of medium body and a more complex character of robust reds from the Goriška Brda region holding a soft texture and nice length, it has an ageing potential of up to five years.

Information about Edi Simčič

Three generations are still at work here, passing knowledge and experience from father to son every day. Edi himself is still very much a key character at the centre of the business, with his son Aleks working alongside him and taking the winery into a new era, while Aleks’ two sons learn their trade to take up the family mantle one day. Historically, Slovenia has experienced more than its fair share of hardships, re-shaping the lives of the whole population. In the case of Goriška Brda, the whole region was under fascist rule by Mussolini’s Italy up until the end of World War II, after which it passed into Communist rule as part of the reestablished Yugoslavia.

Like many other regions in the area, Goriška Brda’s whole agricultural industry suffered greatly under Communist rule, as all growers were expected to surrender a large portion of their grapes to the government, thus leaving growers with no resources to even consider quality growing and winemaking.

Upon independence and the formation of the Repubic of Slovenia in 1991, the family spared little time in pursuing their true calling as one of the leading winemakers of the country. Today their reputation is well-established, very deservedly so. Everything about Edi himself exudes gentleness, and this certainly comes across in the wines, thanks to patient growing, gentle handling in the cellar and utter perfectionism when it comes to ageing. Down in the cool cellars, none of the wines are rushed to be ready, and a masterful use of oak results in complex and slightly (but very attractively) oxidative wines.

Within Edi’s wheelhouse is a delicious Chardonnay, a wine he considers to be the first step everyone must take to fully understand his approach, after which comes the Sivi Pinot, the local name and style of Pinot Gris. The defining grape and wine of this project and indeed region is the indigenous Rebula, the true jewel in the Edi Simčič crown. Finally, the range is rounded off with a red called Duet, a harmonious blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. These wines are very special, and Edi and family have worked tirelessly to show the world what their region and country is capable of. This is Slovenia. 

Alan's Personal Tasting Notes

"Love this - a classic Bordeaux blend of Cab Sauv, Cab Franc & Merlot aged in oak for 30 months. Medium bodied with lots of black & red fruits and a silky smooth finish. Being slightly oxidative means it’s drinking perfectly now but will age for a few years yet. Absolutely delicious! 17/20 "

Specifications

Tasting Notes 

Nose 

White pear, tropical fruits, vanilla and roasted almonds on the bouquet, marries flawlessly to a rich, melded palate.

Palate

The subtle, integrated oak aromas contribute to a long, creamy finish, underpinned by a rapier-like fresh acidity.  

"Seamlessly merges tangerine vibrancy with vanilla cream from barrel ferment. Textured and rich yet lean and focused throughout. A peaches and cream delight with a dry finish" - John Platter 2014 

Estate

On the slopes of Bottelary Hills bordering Stellenbosch, is a family estate where nature provides the perfect backdrop to grow, produce and share award-winning wines. Summer at Hartenberg brings picnics on the lawns followed by buoyant games of boule. Winter invites you to intimate fireside lunches and sumptuous reds, smoky charcuterie and olives, and sensorial cellar tours. Our Wetland Conservation Area, alongside the vineyards, makes for a beautiful setting for walks and shared family fun.

History

The first settlers to cultivate the virgin land of the estate now known as Hartenberg were friends Cunraad Boin and Christoffel Esterhuizzen who were granted permission to work 60 morgen (20 ha) of the land in 1692. In 1704, Christoffel Esterhuizzen was granted the title deed to "Het Hartenberg" by Governer (Willem Adriaan van der Stel) and by 1718, he had 10 000 vines on his property.

The well-known elephant hunter, Paulus Keyser, bought Hartenberg in 1721 and continued the practice of vineyard cultivation and winemaking on the farm until he sold it to Jacob van Bochen in 1725.  Van Bochen, a former accountant of the Dutch East India Company butchery and holder of the liquor retail monopoly, also bought Weltevrede adjoining Hartenberg.

For about one hundred years after van Bochen, the farm passed through the hands of various owners.  Some with colourful names like Arrie Lekkerwyn (delicious wine), and Aaron van Ceylon (a freed slave) and in 1838 it became the property of the brothers Jacobus and Johannes Bosman.

An important period in the farm's development was ushered in by the Hampf family when they bought Hartenberg in 1928. Mrs Hampf extended the vineyards and planted the many beautiful trees still to be seen around the farm and cellar, while her husband became the first officially recorded winemaker on the estate.

In 1948, Hartenberg was bought by the late Dr Maurice Finlayson (a well-known Cape Town pathologist) and his wife, Eleanor. Discovering the true potential of the estate, they soon began marketing their wines under the label "Montagne". Besides good wine, the Finlaysons also produced two sons, Peter and Walter, who were to become renowned South African winemakers. Uncompromising and sophisticated, Eleanor Finlayson's presence is still felt on Hartenberg today.

Gilbeys were the next owners of the estate, purchasing it from the Finlaysons in 1977. They eventually released the present Hartenberg range as their flagship brand in 1985. On 1 January 1987, Ken Mackenzie, purchased Hartenberg, having seen the potential that the perennial under-achiever offered.

His daughters continue a program of investment in the farm, focusing on three key areas: the replanting to specific sites of premium varietals, the development of production facilities, and upliftment, through knowledge and skills for employees.

The Mackenzie vision, though extremely ambitious, remains simple: to do whatever it takes to produce wines of outstanding quality.

Accolades

Specifications

Typical medium-bodied Hunter Valley Shiraz from a great year that will reward for many years.

Tasting Notes 

Colour

Superb colour with dark red and purple hues.

Nose

Lifted aromas of red fruit and ginger spice. While there is some oak, it is very much in the background.

Palate

Soft entry on the palate, fine tannins and perfect acid carry through to the finish. A typical medium-bodied Hunter Valley Shiraz that will give drinking pleasure now and over the long term.

About Brokenwood Wines

Founded in 1970 as a hobby venture by three Sydney-based solicitors - Tony Albert, John Beeston and Australian wine critic James Halliday - Brokenwood is perhaps best known for their Cricket Pitch label, which was first sourced from a 4-hectare block at the foothills of the Hunter Valley’s Brokenback Ranges. The block was originally earmarked as the local cricket ground before they decided to plant a vineyard instead.

Similarly, Brokenwood purchased their neighbouring block, which was intended to be the local cemetery, and instead planted Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, becoming their critically acclaimed flagship wine, the Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz. Chief Winemaker and Managing Director Iain Riggs joined Brokenwood in 1982 and introduced new winery equipment and facilities specifically for premium white wine production.

Since 1983, white wine makes up a significant part of total production and their Semillon is widely recognized as one of the finest in the world. Iain has also been the driving force behind Brokenwood’s expansion into the McLaren Vale in South Australia, Beechworth in Victoria, Margaret River in Western Australia, and Orange in New South Wales. Despite their expansion, they have managed to remain fiercely committed to producing unique and high quality expressions of Australian terroir.

Specifications

Gnarly Head Pinot Noir takes “the heartbreak grape” for a walk on the wild side.

This wine tastes ripe and generous, bursting with dark-berry and plum flavors that are uncomplicated by oak. The texture is mouth-filling and the wine is easy to sip. Jim Gordon

Tasting Notes

Nose 

Ripe cranberry, raspberry and cherry notes in these wines. 

Palate

This powerful Pinot Noir touts voluptuous aromas of red cherry, vanilla, earth and spice, followed by a rush of black cherry and plum with hints of toasted hazelnut, tobacco and cigar box on the palate.

Vineyards

Grapes for our Gnarly Head Pinot Noir came from California growing regions notorious for growing great Pinot Noir: Monterey, Lodi and the North Coast. Fruit from each area brought a different layer to the overall blend. Vineyards in the Lodi region—a little-known source of fruit for many sparkling wine houses—provided the bold backbone for Gnarly Head Pinot Noir. North Coast fruit brought a wild element of smoky, savory aromas and flavors, while the Monterey fruit added a pure, ripe Bing cherry characteristic made famous by the region.

Winemaking

Grapes for the Gnarly Head Pinot Noir were harvested in the cool hours around dawn, delivered immediately to the winery, and then destemmed into fermenters and allowed to rest for 24-36 hours before beginning fermentation. The fermentation temperature was adjusted slightly cooler than normal to allow for better control of extraction and to preserve the delicate fruit that is expected in a Pinot Noir. After primary fermentation, the wine was pressed and then immediately racked onto French and American oak for malolactic fermentation, as well as aging to both harmonize fruit flavors and add complexity. The resulting wine is a Pinot Noir that punches well above its weight, in true Gnarly Head fashion.

Alan's Personal Tasting Notes

"Delicious! Lush, generous soft red fruits with no oak influence or tannins - just pure red fruits and a touch of herby spice! So easy drinking with great balance and length but no complexity - simples! I defy people who say they don’t like red wine not to be blown away by this.' August 2021

Specifications

With more texture than aromatics alone, this is a food-friendly Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Bright, crisp and aromatic, with generous aromas of cut grass, tomato leaf and asparagus. 

Palate

A tangy palate of citrus, bell-pepper, and bay leaves.

Producer

Boutinot's New Zealand wines are sourced from vineyards in each sub-regions of Marlborough - the Awatere, Waihopai and Wairau Valleys, as well as the breezier region of Waipara. These valleys have their own micro-climates and terroir which give a unique personality to the vineyards, grapes and finished wines.

Samantha Bailey brings her blending expertise and experienced palate to the fore in expressing the loveliest Boutinot wines from The Land of the Long White Cloud.

Alan's Personal Tasting Notes

"Bright and fresh with good acidity and great texture. It’s more kumquat & guava/passion fruit than light and mineral in style. It says it’s sourced from Nelson on the back label but with this opulent fruit profile, it reminds me more of Marlborough! Either way, it’s a cracking wine and not too harsh on the wallet!" May 2023

 Los Cardos means "The Thistles" in Spanish. Their presence indicates an unmistakable sign of good terroir. Also 100% Vegan Approved.

Tasting Notes 

Deep violet red color. Spicy and rich with juicy black fruit and a long jammy finish.

Vinification

The grapes are harvested from mid to late March. In the winery, they are first destemmed and softly crushed. A cold pre-fermentative maceration takes place to preserve the primary aromas. Then, the must is cooled and traditional fermentation starts. Post-fermentation maceration lasts between 10 and 15 days. Malolactic fermentation is carried out after maceration.

The Estate

El Alto Vineyard is located in Ugarteche, in the southern part of Luján de Cuyo, at 1,050 meters (3,445 feet) above sea level. The soils range from sandy loam to clay loam, with variable content of stone. The climate typically presents warm days and cool nights, with an average temperature variation of 14 °C (57.2 °F) and an average annual rainfall of 250 mm (9.8 in). The vines yield 12 tons per hectare, and they are grown in espaliers, using drip irrigation. At Doña Paula, our vineyards have always been managed using sustainable agricultural practices.

Accolades

• Bronze Medal Winner - International Wine Challenge 2022

Alan's Personal Tasting Notes

"This is lovely, fairly full bodied with lots of vibrant red and black fruits with a super smooth jammy finish. Great value too. A fabulous easy drinking introduction to Argentinian Malbec." tasted June 2024

Specifications

Constantia Glen's Flagship Wine!

94 points Tim Atkin

'The proportions may vary from vintage to vintage, but this is always a blend of the five red Bordeaux varieties. Cabernet Sauvignon is just the dominant grape in 2019, with the remaining 75% made up of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Malbec. Structured, serious and concentrated, with plum, damson and blackcurrant flavours, scented 74% new wood and granular tannins. 2024-32.'

Tasting Notes 

A classic Constantia blend of the five archetypal Bordeaux varieties – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. A cool maritime climate and strict crop control results in perfectly ripened grapes that are hand-harvested, meticulously sorted and batch vinified.

Colour

Youthful in colour with a very dark ruby core unwinding into a bright and lively magenta rim. 

Nose

The first impression is one of dark fruit aromas of Morello cherries, ripe blackcurrant and juicy black plums underpinned by a fragrance of dried herbs. Savoury background notes of cocoa, cedar, and graphite demand further exploration. Floral aromas start emerging from the glass and the bouquet concludes with apparent notes of dried violet flowers, cassis, and wild fynbos.  

Palate

The palate is rich and concentrated with the dark fruit flavours that were evident on the nose, but the mid-palate displays fantastic balance and finesse. This exceptionally cool vintage has delivered a wine that is perhaps more elegant than its couple of predecessors, but it remains a compellingly structured wine with excellent freshness and depth. The delicious, fine-grain tannins provide mouth-coating texture and excellent length. The wine comes across as tightly wound in its youth with incredible ageing potential. The typical Constantia freshness provides for a long, delicious finish that will have you beckoning for another sip.  

Vintage

“2019 was a particularly cool vintage at Constantia Glen. A cool ripening season allows for gentle and slow ripening of the grapes, and this leads to greater complexity of flavour precursors in the grapes, as well as good acidity at the time of picking. The resulting wines are elegant and fresh with bright aromatics. The slow ripening also allowed for the slow accumulation of sugars, and excellent tannin development, so we could work with grapes that had achieved good phenolic ripeness. Our dryland vineyards showed remarkable buffering capacity and the 2019 vintage has delivered extremely elegant and refined red wines with great richness, texture, aromatic purity, and persistent, mouth-coating tannins. The 2019 harvest commenced with the first blocks of Merlot and Malbec on 19 and 20 March respectively. The red wine harvest then turned into quite a rushed one, due to some inclement weather that forced us to get our grapes in with a fair amount of haste toward the end of harvest. The final picking was our estate Petit Verdot vineyard on 9 April 2019, and this variety turned out beautifully, making up an impressive 23% of this year’s blend of Constantia Glen FIVE.  "

Specifications