Machine-harvested, crushed and destemmed, 5-10 days on skins with cultured yeast, matured for 39 months in French and American oak (52% new). This has always been an iconic wine, and the bright crimson colour is a great start, quickly followed by beautifully pitched cassis/blackcurrant fruit and finely shaped tannins in perfect balance. There's not much to say about this wine, so perfect is the balance and mouthfeel.
97 points, Wine Companion (February 2018)
Machine-harvested, crushed and destemmed, 5-10 days on skins with cultured yeast, matured for 39 months in French and American oak (52% new). This has always been an iconic wine, and the bright crimson colour is a great start, quickly followed by beautifully pitched cassis/blackcurrant fruit and finely shaped tannins in perfect balance. There's not much to say about this wine, so perfect is the balance and mouthfeel.
97 points, Wine Companion (February 2018)
Coonawarra
The first vines were planted in Coonawarra by John Riddoch in 1890, however it was not until the renewed interest in table wine production in the 1950's that Coonawarra was brought into the limelight. Located almost 380 km southeast of Adelaide, Coonawarra is today one of the most famous red wine regions in Australia. Its weathered limestone terra rossa soils, avaibility of water and relatively cool maritime climate make it a unique viticultural region. Extremely flat and unprotected, Coonawarra is exposed both to the swinging influences of the cool Great Southern Ocean and hot, dry northerly winds. Spring frosts also pose a major threat with the potential to wipe out entire crops. Mechanical harvesting is widely employed in the region although smaller producers prefer to tend their vines by hand. Coonawarra is best known for classically-styled Cabernet Sauvignon, although in good years, Shiraz from the region is also very compelling.
