Rusty Mutt Solaris Irvine Leasingham Carlos Serres Zonte's Footstep Griffin Medium Wine List

Carlos Serres is a bit of an OG - one of the few Rioja producers with a century of winemaking behind them. Carlos was actually named Charles, a French Winemaker who left Bordeaux, fed up with dealing with phylloxera riddled vineyards, landing in Spain. He founded the first winery in Rioja with export certification and applied French winemaking techniques to Rioja fruit. Pretty soon, there was a demand for Rioja in the rest of Europe and the US.

Carlos Serres Crianza is 100% Tempranillo and spends 14 months in a combo of French and American oak. Being 'Crianza', the wine has spent a year in barrel, and another on bottle prior to release. Typically aged in older oak, Crianza can have quite assertive tannins and fruit which is intense whilst retaining great freshness. This is a particularly good example, packed with red fruits, cherries, spice, oak and nervy acidity.

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Carlos Serres is a bit of an OG - one of the few Rioja producers with a century of winemaking behind them. Carlos, actually named Charles, was a French Winemaker who, fed up with dealing with phylloxera riddled vineyards, left Bordeaux and wound up in Spain. He founded the first winery in Rioja with export certification and applied French winemaking techniques to Rioja fruit. Pretty soon there was a demand for Rioja in the rest of Europe and the US.

Young and fresh but nonetheless intense, owing to the very low yields from the 2022 vintage. Fresh red and black fruits here, along with liquorice and a hint of vanilla. Zippy fruit and relatively high tannins make this a great match for protein.

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A later pick from one sub section of a single vineyard. Just a touch more concentration and ripeness on offer here than can be found in the non reserve version. Sweet fruit, savoury aspects, cedary oak and sandy tannins. Lovely. Learn More

Aromatic and peppery with raspberry, cherry, anise and florals all happening. Mid weight, expressive and with a good lick of quality cedar. 200 dozen made. Learn More

A low yielding vintage has resulted in this concentrated and black fruited Shiraz which still carries the house style savoury aspects mixed with red fruits. Concentration and length are excellent. Miniscule production, maximum quality. Learn More

A cracking vintage and an expansive wine which is also light on its feet. Delicious red and black fruits here, along with spice and cedar. Drink now or cellar for 10 years. Learn More

Leasingham wines have been around since the 1890s and have been steered by a series of legendary winemakers over the years. It wasn’t until the early 70s that the Bin series kicked off, with a Bin 61 Shiraz and a Bin 56 Cab Malbec. These were both highly prized for their exceptional quality and regular ability to out-perform wines selling at 2-3 times their asking price. A few of us from WD were lucky enough to attend a vertical tasting with Tim Knappstein (one of the aforementioned and legendary Leasingham alumni) a decade or so ago and came away incredibly impressed with the quality and consistency of the wines. We looked at over 20 vintages, and everything we tasted was still showing fruit, the best of them were exceptional. So it’s a little sad that the '21 may be the last vintage of the Bin 61 Shiraz. Lots of good stuff here, black tea, chocolate, coffee grounds, mint, plum, charcuterie, and blackberries. The overall impression is of mid-weight fruit, an even balance between softness, fine tannin and good length. Cracking value for money. Drink now through 2030. Learn More

Florals, orange blossom. honeydew melon,and rose petals which lead into moving citrus and jasmine as the wine opens. Excellent acidity here and a lovely mouthfeel making for a wine which is both strident and charming in equal measure. Will cellar well, revealing a honeyed character as it ages. Learn More

Quality pinot which is relaxed and ready to drink. Plenty of red fruit fragrance here, plenty of spice, wild mushroom and cured meat on the palate, and a fleshiness which quality Pinot always seems to offer. Learn More

A premium red From Zonte’s off their own vineyard in the Adelaide Hills. Stacks of spice, pepper, black and blue fruits here. The nose is remarkably expressive, the pallet long and deep. You could argue that this is their best wine.

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Zonte's Natures Crux is a superb, organic certified Shiraz harvested from their own vineyard. There is exceptional vitality of fruit here, with blackcurrant, black liquorice and plums all happening. Finishes with cocoa, spice and fine tannins. Lively and lip-smackingly delicious. Learn More

Oodles of cassis here, buckets of plum, heaps of cigar box aromas and bountiful blackcurrants, Slap in the middle of a very happy drinking place. Soft tannins to finish. Learn More