A Clever Old Vine Curation – Average Vine Age 100+
Exceptional wines one and all, produced from vines that managed to survive the horrific vine pull scheme of the 1980s. This scheme paid farmers to pull out older, less productive vines at a time when the industry was not terribly profitable. While many of these old vine resources were lost, champions like Rocky Callaghan, Richard Hamilton, Charles Melton and Jaysen Collins from Massena committed to protecting at least some of these ancient treasures... The downside to old vines is that they generally don’t yield a lot of fruit which can make it difficult for growers to make a profit – the upside is that if the vines are healthy they can conjure superb complexity and concentration.
Gold Medal - CWSA, 96pts Kim Brebach, 95pts Huon Hooke, 94pts The Wine Front Magazine, 94pts McLaren Vale Wine Show 2021
This is a brilliantly concentrated wine full of layers of flavour, texture and richness. Halliday’s ratings for the previous 10 vintages read thus... 97, 97, 95, 96, 97, 95, 96, 95, 96, 95... and this is as good as the very best vintage produced to date, perhaps a smidge better. Produced from a heritage plot of 120+ year old McLaren Vale vines, it will cellar 30 years plus.
This is a full bodied beast of a Shiraz. We reckon this one will improve with cellaring for 20 years, such is its structure and depth of blue and black fruits. Length and persistence are exceptional. An exceptional follow up to the highly awarded 2016 vintage.
Bush vine Grenache from the revered Stonegarden vineyard which was planted in 1858. This was wild fermented using 100% whole bunches, after which the wine spent time on lees in old French oak for 12 months. Exceptional poise and depth of flavour, velvety fruit, fine boned acidity, slightly grainy tannins and a very long finish. Magnificent.
95pts Sam Kim, 93pts Real Review, 93pts Kim Brebach
Sourced entirely from the revered Stonegarden vineyard which was planted in 1858. Red fruits and perfume on the nose lead to a rich, densely fruited wine of significant depth and concentration. Finishes with heaps of fine tannins. Decant, or drink over a couple of days, or cellar for up to another 10 plus years.
93pts Kim Brebach, 92pts Sam Kim, 92pts James Halliday
From old bush vines planted in 1947. Dry grown, hand pruned and picked, these vines produce exceptionally concentrated fruit. White pepper, kirsch and cherries in a medium bodied yet muscular and fruit intense setting. Plenty of fine tannins to finish. Drink now or cellar for 5-8 years.
A celebration of old vines - this intense cuvée is crafted from vines with an average age of 50+ years. Fruit was hand picked and open fermented, sitting on skins for 10 days prior to pressing and transfer into French oak. The oak is 40% new, the balance 3 y.o. – ensuring enough high-quality oak is present to season the intense fruit without pulling focus from its glory. We found, flint, cranberries, raspberries, cherries, plum, chocolate, black tea, spice and minerality. A stunner.