2018 Red Wines

Brunello di Montalcino (brown one of Montalcino), is made from 100% Sangiovese from the Brunello di Montalcino region, which along with Barolo, was the equal first Italian wine region awarded DOCG status, the highest available. It is considered one of the greatest wines on earth. Made from a local clone of Sangiovese, called Prugnolo Gentile, which is thicker skinned, more tannic and acidic than the sangio clones of Chianti and elsewhere in Italy, Brunello is prized for its intensity and depth of flavour and ageability. The Bartali is a full bodied and sense enveloping wine, packed with cherries, tobacco, herbs, spice, espresso, leather and more. Powerful, long, persistent and finished with robust but fine tannins. This is already exceptional and will age magnificently. Learn More

Our 3rd vintage of the Torcinato, and absolutely the finest to date. This is a big and exceptionally well-structured and refined wine which requires at an hour in a decanter before drinking. It is powerful yet silky smooth, with intense red and blue fruits, cola, tobacco, blackberries, cherries and fresh thyme. Fruit is air dried prior to fermentation for 45 days meaning that 1.6 kg of fruit are required to make each bottle! Learn More

This is just the second release of Firehawk Farm which is produced from Dandelion’s finest vineyard. There is mammoth concentration of fruit here and perfect integration of fruit, oak and acid. Closed on opening, this morphs into an absolute stunner as is breathes and opens over several days. Sweet fruit, searing acid, savoury complexities, chocolate, graphite and blue fruits are all on show along with earthiness, cedar and plenty of tannin. This might just be the McLaren Vale’s best Shiraz. Learn More

A tiny patch of 111 year old Eden Valley Vines produces miniscule bunches of velvety Shiraz which are fermented wild with a high percentage of whole bunches. Lots of new oak here, lots of dark cherry, spice, plum, chocolate, black pepper and licorice. Good already with the promise of becoming exceptional. Learn More

Selected from Heirloom’s best McLaren Vale vineyard. We saw musk, plum skin, spice, cherries, earthiness, Earl Grey tea, blackberry and black pepper. A sense enveloping and incredibly beguiling wine finished with a dusting of fine powdery tannins. Magical. Learn More

This is top end Coonawarra Cab done right. A grade vines are hand tended, the fruit bunch sorted, open fermented, basket pressed and put into superb French oak for a couple of years. Red fruits, mulberries, bramble, olives, dried herbs are all in the mix. The palate is extremely powerful, textural, intense and long. An exceptional, single vineyard Coonawarra Cab. Learn More

Aussie Merlot doesn’t get more complex or highly awarded than Irvine’s Grand Merlot, twice recipient of the best Merlot in the world award. Recent releases are even better structured and livelier thank the oldies, and we are confident the 2018 will improve for 10 years plus. The 2018 exceeds the power and complexity of the 2017 vintage, adding a rich sheen of plum and fig to the mix of violet, blueberry, dark chocolate and five spice. Excellent acidity and plenty of fine French oak here too. Decant for several hours before drinking. Learn More

2018 was a pretty fine vintage, and the Mitchell Kalmar Vineyard, quite close to cellar door is an exceptional vineyard. Soooo, in 2018 the Mitchells made the call to pick, vinify and bottle this vineyard with the intention of releasing a standalone wine. It is a ripper, blacker, denser and with exceptional potential for ageing. The Kalmar is laden with black fruits, graphite, spice and more. The texture here is thick, without being overwhelming, and the palate extremely long. Drinkable now, yeppers, but will cellar like a champ too. Learn More

Quite a big black beast, with oodles of black fruits, spice, cedar and depth of flavour. Excellent on opening, this also improves as it breathes and is a superb match for pretty much anything beefy. N.B. Masterchef fans, this has not been tested with Beef Ice cream. Learn More