Red Wines

Although the Superiore designation requires that the grapes that go into this wine are harvested at a slightly higher sugar level than standard Valpolicella—thus producing a wine of potential higher alcohol—this Valpolicella is a soft, supple example of this classic wine.  Made predominately from Corvina, this wine displays the ripe black cherry flavors for which the grape is known. Ruby red in color, this Valpolicella Superiore offers fleshy aromas of wild berries, black currants, black cherries, and spices, with hints of chocolate. On the palate, the wine is dry and robust with velvety texture.

Organoleptic properties: Ruby-red colour with purple highlights and fruity scent with tones of plum and morel cherries, matures a few months after vintage, with a soft, lingering taste.

Woodlands 'Margaret' is sourced entirely from the Woodlands Vineyard. The Cabernet Sauvignon portion comes from a slope on the south of Woodlands and wraps around a 90-degree radius from east to north. The fruit on this slope receives a great deal of direct sunlight from morning to mid-afternoon, leading to rich full-bodied wines. The Merlot and Malbec plots that make up the remainder of 'Margaret' come from Woodlands' west-facing slope of deep loam soil. This slope receives the most direct afternoon sunlight at Woodlands, and produces more spicy exotic fruit characters in the finished wine.  Vintage 2018 was absolutely ideal and was one of Margaret River's best vintages. AFter a good amount of rainfall at the beginning of the growing season, flowering conditions were near-perfect. Great weather continued from mid-December through till the end of harvest. Just like the vintage itself, 2018 'Margaret' is rich and warming.  2018 'Margaret' is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 10% Malbec.  The colour is deep garnet with a crimson hue. The aromas evoke Christmas-perfumed blackberry, boysenberry and brambly notes. Very inviting and satisfying, and almost relaxed.  The palate opens up with intertwined berry crumble, forest floor, cassis and blackberries, married with grilled chestnuts and toasted breadcrumbs. The structure is powerful, with a ripe core of tannins and a long, velvety finish. 

The mild weather of 2019 extended ripening time, leading to fruit with complex, charming, and elegant flavours.  30% of this wine fermented without yeast, which we feel enhanced the aroma and overall balance. Following fermentation, the wine was transferred to French barrels where it spent 14 months. 15% of the oak barrels were new, balanced with 1 to 3 year old barrels.  Our 2019 Wilyabrup Valley blend is 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec, and 2% Cabernet Franc.  Intense crimson in colour, the nose is flushed with rose petals, crunchy red cherries, mulberry and toasty oak notes.  The pallet is silky smooth, with supple tannins aligning the red fruits, blackberry and liquorice. Absolutely charming!

Each year our Cabernet Sauvignon is named after a family member or friend. 2016 marked the birth of Andrew and Marie’s daughter Clémentine Eloise Watson. “Birth” year wines are always very special for us – our 2016 vintage joins the rare club of 1978, 1981, 1983, 2002, 2012 and 2014. We believe 2016 may go down in history as Margaret River’s greatest vintage. A perfect warm summer was interrupted by 90mm of rain in mid-January, after which the great conditions continued. Our unirrigated vines loved the drink and went on to produce wines of class and restrained power, balanced by great natural acidity. Our Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from our original plantings our south-facing slope. This wine is a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc.  The soil profile of this slope is generally sandy loam over gravel and clay. These four small plots receive the greatest number of sunlight hours on our vineyard, but the east-west orientation of the vines ensures a slow fruit maturation. These are the last batches we harvest each year – and in 2016 the harvest ran from the 22nd of March to the 1st of April, yielding 5.8 tonnes per hectare. Fruit for 2016 ‘Clémentine Eloise’ was hand-picked between 17th March – 1st April, yielding 5.6 tonnes per hectare. It was then hand sorted again in the winery before being transferred into small stainless-steel fermenters. Following fermentation, the wine macerated on skins for 28 days to further develop colours and supple tannins. After maceration, it was pressed and filled into new French oak barrels where they matured for another 20 months. Our 2016 is a captivating dark crimson, sitting in the glass with confidence and ease. The nose is magnetic and engaging, with a spirited crunch and vibrant red fruits interlaced with violet and black rose tea. A backdrop of dark cherries and blackcurrant mixes with scented aromatics of mace and sandalwood. The palate is pristine and polished, and sheathed in a velvet veil of tannin, promising years in the cellar. We thoroughly recommend cellaring until at least 2022, and it will continue to cellar well until 2040. A timeless and elegant Cabernet- like the movie “Casablanca” it dances, unravels and weaves, and tells a story you will want to watch time and time again..

'Clementine' is the Woodlands Brook Vineyard Cabernet blend, taking its name from Andrew and Marie's daughter.  The fruit was harvested over three weeks from the 27th of March 2019, gently destemmed, then hand-sorted berry by berry in the winery.  In 2019 this wine was fermented, without added yeast, which has enhanced the complexity, particularly in the aromas.  following fermentation the wine spent 17 months in French oak barrels, 60% of which were new.  Our 2019 'Clementine' is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 18% Malbec, 5% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.  Bright crimson in colour, the nose is saturated with aromas. Black and red cherry, raspberry, star anise, five-spice and cedar oak feature.  The palate reveals more primary red fruit, together with liquorice and cocoa. Fresh acidity keeps everything in balance, while spice and young firm tannins unveil upon decanting. 

A fresh and dynamic wine, a Sangiovese with bright reflections and an olfactory component that is clearly dominated by fruity sensations, with strawberry and blackberry accompanying a clear and distinct hint of coffee and liquorice. Soft and tasty with a dry, clean finish.

Made from selected Tempranillo grapes with a small percentage of Grenache sourced from vineyards with an average age of 30 years. Aged for 12 months in oak barrels, (60% French oak and 40% American oak), followed by 9 months of rest in bottle. Tasting Notes:  Clean and intense dark cherry nose with nice hints of coffee and spice. Classy wine, medium-bodied, velvety textured, elegant mature figs and ripe red fruits with a touch of vanilla and fine tannins with a long, pleasant aftertaste.

This wine is produced by our winery Feudo di Mezzo situated in the heart of Etna’s wine area. It is made from Nerello Mascalese grapes and is an expression of this noble vine cultivated in the splendid and unique terroir of Etna. 100% Nerello Mascalese Vanilla, sour cherry, wild strawberry, a very clean flowery touch. Fleshy and smooth in the mouth. Very expressive fruit with more complex aromatic intrusions of undergrowth, myrtle and oriental spices. A wine which unexpectedly transforms itself into a champion of red drinks, with marked flavour and a tasting profile with emerging and exciting traces of iron, rhubarb and black pepper.

A ruby red colour, the wine is clean and bright in appearance. The nose exudes an aroma brimming with intensity, of very ripe red fruit on a balsamic background. The palate is smooth, fresh and sinewy, with well-integrated and polished tannins, exhibiting touches of liquorice on the aftertaste.

As soon as the dried grapes for the winery’s Amarone have completed fermentation, a top selection of Valpolicella grapes “passes over” (ripassa) the Amarone pomace, thus resulting in a second brief fermentation. This helps to obtain higher alcohol content, deeper colour, and rich flavour and aroma. After aging in French tonneaux for 18-20 months, the wine is cellared for another 6 months in bottle before release. The process makes for a refined and concentrated wine, extremely smooth and velvety, with vibrant red fruit aromas. On the palate, it delivers fruity notes and elegant tannin with hints of chocolate and spice. Ripassa has played a highly important role in the Zenato winery’s evolution over the years.

Classic Australian medium bodied Shiraz. 14.7% ABV

The earlier pick was leaner and lighter on the palate but intensely freshly shucked oyster shell with lemon and pepper. The latter pick was rich and oily with salty characters, consistent with rich styles. The resultant wine is full of Vermentino aroma, a medium to full bodied palate, fresh but rich.

85% Grenache, 9% Syrah and 6% Mourvèdre, from 70+ year-old vines in two lieu-dits in the north of the appellation, in roughly equal proportions. Notre-Dame-des-Pallières is a south facing site at about 200m, whilst Pallière et Pied-Gu is north-facing and at 300m. The fruit from Notre-Dame-des-Pallières is fully de-stemmed, that from Pallière et Pied-Gu fermented as whole bunches and each parcel is on skins for about 25 days. Malo is completed in tank and then 60% of each parcel is transferred to 228L barriques for 16 months, before blending and bottling.

Picking the High Cotton is living the good life! A life rich in epicurean delights, a feast for the senses. We ventured deep into the Adelaide Hills to source this seductive fruit from a single vineyard in Hahndorf, so you can indulge in some High Cotton of your own. 2021 harvest conditions really suited Pinot Noir, presenting a long cool ripening window which allowed us to pick when we wanted to and use a generous percentage of whole bunch during primary fermentation. Drinkability: Generous now, vibrant and juicy but has solid structure to age

The wine is Ruby red with violet hues, clean and very brilliant. Fruity, raspberry, red fruits; very characteristic of the variety. Light notes of toast and spice. Medium-bodied, good equilibrium of tannins and acidity. Finishing with notes of raspberry, toast and light notes of wood.

'Bernoota’ was the original name given to the homestead on the Lake Breeze property - it is an Aboriginal name for ‘camp among the gum trees’.The 2021 ‘Bernoota’ is a blend of Shiraz (60%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (40%), carefully selected from old vines on the Follett family vineyard.The wine was fermented on skins in open static fermenters for 7-10 days, followed by maturation for 20 months in American and French oak barriques. The wine shows dark fruit characters of blackberry and plums, with a hint of choc mint and smoky oak aromas. The palate encompasses all of the trademark Langhorne Creek fruit sweetness and soft tannins. Although extremely palatable now, it will mature gracefully with correct cellaring for the next 10+ years.

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon uses fruit produced from 40 year old vines on the Follett family vineyard, situated on the Bremer flood plain at Langhorne Creek. Traditional open fermentation was employed followed by maturation in French oak barriques for 20 months, prior to bottling. The wine displays a lifted aromatics of black fruits and violets, along with some cedary oak nuances.The concentrated palate has a lovely silky texture, showing chocolate and cassis flavours and a wonderfully long finish. With careful cellaring this wine will age superbly for at least the next 10 years.