Cabernet Suavignon

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Cissac gives up savory notions of dried Provence herbs, charcuterie and Sichuan pepper over a core of red and black currant preserves with a touch of graphite. The medium-bodied palate delivers just enough black fruits with earthy/savory accents and a chewy texture, finishing with appealing freshness and a herbal lift.

Lisa Perrotti-Brown -  Wine Advocate

Dark, ripe and concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon from the Barossa Valley, which is full flavoured wine made with black olive and dried herb complexity which will reward cellaring for up to a decade, longer in good cellaring conditions. 

A superlative wine to keep or decant and serve at room temperature in your best large red wine glasses now. 

Rockford Wines' legacy

Rockford Wines is an icon itself and a relatively new one, established in 1971 by Robert O'Callaghan, who has forged a reputation for preserving winemaking tradition and saving many of the world's oldest grape vines from being pulled up in the Australian Government's vine pull schemes of the 1970s and 1980s.

The Rockford vintage shed houses equipment from 50 to 100 years ago, which was discarded by other wineries as modernisation took over.

Yalumba is a family owned and fiercely independent wine producer with roots back to 1849. This is their take on the classic Australian blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.

The Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from four vineyards in the Barossa Valley. The diversity of the vineyard selection provides the rich, lifted Cabernet Sauvignon aromatics and palate structure for which The Signature is renowned. The Shiraz comes from vineyards of varying age, with the oldest planted in 1925. These blocks are of sandy loam, featuring yellow sand and ochre clay over red clay. The combination of these Barossa Valley blocks provides a Shiraz with sweetness, fullness, depth and layers of complexity.

Matured for 19 months in 25% new French barriques and Hungarian hogsheads, balance in older French and Hungarian barriques and hogsheads.

Deep, dense purple-red in colour. Seductive and alluring florals, cool mints, red pomegranate with fine blackberry fruits and dark cherry aromas. The palate is delightfully generous with dark red cherry fruit that merges into ironstone tannins. A medium to full bodied wine with a long, flowing tannin profile. A very refined and elegantly styled Signature

Elspeth represents their top tier of wines produced from their own vineyards in the Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay. The fruit is hand-picked and only under the Elspeth label when fruit is of exceptional quality. Their winemaking team shares the philosophy of a hands-on, no expense spared approach to produce these fine award-winning wines. The range is limited to Chardonnay, Syrah and Bordeaux style reds. The Elspeth tier is named in honour and memory of their winemaker Grandmother, Elspeth Preston.

source - Mills Reef

The Shotfire Quartage is sourced from the older Thorn-Clarke owned plantings in the Barossa, with 'Kabininge' and 'St Kitts' vineyards being the main contributors.

 This wine is primarily a blend of traditional Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec) with Cabernet Sauvignon always being dominant. Whilst the Barossa is famous for Shiraz, Thorn-Clarke is renowned for its Quartage which has collected Trophies for best wine of show and / or class at most major wine shows in Australia over the last 10 years.

Great Esk Valley blend from the great 2020 vintage and made entirely from grapes grown on stony soils of Gimblett Gravels. This wine is one of the top 12 Gimblett Gravels Annual Vintage Selection wines for 2020. It's a blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, fermented in open top concrete fermenters and hand plunged. Deeply coloured and complex with jammy and plummy notes.

The Malbec provides smoothness and depth with soft plummy flavours from the Merlot and structure from the Cabernet.

This top drop drinks well now and will also age well for seven to eight years.

The star of the M?doc, Cabernet Sauvignon is given pride of place in this French expression of a classic left bank Bordeaux red blend. Its structured body provides a beautiful wintery night's red to enjoy by the fire with cheddar and great company. 

This is a wine made for drinking now or over the next two to three years. 

Winemaker Notes

Blend: 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot

Critical Acclaim

WE93

Wine Enthusiast

Produced by the team of Calon S?gur, this wine is stylish and elegant while also full of the Saint-Est?phe tannic structure. Fresh and fruity, it is also firm and tannic. Drink this spicy, juicy wine from 2025.

JS92

James Suckling

This is structured and very linear with superfine and polished tannins. It?s full-bodied yet reserved and held back with such tension and focus. Full-bodied, fine and chewy on the finish. Better in 2020.

D90

Decanter

Great freshness of bountiful, ripe fruit and fine ripeness from 68% Cabernet. A lovely wine from perfectly managed vineyards.

JD90

Jeb Dunnuck

A rocking wine from the northern M?doc is the 2015 Ch?teau Capbern and it?s 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot brought up in 60% new barrels. This medium to full-bodied, ripe, impressively concentrated beauty boasts outstanding notes of ripe black cherry and currant fruits intermixed with lots of crushed flower and damp earth/clay-like nuances. It has terrific purity and ripe, yet present, tannin and will benefit from a couple years in the cellar. It?s a little gem that will be loved by old-school Bordeaux lovers. Tasted twice.

The Blanc is pale yellow in colour, with green highlights. The bouquet is strong and characterful, with aromas of broom flower, citrus fruit, peaches, and apricots. The wine is elegant, delicate and quite vivacious on the palate.

Grape 80% Semillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc

Food match oysters, mussels, fish

Pirramimma is a family run winery with a history dating back to1892 and today comprises over 100 hectares of prime McLaren Vale fruit.

The 2019 Cabernet Merlot displays a bouquet of red cherry, blackberry and violets with hints of spicy oak. On the palate there are ripe blackcurrant, plum, quince and chocolate notes which are complemented by hints of pomegranate and subtle toasty oak. 

Drink now and over the next three years with rich meaty fare, stews and hard cheeses.

Vineyard Sites - Cornerstone Vineyard lies at the heart of the renowned Gimblett Gravels viticultural region, strategically positioned at the junction of Gimblett Road and State Highway 50 in Hawke?s Bay. This area is celebrated as New Zealand?s premier Bordeaux red grape-growing region, and it?s easy to see why. The vineyard?s unique terroir, composed of riverbed stones and gravels, challenges the vines, leading them to produce a limited yield of small, intensely coloured, and flavourful berries. The resulting grapes give rise to wines with rich, mouth-filling tannins and a depth of character that speaks to the harsh yet rewarding growing conditions. 

Vinification - The grapes were carefully handpicked, then crushed and fermented in small 3-tonne open fermenters. Each batch was hand-plunged and allowed varying periods of post-ferment skin contact to enhance complexity and structure. After pressing off, the wine underwent malolactic fermentation and was aged in a mix of French (90%) and American (10%) oak barriques, adding subtle layers of flavour and depth. 

Tasting Notes - Enticing aromas of freshly sanded wood, new leather, anise, and spice draw you in. On the palate, sweet dark red fruits, plums, and berry pie flavours shine through. Grippy, robust, dry tannins balance a smooth, sweet, slightly charry oak profile. This wine is drinking well now but will develop even more complexity with ageing.

Fabulous example of structured black fruited Bordeaux offering superb value for money with dark summer berry flavours, notes of dried thyme and black olives combining in a wine of complexity. Smooth and long. 

Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon combine in this outstanding full bodied dry and powerful blend, which is made from hand picked grapes grown in the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing District’s Cornerstone and Ngakirikiri vineyards. 

The grapes were fermented with wild yeasts, which provides diverse depth and flavours to the wine, which has flavour notes of black olives, dried herbs and black currant notes. The wine was aged in French oak for 20 months and bottled unfiltered, which accentuates its gritty, smooth, powerful cedar notes.

Here is a wine for the long term cellar... Or decant and enjoy now.