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Generous, layered, bright and textural. Intense aromas of blueberry, mulberry and spiced vanilla oak. Rich, lively fruit, cocooned by oak and balanced acidity. Gemtree is a third generation family owned winery in the heart of McLaren Vale. Since 2008 the winery has operated using biodynamic practices ensuring an outstanding quality of fruit. Winemaker Mike Brown is a passionate advocate for environmental practices in the vineyard including sustainable agriculture to produce the best results in all of the Gemtree wines. The same philosophy is adopted by the viticulturalist - his wife, Melissa. Gemtree Vineyards are located just 35 kilometres south of Adelaide in the heart of the McLaren Vale wine region. Its considered one of the best regions in the world to grow grapes thanks to its ancient soils and Mediterranean climate plus cooling sea breezes from the nearby Gulf of St.Vincent. Soils in the area range from shallow red brown earths over limestone to deep fertile clay soils. Gemtree Vineyards comprises 260 acres under vine planted with Chardonnay, Verdelho, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Petit Verdot and Sangiovese. Working in tandem with his wife Melissa in the vineyard and taking a minimal interventionist approach to the winemaking is integral to Mike, to allow the wines to simply express the region in every glass.

The Syrah (Shiraz) is made with traditional winemaking using natural yeast fermentation over a four week period with 18 months barrel maturation in 20% new French oak. Intense dark cherry and mulberry fruits are allied to cedar and roasted spice aromas. The complex palate provides tannins of supple texture with a lingering length of flavour persistence. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Full of finesse and flavour. Fresh mulberry, dark cherry and violet aromas rise from the glass and flow through to the palate, where blue fruits dance with olive, coffee and wood spice flavours. Medium-bodied, balanced, with power to burn. New French oak used to mature 20 per cent of the wine, with the remainder aged in neutral French oak. Only 240 dozen produced. Unfined, unfiltered, vegan, low sulphur.

Once your wine arrives, slow right down. Be patient with this wine and it will reward your handsomely – decant for half an hour and the transformation is magical. Once the juice loosens up and releases its hidden depths, it develops an aroma that is just divine. Discover liquorice, blackcurrant, cherry, blackberry and bitter cocoa mirrored on the palate with turbo-charged punch and power. And the finish? It goes on forever…

Re-tasted on 07/06/2022 Magnificent colour displaying a pitch black core with a very deep black dark red hue. Pronounced black cherry, liquorice and black plum aromas are overlaid by scorched earth and smoked meats followed by spicy vanillin cedar and pepper notes. Tightly built rich black cherry and liquorice flavours dominate over inky earth, lightly scorched vanillin cedar, dried meats and blackpepper. Dry grippy finish with tightly grained tannins. Rich yet elegant and muscular in its feel. Good underlying power with a long black cherry, liquorice, smoky vanillin cedar, dried meats and earthy pepper aftertaste. Cellar 8-10 years. Alc. 14.5%

The Marsc Wine Co. is an unmissable small-batch project that brings together wines from some of Australia’s most exciting winemakers. Often they discover parcels of fruit too small to create a whole brand around, but too good not to share. So the Marsc project helps them get it into the bottle and into customers’ glasses. There is a twist though. The Marsc wines are all produced under a veil of anonymity – hence the mysterious and noir-like label! So … whilst we can’t tell you who made this stunning McLaren Vale Shiraz we can say that their top wines usually sell for $100 a bottle, and they have picked up some of Australia’s highest winemaking gongs. Made with fruit from vineyards in the Willunga and Sellicks sub-regions, it shows luscious blackberry and bramble fruit, smoky oak and delicious spice with long fine tannins on the finish. You’ll be very pleased you managed to secure a case!

A masterly crafted Shiraz from some outstanding regions in Australia. Hardys HRB has a complex nose showing dark fruits and well handled oak, and mouth coating tannins lead to a persistent finish.

Yangarra Estate is a biodynamic wine farm in the McLaren Vale devoted solely to producing wines from the best grape varieties of the southern Rhone. Shiraz from the Yangarra estate vineyard adopts more of a cooler climate expression than the typical McLaren Vale style, thanks to the vineyards elevation and cooling night breezes from the nearby Southern Lofty Ranges, but retains concentration and complexity. lots of lifted violet aromas, with fresh cherries and plums, with a soft and juicy palate and fine elegant tannins.

Fox Creek Short Row Shiraz is a terrific McLaren Vale Shiraz with lovely suppleness of texture. Plum aniseed and rich fruit-cake flavours are woven around spicy oak and light lingering tannin.

The Hill Block straddles the ridge running through the Chapel Hill estate. The wine was then aged for 19 months in 100% tight grained French oak. The proportion of new oak was kept low to encourage the continued expression of the characters that are unique to the vineyard site.