Red cherries and strawberries along with notes of undergrowth and preserved lemon. Bright and juicy red fruit characters with a savoury back half of earth, leather and subtle dried herbs. The palate is of medium weight with graceful, fine tannins that lend it a plush quality throughout. Grapes were handpicked, keeping individual clones separate in small open fermenters. Some whole bunch fruit was added to ferments, enhancing aromatics and structural complexity. Fermentation was initiated by indigenous yeast (wild ferment). Each clonal parcel was basket pressed and filled to seasoned French oak barrels with full solids. All barrels were kept on lees to build palate, body and complexity. They were racked and blended just prior to bottling. Stephen Georges three hectare, dry-grown, Ashton Hills vineyard lies in the Piccadilly Valley sub region of the Adelaide Hills on a ridge just below the summit of Mount Lofty. Planted in 1982, its a quality site that, thanks to the humility and integrity of its gifted farmer, has been the source of some of South Australias most intriguing cool-climate wines, and certainly its most authentic and fascinating Pinot Noir. You dont need to spend much time in the Piccadilly Valley to realise why this area was granted sub-regional statusit is totally different to the rest of the Hills. In short, its much colder and wetter. Georges Estate vineyard lies at 570 metres above sea level and the vines shudder through some of the coolest vintage conditions in the country. Meanwhile, rainfall is a whopping 1200mm a year, well over double that of the Barossa. Whether its the lifted perfumes, elegant structure and Alpine freshness of the Pinot Noirs or the icy purity of the Riesling, Piccadilly Valleys bona-fide cool-climate imprint is never far away. A healthy portion of old-vines and the vineyards south-facing aspect afford George the luxury of late harvesting that plays a significant role in the personality of these wines. Terroir is one thing, how its worked is another, and Stephen George clearly has an intuitive touch and the drive to continually evolve. Most recently this evolution has resulted in George grubbing out all varieties except for Pinot Noir, and a little bit of Riesling, focusing his Pinot Noir on four specific clones selected from a line-up of 25 that he had tested. The Ashton Hills winery is incredibly basic, with an earth floor and next to no equipment whatsoever. The Pinot fruit is destemmed via a small, customised, gentle destemmer that keeps as many whole berries as possible. The fruit is then basket pressed, and the wine is made without any sulphur additions until bottling. Some whole bunches are included, and the percentage varies according to the style of the vintage. The red wines are mostly raised in aged, neutral French hogshead barrels. Having already cemented his living-legend status amongst his peers and compiled a storied CV that includes his role at Wendouree (since the 1980s) and twenty five vintages at the helm of Ashton Hills, you could forgive this reclusive winemaker for taking his foot off the gas. Not a bit of it. Stephen George is in fact making the best wines of his career.

Bright crimson in colour with a light floral bouquet, exuding red berry flavours with gently drying tannins &; the masterful use of French oak add to the balanced complexity providing a wine to enjoy young or allow time to develop in the cellar.

Ten months in French oak (30% new), the fruit from one of our highest yielding vintages is brilliant straw green in colour and displays light citrus aromas combined with white stonefruit and a wonderful creamy multi layered finish from extended time on lees. Excellent cellaring potential.

2018 Orlando Lyndale Adelaide Hills Chardonnay,Purity of fruit underlies this wine with an abundance of stone fruit and lemon pith, however it shows plenty of restraint and precision with its tight mineral acid backbone. A multi layered palate with a seamless integration of oak and a harmonious texture that is an outstanding example of modern cool climate Chardonnay.

GinGin. A clone from California, perhaps, but a wine with all of the hallmarks of the Jura. Golden to the eye with an open, slightly oxidative nose (think cashew nuts). Juniper berries and alpine wild flowers with a fresh, rounded texture. Born in the Piccadilly Valley not far from Swaby geographically, made identically in the winery, but ultimately continents apart stylistically. 100% Piccadilly Chardonnay, handpicked, wild-yeast fermentation, whole bunch pressed to barrel, some bâttonage, 10 months in 25% new French oak, unfiltered and unfined, only 50 dozen made.

Ripe plums, spice, compote, and fresh ripe blackberries on the nose. A lively, strikingly astute entry on the palate, with flavours of fresh, ripe berries enhanced by hints of spice and clove. The flow is calm and even with effortless tannins.

Munda Syrah Kaurna Country Blewitt Springs (McLaren Vale) Syrah Munda chooses minimal intervention in the winery, second and third use oak regimes to showcase Munda, and prefers to bottle relatively early to reflect the brightness of their wines. Sourced from grapes grown on Kaurna Country, this Syrah is handpicked, partially destemmed and fermented in wild yeast for 10 days to extract the optimal flavour. Vibrant fruit combines with notes of red flowers, cacao and layers of cooking spice. A medium to full-bodied wine, the Syrah expresses cherry, blueberry, and plum on the palate with the quintessential biscuity tannins of Blewitt Spring lingering on the long finish.

While the establishment date of Arrivo is 1998, when Peter Godden and partner Sally McGill established a nursery block of 35 vines of nebbiolo, the inspiration goes back to 1995 and '96, when Peter spent much time in Barolo, Italy, working the '96 vintage at leading producer Vietti.Now with plantings of around 1 hectare of nebbiolo, Peter uses a unique trellis and training system derived from Barolo, but with an Australian twist. Not only is the trellis complicated and unique, but so are the amazingly complicated fermentation techniques being used.The resulting wines are a benchmark for Australian nebbiolo.