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This Adelaide Hills Tempranillo was selected from a single vineyard in Macclesfield in the southern hills. It was handcrafted to produce a wine portraying the uniquely high elevation, red earth, crisp mornings and the warmth of autumn colours. Brooding dark fruits with ripe plums are integrated with a mild oak spice and hints of wild mint. A perfect accompaniment to a grazing platter on an mild Autumn afternoon.

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.

A Spanish/Italian rendezvous with the Adelaide Hills - a unique blend of 50% whole bunch Barbera and destemmed Tempranillo. Intensely aromatic and inviting bouquet of raspberries, blueberries and satsuma plum entwined with fresh thyme and sage with a hint of cured meat. The palate has good fruit intensity and vibrancy with fresh red fruit and a crunch acid structure. Subtle velvety tannins provide a savoury edge.

Sidewood Pinot Gris is sourced from selected rows from their 300 acre estate in the Adelaide Hills. This cool climate, estate grown wine shows a fresh nose and palate of crisp apples, nashi pear and citrus. With a smooth, almost silk like texture, this excellent Gris has brilliant natural acidity and a length and character that will allow the wine to age wonderfully.

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.