D’Arenberg
D’Arenberg is one of the most significant wineries in McLaren Vale. In 1912 Joseph Osborn, a teetotaler and director of Thomas Hardy and Sons purchased the well established Milton Vineyards of 25 hectares in the hills just north of the townships of Gloucester and Bellevue, now known as McLaren Vale.
"+ "The cellars were constructed in 1928 by d\'Arry\'s father, Frank, and since then have undergone major restoration and expansion through the 1960\'s, 1980\'s and 1990\'s - these extensions and modifications are still continuing into the new millennium, with Chester at the helm.
"+ "In the vineyard, d\'Arenberg is very particular, selecting small, individual parcels of fruit, both red and white, often from small, distinct parts of the vineyards. These parcels are treated rather exclusively. They\'re all fermented and matured separately in French and American oak barriques, and kept apart until the blending stage. This ensures a seamless balance across a wide spectrum of fruits.
"+ "Unique in a way that, it is one of a few wineries in Australia to still use the age-old basket press method for white wines as well as reds. All fruit is pressed in wooden baskets using the very gentle, traditional 'Coq' and 'Bromley & Tregoning' presses. The presses are both old soldiers, dating from approximately 1860. D'Arenberg liked the gentle action of the original 'Coq' press so much that they had it replicated in 1940.
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" Chief WineMaker
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" Chief Winemaker and fourth generation family member, Chester Osborn, has continued his family’s winemaking tradition, and along with his team of winemakers, utilises the original cellars and the traditional winemaking processes. All of Chester’s wines, including the whites are basket-pressed, with the reds traditionally fermented in open wax-lined concrete fermenters. Chester’s philosophy is to make wines that have great fragrance and fruit character, with palate texture and length balanced by fine natural acidity and tannins. "+ "As a winemaker, Chester spends a fair amount of his time during the year particularly during vintage in vineyards sampling bunches of grapes to assess ripeness, flavour intensity. This in some explains his exceptional talent classifying fruit and understanding its potential way before the parcel of fruit has even reached its barrel to rest and develop. In many ways, he sees winemaking as a sculptor by turning a piece of raw material into a piece of art. "+ " | |
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" When asked about his philosophy of wine making, Chester’s response is that they are trying to make the loudest, most fragrant (both fruit and flowery youthful esters), most fruity flavour wine that has a great palate texture free of excess oak and has a long lively gritty youthful fragrant fruit tannin extending out the fruit taste to ages. "+ "Chester has enjoyed media success, being regularly interviewed by Australian and international wine writers, undertaking guest speaker roles at industry and consumer events, and has been called upon to contribute to articles and books on wine. "+ "In 1983, Chester graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Oenology, and took over the reins as Chief Winemaker at d’Arenberg, rejuvenating the 70-year old cellars and 19th century vineyards, and overseeing all winemaking, vineyards and marketing operations. During most of 1984, Chester undertook a viticultural and oenological tour of wine regions in France, Italy, Germany and Spain. "+ " | ||
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"1. The Ironstone Pressings 2006 "+ //wine tasting notes " Fragrant mulberry and maraschino cherry fruits complement earthy spices and licorice notes against a backdrop of cedar oak. The powerfully structured palate offers layers of ripe exotic fruits and summer flowers blending effortlessly with a fine acid backbone and silky, mineral-edged tannins.
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"2. The Broken Fishplate Sauvignon Blanc 2008 "+ //wine tasting notes " The extremely cool weather experienced throughout February saw 2008 turning out a fabulous vintage for Sauvignon Blanc, with intense flavors occurring alongside abundant levels of natural acidity.
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"3. The Money Spider Roussanne 2007 "+ //wine tasting notes " The Money Spider Roussanne has a brilliant mid-straw appearance with a lifted, aromatic nose of dried herbs, citrus and cut grass. As the wine opens up, floral and spiced fruit notes mix with melon, nectarine, green tea and ripe apple characters.
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"4. The Galvo Range 2006 "+ //wine tasting notes " Opaque purple-colored, it presents aromas of cedar, spice box, mineral, cassis, and black cherry. Structured, dense, and savory, this firm effort will evolve for several years. "+ //wine grape varietals & image "
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Antinori
Twenty-six generations of the Marchesi Antinori family -- one of less than a handful of families to produce and market wine uninterruptedly for six centuries -- have produced remarkable wines since 1385.
"+ "The family's unique amalgam of centuries' old Tuscan and Umbrian tradition with modern innovation has made Antinori the premier wine-producing family of Italy for over 600 years.
"+ "If one could sum up Antinori's philosophy in a sentence it would be, according to Marchese Piero Antinori, president of Antinori, \"Age-old roots play an important role in our philosophy, but they have not served to inhibit our innovative spirit.\"
"+ "In fact, Antinori continually experiments in its vineyards and at its wineries, with clonal selection of indigenous and international grape varieties, cultivation, vineyard altitudes, fermentation methods and temperatures, traditional and modern vinification techniques, wood barrel types, sizes and ages, and varying lengths of bottle age.
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"1. “Marchese Antinori” Chianti Classico Riserva 2004 "+ //wine tasting notes " Intense ruby red color. Spicy hints of cinnamon and cloves, alongside oaky and piquant peppery aromas. A rounded, creamy, sweet and well-balanced palate throughout the tasting.
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"2. “Peppoli” Chianti Classico DOCG 2006 "+ //wine tasting notes " Intense red fruit aromas, especially redcurrants and raspberries, are amplified by light hints of vanilla and coffee sensations. This full-bodied wine is pleasantly lingering with soft, sweet tannins. It should be drunk while still young for full expression of the fruit. "+ //wine grape varietals & image "
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"3. “Villa Antinori” Toscana 2005 "+ //wine tasting notes " Intense ruby red colour with purply hues. The nice hints of red berries and vanilla aromas from the oak are accompanied by good structure. The palate is complex and stylish with soft tannins. "+ //wine grape varietals & image "
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"4. “La Braccesca” Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2005 "+ //wine tasting notes " Intense ruby red colour with purply hues. The nice hints of red berries and vanilla aromas from the oak are accompanied by good structure. The palate is complex and stylish with soft tannins. "+ //wine grape varietals & image "
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E. Guigal
The Domaine GUIGAL owns, in Condrieu and in Cotie, illustrious plots from which spring notably the Condrieu La Doriane and the famous Cotie La Mouline, La Turque and La Landonne, as well as the Chateau d'Ampuis. It processes and produces, in its cellars, besides high-class appellations from the Northern part of the Rhoe Valley (Cotie, Condrieu, Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage), those from the Southern side as well (Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Tavel and Cotes-du-Rhone).
"+ "Wine growing has always been undertaken with due and constant regard for the environment. In fact, a well-planned fight against vine diseases and parasites allow grapes grown within the estate to fully reveal the complexity of the finest soils of Condrieu and of Cotie.
"+ "The job of selecting and achieving excellence in the process of wine production, carried on from generation to generation, allows Domaine GUIGAL to make available, every year, the Condrieu and the Cotie Brune & Blonde, which constitute bench-marks in these two prestigious appellations.
"+ "The vineyard of Cotie, which extends over nearly two hundred hectares, is constituted of Cote Brune, upstream from the Reynard, and Cote Blonde, situated downstream. The vines were planted by the Romans and have existed here for nearly 24 centuries…
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"1. Chateauneuf du Pape 2004 "+ //wine tasting notes " Deep dark red in color. On the nose, there are spices and mature red fruits. On the palate there are round tannins with powerful complexity. A rich unctuous wine with notes of mature plums, hazelnuts and red fruits. Overvall, this is a very rich wine full of harmony and balance. "+ //wine grape varietals & image "
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"2. Cote du Rhone 2005 "+ //wine tasting notes " Full-bodied, with a deep ruby/purple color and sweet notes of berry fruit, a hint of road tar, and some pepper, the wine is dense, chewy, ripe, and a surprisingly big mouthful of juicy, velvety-textured wine. "+ //wine grape varietals & image "
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"3. Gigondas 2004 "+ //wine tasting notes " Deep deep red in color. Great nose of blueberry, boysenberry, and currants, rich flavors on the palate, that had ends with spicy grainy tannins. Long finish with coffee and a little vanilla. This should come together over time to be really good. "+ //wine grape varietals & image "
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"4. Cotes Hermitage 2005 "+ //wine tasting notes " Dark and deep colour. Red fruits, cherry and strawberry with delicate oak aromas on the nose. In the palate, it structured as a tannic wine. Aromas of blackcurrant buds and vanilla. Overall, this wine possess remarkable freshness with notable and refined tannins to due long oak ageing. "+ //wine grape varietals & image "
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Winery Name
Chile is a land of soaring Andes mountains, a mild Mediterranean climate, and fine wines. From the premium wine-producing regions of Chile come the best grapes, and it is here that Viña Errazuriz has been producing the highest quality Chilean wines for more than 128 years.
"+ "Don Maximiano Errazuriz founded Viña Errazuriz in 1870 in the Aconcagua Valley, 100 kms North of the Capital, Santiago. Recognising that this valley, with its cool, rainy winters, hot, dry summers and moist Pacific Ocean breezes, was ideal for growing grapes, Don Maximiano sent for the finest clones from France and with tenacity and perseverance transformed this barren land into a world-class vineyard.
"+ "Today, the tradition of quality lives on with Don Maximiano's descendant, Eduardo Chadwick. Eduardo is the sixth generation of his family to be involved in the wine business. Eduardo has overseen the modernisation of the winemaking technology at this historic estate while maintaining a distinct identity for its wines. Dedicated to producing estate grown wines of superior quality, Errazuriz has built a reputation as the \"Best of Chile\".
"+ "Errazuriz's philosophy is best expressed by Don Maximiano who said, \"From the best land, the best wine\". As an estate winery, Viña Errazuriz strives to produce the finest wines by controlling every stage of the winemaking process, from grape growing in the Aconcagua, Casablanca and Curico valleys, to winemaking with the most natural techniques. An emphasis is placed on the delicate handling of the wines, with the aim of producing wines with elegance and complexity. It is his dynamism and passion for wine that has made Errazuriz such an internationally respected producer of quality wines.
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" Chief WineMaker Roberto de la Mota
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" Born in 1969 in Santiago, Francisco joined Viña Errázuriz as Chief Winemaker in 2003. He is an Agronomist Engineer from the University of Chile and obtained a Masters Degree from the Faculty of Oenology at the University of Bordeaux (Diplôme d’Etudes Supérieurs Spécialisées), through a scholarship awarded by the French government. "+ "Throughout his career Francisco has participated in vintages in France in Languedoc-Roussillon as flying winemaker for Michel Laroche, in Pomerol at Le Bon Pasteur, one of the renowned Michel Rolland’s wineries, and in Sancerre at Chateau de Sancerre, reputed for its white wines. He has also worked in the United States at Hallcrest Winery, one of the first organically certified wineries in California and has been on numerous technical visits in New Zealand, France, Italy, Australia and Argentina. "+ "In Chile he worked for 4 years as an Assistant Winemaker for Casa Lapostolle before joining Viña Errázuriz. "+ " |
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"1. Max Reserva Shiraz 2006 "+ //wine tasting notes " Deep, dark violet-red in colour with lively aromas of red and black fruit, with berries, especially blueberries, on the forefront. Floral notes follow and give way to notes of black and white pepper. "+ "The palate has great structure, with firm tannins that lend tremendous potential for ageing. The lush, well-rounded palate is full of ripe red and black fruit with light meat and spice notes. Finishes with toasted notes that lend richness. "+ //wine grape varietals & image "
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"2. Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2006 "+ //wine tasting notes " Golden yellow in colour with excellent aromatic intensity. Aromas of citrus and ripe fruit lend complexity and freshness to the blend. The palate has a good attack and body, with an excellent balance between acidity and sugar, which makes it feel fresh and fruity. "+ //wine grape varietals & image "
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"3. Chardonnay Wild Ferment 2007 "+ //wine tasting notes " Light straw yellow in colour, this Chardonnay is particularly complex on the nose and palate. With good intensity, it delivers notes that range from toast to nuts to aromas that recall tropical fruits such as pineapple and cherimoya. "+ "There’s a light touch of smoke and ash lingering in the background that lead to an outstanding palate that nicely blends crisp acidity with a sweetish sensation. Medium-bodied and creamy on the palate, with flavours that are consistent with the nose. Fresh and elegant, with a delightfully long finish. "+ //wine grape varietals & image "
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"4. Max Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 "+ //wine tasting notes " Ruby-red with violet highlights, this wine has a rich nose with intense aromas of red and black fruits such as cherries, strawberries, and plums that meld with notes of spice, such as cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla that add a sense of sweetness and elegance. "+ "The palate opens with a pleasing sweet sensation and soft tannins that result in a lush palate with firm structure. The medium-to-long finish is complemented by flavors of toffee, caramel, and chocolate, ending with lovely freshness. "+ //wine grape varietals & image "
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