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By those wonderful folks who bring us Shaw & Smith. Tolpuddle was planted to vine in 1988, on a highly precious site along Back Tea Tree Road, just outside of Hobart. The inaugural vintage claimed Tasmanian Vineyard of Year in 2006. The illustrious Messrs Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith acquired the property in 2011, with a view to elevating the excruciatingly limited release Tolpuddle to the status of a national Grand Cru. A singular experience in new world Pinot Noir, Tolpuddle unravels endless layers of pastoral complexity, powerfully structured yet elegant, immaculate and poised... From little vineyards great wines grow»
The very first blocks of vine planted at Scotchmans Hill, are now in their fourth decade. Set aside for bottling as a range of limited release, single vineyard wines, they represent the first growth of viticulture from the fertile crescent of Port Phillip's western shore. Crafted to traditional old world techniques, very similar to the great Crus of la Bourgogne, they afford the true enthusiast an opportunity to engage with the decadent delights of the greater Geelong, as sampled alongside Gruyere, game and the finest gourmandise... All the best from scotchmans hill»
There were two scrub covered parcels of land, just outside Pokolbin village along McDonalds Road, that local council had long set aside for use as cricket ground and cemetery. Both were ultimately auctioned off to the highest bidders and sown to vine. A third undeveloped site became the subject of a long running feud among the new and old neighbours. Dodgy invoices between the rivals were exchanged and the division of firewood became a further cause of contention. A truce was eventually called by the two protagonists, Brokenwood and Hungerford Hill, for the sake of healthy viticulture. The nascent blocks achieved international renown as the eminent Cricket Pitch and the Langtons Listed Graveyard.. Sociable soils make for healthy vine»

Crawford River Cabernet Sauvignon CONFIRM VINTAGE

Cabernet Sauvignon Henty Victoria
The vines at Crawford River were planted from the ground up, with a view to realizing minimal harvests of world class fruit. The auspicious site was originally used for grazing, established to viticulture in 1975, it was generations of cattle and sheep which prepared the land for winegrowing. A rare confluence of soils, limestones, friable basalts and ancient alluvials, form a terroir that's heaven sent for Cabernet Sauvignon. Finely boned, muscular and statuesque, a flagship Victorian effort to rival her siblings from the most regal Cabernet appellations in the world.
Deep scarlet red. Blackberries, mulberry and black cherry nose, bay leaf and allspice. Richly textured and layered, elegant, fine tannins in support of a densely structured wine. Evenly balanced throughout, the interplay between fine oak, fruit and spice continue to open in the glass, with balanced acidity lending excellent length and persistence.
Crawford River
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Crawford River
Inspired by its potential to produce superior quality grapes, John and Catherine Thomson planted their vineyard in 1975 at Crawford River, in south west Victoria, a relatively unexplored wine growing region

Crawford River is located in the Henty winegrowing region on the Upper Hotspur Road between Hotspur, on the Casterton/Heywood Road and Condah, along the Henty Highway, half way between Hamilton and Portland. The winery is less than an hour from Port Fairy, Dunkeld, Portland and Mt. Gambier in South Australia. The beautiful cellar door building added in 2000 was designed by Graeme Gunn. Visitors can drink in the glorious views of the vineyard that sweep down to grazing cattle and sheep as they sample the wines.

Crawford River

Situated approximately 50 kilometres inland from the Southern Ocean and lying at the alluvial edge of a volcanic lava flow, the 11.5 Ha vineyard has its roots in an unusally complex, mineral- rich soil base. Gravelly, friable, basalt loam overlays permeable clay which lies above limestone created by an ancient, risen seabed. Rainfall is generally reliable, with much of the 650mm average falling in Winter and Spring . At Latitude 38° South and 110 metres above sea-level, temperatures are cool.

All wines are crafted entirely from fruit grown at the Crawford River vineyard, vinified and bottled on site. The hand picked grapes are brought in to the winery in small batches where meticulous attention is paid to detail. Patience and time are of the essence throughout the winemaking process. Minimal interference and movement during vinification, in preference of the fruit naturally expressing the special terroir. This approach influences the pure, elegant quality of the end product.

White wines are cool fermented to dryness exclusively in stainless steel tanks. Red wines are fermented in small, open fermenters and hand plunged. Small parcels are given extended maceration and a further portion are barrel fermented to create wines with finesse, multi-layered flavours and complexity. Individual blocks and treatments are kept separate throughout their maturation of twelve to twenty four months in a varitey of French oak. Malolactic fermentation proceeds naturally in the spring.

Crawford River

Presiding over gently undulating grazing lands with sprawling forests in the distance, Crawford River has paved the way for the industry in what is traditionally a wool, beef and dairy region. The cool southerly latitude together with the maritime environment, complex soil structure and favourable micro-climate create a terroir which has justified that initial vision. The winery atop the hill and the vineyard hugging the slope nestle in the midst of a large sheep and cattle station that John’s great- grandfather settled in 1884.

The splendid site enjoys its moderating maritime influence whilst managing to escape most of the Autumn sea mists. The combination of these factors produces a long and even growing season helping to produce grapes with intense fruit flavours and high natural acidity. Whilst the dry grown vineyard enjoys low yields, some years require careful manipulation of bunch numbers, ensuring the highest possible fruit quality. Budburst is usually mid- September with picking from mid April to mid May. Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon are the two main varieties in the vineyard, with smaller plantings of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. All the pruning, picking, shoot and fruit thinning, leaf plucking and general canopy management are done entirely by hand.

Due to the long ripening period and consequent late picking dates, there can be an onset of Botrytis Cinerea. In these years the ability to hand select botrytis affected fruit is crucial, as the dry table wines can only be made from clean fruit. The sweet, botrytised fruit is reserved for the estate's renowned dessert wines. These are fermented to comparably low sugar levels in order to find an ideal balance between sugar, acid and alcohol so the purity of the style is expressed with a clean, crisp finish.

Crawford River