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Winemaker Ian Little spent years of his childhood in Argentina and has returned many times to explore the wine regions and culture of what is a vast and fascinating country. Llamas is a fun project showcasing Malbec, the signature variety of Argentina. The varietal hallmarks of Malbec are its spicey richness, its big lavish fruit flavours and soft velvety tannins. This Malbec encapsulates all those features with its generous flavours and sumptuous depth of fruit. Naturally, it is the perfect wine for a traditional Argentinian asado – salud! Why llamas, why pyjamas? Just a fun name for a seriously good wine.

After spending the past 3 years in our cellar programme, the 2017 Yering Station "Yarra" Pinot Noir emerges in all of its autumnal glory. The soft red fruit and violet aroma is now nuanced with the brambly undergrowth character that many "pinotphiles" seek. Tasted in October, 2022, this is a wine at its peak, although another year in your cellar will do no harm.

The label is a treat (a tiny vintage caravan parked outside a grand French château) but the wine itself is what's really special here. Made by Jimmy Watson trophy-winning John Quarisa, it's a big, rich red with velvety tannins and a long, smooth finish. THREE Golds show that the show judges love it too. This is impressive stuff!

The Catena wines are a special assemblage of High Mountain Estate Vineyards made by fourth generation vintner, Laura Catena and chief winemaker, Alejandro Vigil. Although we have found that most of the Catena wines are consumed shortly after release, we are pleased to see that they age beautifully for ten to twenty years. Through decades of study and exploration within Mendoza's high altitude mountain terroirs, the Catena family has identified special locations for its Estate vineyards. From the marriage of these historic vineyards emerges a wine of unique character that has natural balance, concentration and a distinct varietal identity. In 1898, Nicola Catena left his homeland of Italy, and sailed for the land of plenty and opportunity: Argentina. It wasn't long before Nicola planted his first Malbec vineyard in Mendoza in 1902. Although traditionally used as a blending grape in Bordeaux, Nicola believed in the potential of Malbec as a single varietal wine, and suspected that it might uncover its hidden splendour in the cooler climes of the Andes. Flash forward a few decades, to where Nicola's grandson, Nicolas Catena Zapata, has taken over the management of the business. He sold off the bulk producing parts of the company, focusing instead on producing premium Mlabec and Cabernet. To that end, he began searching for the best sites in Mendoza to plant. In 1992, he settled on Gualtallary Alto - the highest and moste Western part of Tupungato. Today, the wines of Bodega Catena Zapata are sourced from six historic estate vineyards: Angélica, La Pirámide, Nicasia, Domingo, Adrianna and Angélica Sur.

Penfolds Maxs Pinot Noir is a tribute to former Chief Winemaker Max Schubert 1948 - 1975, a legend in Penfolds history. Enticing aromatics, with exotic fruits of the forest leaping from the glass. Raspberry, black cherry, olive tapenade and oolong tea are framed by a subtle char-toast character. Hints of sea spray and a distinct Campari note linger.

This wine is deep crimson in colour with hints of youthful purple at the rim. On the nose, intense lifted aromas of mulberry and blackberry play with notes of pepper and oak spice. The palate is full bodied with complex forest fruits, spice and velvety tannins leading to a elegant and long finish. Served perfectly pan-roasted venison with creamy baked potato and celeriac. Medium-term careful cellaring of two to five years.

Life is about connections, and Daniel is nothing if not a “people person”, we wanted this wine to reflect the everyday quality occasions where fun is had, friends are made and life happens. Peter Munro, St Hugo Chief Winemaker Plush, opulent and generous, a modern masterpiece of open and inviting fruit with a little hint of something more. Various parcels were created individually with the objective of blending these to form a synergistic whole. For this reason, many winemaking techniques were employed, including, cold soaking to ensure vibrant floral were present. Generally, parcels spent between 10-15 days on skins in a mixture of open fermenters and closed statics fermenters, reaching temperatures of 26-28°C, to ensure optimum flavour and tannins were extracted. All the resulting parcels were matured in oak for a short period to maintain their fresh vibrant nature. Good Spring rainfall then set the vines up well for what was to become a very mild and dry ripening season. With no significant rain, temperatures below average and only 3 days above 35°C in February and March, ideal ripening conditions were observed resulting in an extended ripening window; a wonderful vintage. Colour: Bright vibrant red. Taste: Fun, generous lively fresh red fruits dance on the palate with softness and approachability. Fine tannins emerge slowly but are controlled by the plush vibrant cherry fruit that lingers. Aroma: Raspberry, strawberry and spiced plums, with lifted violets to entice and an ever so slight hint of char that adds to the intrigue.

In the glass, Barringwood Estate Pinot Noir shows a beautiful and dusky plum colour, with pinkish edges. The bouquet exhibits aromas of cherries, violets and vanilla, fusing with cherry and earthy notes. The bright and fruity palate bursts with spicy oak, balanced by soft and savoury tannins. Enjoy this Tasmanian Pinot Noir wine with beef, braised Wagyu, or aged Basque-style cheeses.

John Quarisa has been variously described as a “magician” and a “sorcerer” by Halliday. His wines do have a magic knack of winning Gold. His secret? Over 20 years of experience as a winemaker and wine judge – and a great attitude. As John says, “you just can’t take life too seriously”. His ‘Enchanted Tree’ Shiraz certainly has the magic Midas touch, winning a rare Double Gold. It's dark and sumptuous, with silky raspberry and plum flavours, with a dash of creamy oak and lovely sweet spice.