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Northern Tasmania is widely known for the quality of sparkling wine produced in the cool climate region, with the first 1995 vintage of Pirie doing much to establish this reputation. Now a new chapter is born with Pirie NV Sparkling - A full flavoured cuvýe from a blend of chardonnay and pinot noir, boasting complexity and freshness. A vibrant lemony acidity with a full and rich mid-palate leads to slaty, mineral finish.

This Pinot Noir flaunts a beautiful ruby red colour when poured into the glass. Aromas of berries, strawberries, cherries and raspberries are offered on the nose. These fragrances make way for a fresh palate that reveals flavours of crunchy blueberries and strawberries. The flavourful palate is followed by a lengthy finish. You may pair this varietal with pasta, roasted chicken or fatty fishes.

Sophisticated and sumptuous, this light straw coloured wine is a Chardonnay connoisseur's dream come true. On the bouquet, it's a pure expression of fruit quality and vineyard, with characteristics of white peach, ripe nectarine and underlying minerality. Wild yeast, barrel fermented vinification offers a rich mouthfeel to this wine's elegant palate, which features ripe stone fruit flavours, citrus notes and a pristine acid line. The finish is crisp, clean and slightly creamy, heightened by perfectly integrated French oak. Enjoy it on its own or with chargrilled lamb cutlets served alongside tomato and oregano salad.

Aromas of white stone fruits, citrus and flint are complemented with toasted nut characters on the palate. High altitude sites product premium fruit with medium weight which is balanced with lively acidity giving elegance and a lingering finish. Hamish and Kate Laurie continue a five generation winemaking tradition. Devoted to the high altitude sites of the Adelaide Hills and with Kate's French oenology training the wines they produce are at once traditional and contemporary. With a fiery passion to create premium bottle fermented and aged sparkling together with aromatic whites that can genuinely cellar, their signature style is focussed, textural, restrained and balanced. At Deviation Road every sip reveals a little of this mystery; a taste of the terroir, a glimpse at the season, a hint of the science and a wink to the heritage that crafts its existence.

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.

Dont miss this rare chance to secure a magnificent wine from a top producer thats in seriously short supply. Made by an acclaimed winemaker at the top of their game, this is a slice of wine history you dont want to miss. Add it to your collection while you can.

Tasting Notes Aroma The bright and lifted nose shows pithy lemon & lime with orange blossom, melon and complex aromas of toasted almond and gun flint Palate Juicy melon and crunchy lemon zest with hints of brown lime and creamed citrus fruit palate. Fine natural acidity gives great length and balances the textural oak characters.