The 2014 Cuvee d'Elevage Cabernet is an outstanding expression of a northern Margaret River Cabernet. Only the best fruit parcels combined with finest French oak lead to a perfumed bouquet of Cassis, ripe berries and cedar. The complex palate shows ripe and silky tannins, pure fruit intensity with red berries and cassis. Its finely structured with long lasting finish of cigar box and vanilla. Drink now or until 2028.

The bouquet shows great density, ripe concentrated blackcurrant, anise, black cardamom and lifted lavender with hints of black olives and plum aromas. The entry on the palate is soft and succulent whilst displaying a subtle texture with a black core of fruit including boysenberry, dark cherries and olive tapinade. The tannin and acid are seamlessly integrated from the front through to the long and lingering finish.

The Raconteur is sourced from Carl Linder's 80 year old Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyard located in the Barossa Valley; these old vines are hand harvested and made using traditional techniques by Vinaceous contract winemaker Elena Brooks (Dandelion Vineyards). The wine is matured in oak and selected by Vinaceous Winemakers Mike Kerrigan and Nick Stacy and sent to West Cape Howe Wine (WA) for finishing, fining, blending and bottling by Vinaceous. The Raconteur 'breaks the mold' for Barossa Cabernet; lush, rich and deep purple in colour with bright hues, the aroma leaps from the glass with violets and black berry and mocha notes. Ripe fleshy black currants and cassis complement the overall palate with intensity, weight, structure and texture. Along with lip-smacking tannins and fine oak nuances, the Raconteur can easily be enjoyed on immediate opening or be cellared in the short term.

Vibrant youthful brilliant hue of good depth. Ripe cherry and plum fruits with chocolatey influences. The palate displays good depth of fruit concentration, ripe sweet fruit fleshiness in the mid-palate and good flavour extension.

Shiraz and Tempranillo are wonderful partners; two old varieties coming together to make a new vibrant blend. The Shiraz brings all the Australian fruit power, deep plum flavours with a peppery edge in a fleshy fruit sweet palate. The Tempranillo adds savoury elements and complex tannin structure to the wine resulting in a more complete wine than either of the two components could make on their own. This wine has all the sweet fleshiness that we expect in Shiraz with the added benefit of textural complexity. Both Shiraz and Tempranillo were de-stemmed and fermented separately in open vessels with extensive pump over cap management to aid colour and flavour extraction as well as optimize the tannin development. The wines were pressed off skins and matured in French oak barriques, approximately one third new oak with the balance one and two year old. After 15 months in barrel the wines were blended according to taste. The Hay Shed Hill vineyard is situated on a picturesque property that was established as a group settlement farm for returned soldiers from the First World War. Known as Sussex Vale the property was originally a dairy farm. The current homestead, considerably renovated, still has much of the original Group Settlement look and feel. Vines were first planted in the early 1970s. In the late 1980s the vineyard was bought by the Morrison Family and the wine brand Hay Shed Hill was established taking its name from the local reference to the hay shed located on the property. The sister label, Pitchfork, was developed to complement the single vineyard Hay Shed Hill label. A series of ownership changes saw numerous alterations to labels, wine style and distribution until the current group of partners bought back the farm and the brand in late 2006 and returned to the original concept of producing wine with integrity that expresses the quality of the site.