Ultimate Red Mixed Case

Glaetzer Anaperenna Shiraz Cabernet is a seamless fusion of the two varieties Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. Voluptuous, opulent and yet refined, with a very long and satisfying finish.

The name Anaperenna has been inspired by Anna Perenna, the Roman goddess of the New Year. Anna Perenna symbolises the year’s cycle and her name translates as ‘enduring year’. Romans honoured Anna Perenna with a festival held on the first full moon of the Roman calendar. On March 15th they would ask Anna to grant them longevity, and a healthy year for each glass of wine they drank on that day.

The symbol on the label is the Egyptian Ankh (pronounced: onk). Historically the ankh symbolised sunrise, regeneration, regrowth and renewal.

For more information go to https://glaetzer.com/

To see our range go to https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/glaetzer/

The first Glaetzers settled in the Barossa Valley in 1888 after emigrating from Brandenburg, Germany. The family left Germany on board the Nord-Deutscher Lloyd steamer “Habsburg” and took seven weeks to reach their final destination of Port Adelaide. From here they settled in a country town called Nuriootpa in the Barossa Valley where they started their new life in Australia. The family were some of the earliest recorded viticulturalists in the Barossa Valley and Clare Valley.

Henschke Cyril Cabernet Sauvignon

This wine carries the name of Stephen’s father, Cyril Henschke (1924-1979), as a tribute to one of Australia’s outstanding winemaking pioneers, renowned for old-vine single-vineyard and quality varietal table wines. Cyril planted cabernet sauvignon at Henschke’s Eden Valley vineyard in the 1960s.

Description

Deep crimson with red hues. Concentrated and complex aromas of cassis, black and red currants, blackberry leaf and violets with underlying savoury nuances of crushed dried herbs, cigar box, beefstock and anise spice, all supported by dark cedary French oak. A flood of rich blackberry and bright red currants greet the palate, which is precisely defined by purity of acidity, an elegant structure and layers of long, silky fine-grained tannins that provide great persistence.

To see our Henschke range go to https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/henschke/

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Henschke Cyril Cabernet Sauvignon

This is one of Australia’s greatest cabernets, staring down Coonawarra and Margaret River (just for starters)…It has a purity and elegance that puts it in a class of its own.

Xanadu Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Quintessential Margaret River Cabernet, with perfumed black fruit aromas and a generous, velvety palate packed with irresistible dark forest fruit and chocolate characters.

Vintage
Average winter rainfall, and a warm, dry spring set up an early start to the season. Variable fruit set resulted in lower yields, which combined with the warm summer saw one of the earliest harvests ever. 2020 was an excellent vintage.
Vineyard
Cabernet Sauvignon and a little portion of Petit Verdot from the Timber Creek Vineyard in Wilyabrup, which make up 50% of the blend along with 45% of fruit from the dry grown Victory Point vineyard, in the Treeton subregion. The remaining 5% is Malbec from the estate Stevens Road vineyard in the Wallcliffe subregion. The Cabernet Sauvignon is the renowned Houghton clone which provides a balance of fruit-driven flavours, impeccable structure and fine tannins. The deep and ancient granite soils have an abundance of ironstone gravel. These free-draining soils have low water and nutrient holding capacities, providing the optimum growing conditions to achieve balance between foliage and fruit, and deliver superb aroma and flavour intensity. The Indian and Southern Oceans meet here, engulfing the vineyards with fresh, sea breezes, promoting natural balance. The vineyard is managed sustainably with cover crops, biodiversity promotion and weed management from sheep grazing.
Winemaking
The grapes were crushed and destemmed before mostly small batch fermentation took place at 24 to 26 °C in static and open fermenters, lasting seven to eight days. The cap was submerged using pumping over and regular hand plunging. Post fermentation, the Timber Creek Cabernet fruit (45%) underwent extended skin maceration, before being gently pressed. Malolactic conversion took place in a combination of tank and barrel. The wine was matured for 14 months in French oak (40% new).
Tasting Notes
Quintessential Margaret River Cabernet, with perfumed black fruit aromas and a generous, velvety palate packed with irresistible dark forest fruit and chocolate characters.
Grape
Cabernet Sauvignon 90%, Malbec 5%, Petit Verdot 5%

To find out more about the winery, click here to go to the website
Xanadu is a true pioneer of the Margaret River region producing fresh and vibrant coastal wines. The estate was established by Dr John Lagan, an Irishman, who arrived in Margaret River in 1968. Captivated by the pioneering spirit of the region, along with his wife Eithne, he planted his first vines in 1977. Inspired by the beauty of the setting, they named the property after the mysterious, idyllic paradise in Samuel Coleridge’s poem, Kubla Khan: Xanadu. True to its poetic namesake, Xanadu is in an idyllic setting, where 65 hectares of vines flourish on the original estate. Passionate and dedicated winemaker Glenn Goodall joined in 1999, combining intuitive winemaking, and a deep respect for the sustainably cultivated vineyard- which is a member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia- he produces world-class wines of distinction. Glenn was awarded Halliday’s ‘Best Winemaker of the Year Australia 2023’ and in 2018 Xanadu won the Jimmy Watson memorial trophy.

To see our full range of Xanadu wines click here

Xanadu Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Shaw & Smith Balhannah Vineyard Shiraz

This is the first release of this wine. Fruit was sourced from close-planted low yielding vines at Shaw + Smith’s Balhannah Vineyard in the central Adelaide Hills, planted in 2005. The distinctive site has always shown potential for a single site wine, and in this particular year the fruit was outstanding. It has a north-facing aspect and the soils are loam over clay, ironstone, quartzite and shale. Low yields are achieved by aggressive pruning and pre-harvest bunch thinning. 2013 was a fine growing season, with some warm days balanced by consistently cool nights. It was relatively dry and grapes ripened a touch earlier than usual. The weather leading up to harvest was also mostly dry, ensuring perfectly healthy fruit. The Shiraz was hand picked and fermented as predominantly whole bunches (70%) and the remainder whole berries, in open fermenters, with gentle plunging and minimal intervention. No berries were harmed during the making of this wine! It was aged in 500 litre French oak puncheons for fourteen months, followed by a further fourteen months in bottle. Crimson in colour with purple at the rim. The nose is very perfumed – rose petals, dried herbs, and red berries. Initially it’s generous on the palate, with boysenberry, mulberry, and blueberry notes. Then more layers of flavour and texture reveal themselves. Some cinnamon, some fennel seed, some rhubarb; fine but firm tannins that extend the palate, accompanied throughout by fresh acidity and intense perfume.

To see our full range of Shaw and Smith product go to https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/shaw-smith/

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Shaw & Smith Balhannah Vineyard Shiraz – a great wine from a top class winery

Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz

Sound fruit and excellent ripeness. Typical mid density colour meaning this is an elegant supple Graveyard Shiraz. The older, large format French oak integrates perfectly with sweetness and fine tannins. The fruit spectrum for Graveyard Shiraz is about red cherries and almost Pinot-like Campari notes. Medium bodied palate but with ripe tannins and a juicy acidity that will keep the wine in good stead for many years.  Drink now till 2040.

The Langton’s Classification of Australian Wine was first released in 1991 and honoured the Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz with ‘Outstanding’. The Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz remains the only Hunter Valley Shiraz in the Classification and was elevated to the highest category of ‘Exceptional’ and has remained for each release since.
The Langton’s Classification of Australian Wine has achieved such prestigious recognition because the criteria for inclusion are objective and market-driven, and the Classification is regularly revised and updated.

The Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz was named after original plans for the site which was to be a cemetery within Pokolbin, however it was never used as such. The first single vineyard selection for the Graveyard Vineyard was in 1983.

Originally planted with Shiraz and Cabernet, the heavy clay soil resulted in vintages of low yield but with extraordinary concentration of flavour in the berries, providing a distinctive and premium wine style.
Today the 15 hectare Graveyard Vineyard comprises solely of Shiraz and is broken up into a number of blocks named in good Brokenwood fun; Pa’s, 7 Acre, Bush, Duck’s, Road, Middle, End, Kat’s and Dog’s, State of Origin, Vegas and Trees.
As Brokenwood’s flagship wine, each new release is welcomed with the annual Graveyard Launch held in May. This exclusive event in the winery barrel shed sees around 300 guests on site for a day of beautiful dining, entertainment, and the first release tasting.

To find out more about the winery go to https://www.brokenwood.com.au/

To see our full range of Brokenwood wines go to https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/brokenwood/

Sands of Time Grenache by Thistledown

Sands of Time, Old Vine, Single Vineyard Grenache 2017
Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale
Early on in our Grenache journey, we were introduced to Sue Trott’s Home Block in the Blewitt Springs sub-region of McLaren Vale. It’s beautiful aspect, raised elevation and free-draining deep sandy soils are the perfect spot for drygrown bush-vine Grenache and we were so lucky to be offered the opportunity to purchase a little fruit. 5 years on and we have learned a little about the site and refined our picking decisions and vinification to the extent that from 2017 we were content that we could do the site justice by bottling separately.
Vintage Conditions
2017 was defined by the very wet winter conditions that preceded it and by the cool, unpredictable and sporadically wet vintage conditions. Careful viticulture with restricted yields and open canopies were essential to healthy development. A late season, up to 6 weeks later than 2015, resulted in wines of purity and tension

Viticulture
From grower Sue Trott’s Home Block in the Blewitt Springs sub-region of McLaren Vale. It’s beautiful aspect, raised elevation and free-draining deep sandy soils are the perfect spot for old dry-grown bush-vine Grenache.
Winemaking
Hand-picked, on the way up, we vinify naturally in concrete and place whole bunches alternately with de-stemmed fruit to create a layer cake. A very gentle, slow fermentation is followed by maturation in oak and concrete before a careful selection is done, which is then bottled unfined and unfiltered 10 months later. A faithful expression of the site.
Tasting
Sourced from our favourite vineyard in the world renowned Blewitt Springs subregion of McLaren Vale, this is a delightfully mid-weight wine whose subtle layers of fruit lend it a persistence that belies its appearance. Hand-picking and a very gentle winemaker process produce a wine that is a faithful expression of the site – beautiful, haunting aromatics, fine sandy tannins and wonderful, memorable length on the palate.
Alcohol: 14.5%
Total Acidity: 5.9 g/l
pH: 3.62
Residual Sugar: <1 g/l
SO2: 67 mg/l
Fining: None
Vegan: Yes
Vegetarian: Yes

To find out more about the winery go to  https://www.thistledownwines.com/the-story

To see our full range of Thistledown product go to https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/thistledown-wines/

Sands of Time Grenache by Thistledown – great Grenache from an afficianado producer