A Taste of the Vinorium #104

Issue #104 / 8 March 2020

 
Planta Circa ancient grenache

Now available by the bottle

In 2012 Craig and Mark discovered 468 exceptional vines hidden at the back of an old vineyard across the road from the Zerk Family Vineyard. After some investigation by a historian, they discovered that the vineyard was planted some time during the mid-1800s.

2018 Ancient Grenache (circa 1880) from Planta Circa

£42.95 per bottle

 

 Ancient Cabernet Sauvignon
(circa 1880) from Planta Circa

£42.95 per bottle

2018 Purple Hands Old Vine Grenache

£21.15 per bottle

 

2018 Purple Hands Montepulciano

£22.95 per bottle

2017 After Five Wine Co Single Vineyard Blend Serata (Shiraz, Aglianico and Montepulciano)

£26.95 per bottle

 

The New Collection from one of Barossa’s True Greats...

 

Greenock Creek Alice's Shiraz 2017

Winemaker " The Alices is our largest vineyard, being 15 acres, and is named after Annabelle’s mother and Michael’s favourite aunty, both of whom were named Alice. The vineyard is on our Radford Road property and the vines were planted in 1997, and like all the other wines, the grapes are kept separate to produce a single estate wine. The vines crop at 1.5 to 2.0 tonnes per acre and as with all our vineyards the grapes are picked and kept separate to produce a single estate wine. They are picked on phenological ripeness and flavour at a baume range of 14 to 16º. This baume sometimes produces a naturally occurring high alcohol, although this will depend on seasonal conditions."

£34.95 per bottle

 
 

Greenock Creek  Apricot Block Shiraz 2017

Winemaker "This vineyard was planted in 1995 on an old apricot orchard which we removed from our Roennfeldt Road property at Marananga near Greenock. The vines crop at 1.2 to 1.5 tonnes per acres from the short rows, and 1.5 to 2.0 tonnes per acre on the long rows. The grapes are picked and kept separate to produce a single estate wine. As with all our grapes they are picked on phenological ripeness and flavour at a baume range of 14 to 16º. This baume sometimes produces a naturally occurring high alcohol, although this will depend on seasonal conditions."

£36.95 per bottle

 
 

Greenock Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Winemaker "The grapes for this wine are from the vineyard at the front of our cellar door located on Radford Road at Seppeltsfield, near Greenock, and were planted in 1989. The vines crop at 1.5 to 2.0 tonnes per acre and when picked are kept separate to produce a single estate wine. As with all our grapes they are picked on phenological ripeness and flavour at a baume range of 14 to 16º. This baume sometimes produces a naturally occurring high alcohol, although this will depend on seasonal conditions."

£34.95 per bottle

 
 

Greenock Creek Casey's Block Shiraz 2017

Winemaker "The vines for the Casey’s Block Shiraz were planted in 2009 in deep alluvial soil, similar to the Alices and Mataro vineyards. It is approximately 8 acres in size, crops at around 2 tonnes per acre and is named after Annabelle’s father, whose nickname was Casey. It is situated on Peter Seppelt Road, and the cuttings for the vines were taken from five of the existing Greenock Creek Wines’ vineyards, including the Roennfeldt Road blocks. Consequently this combination of cuttings has produced a wine with unique characteristics and complex flavours. "

£29.95 per bottle

 
 

Greenock Creek Seven Acre Shiraz 2017

Winemaker "The grapes for this wine are picked from our Seven Acre vineyard which was planted in 1990. It is located on our Radford Road property at Seppeltsfield just south of Greenock, and as the name suggests is approximately 7 acres in size. The vines crop at 1.5 to 2.0 tonnes per acre and are kept separate to produce a single estate wine. As with all our grapes they are picked on phenological ripeness and flavour at a baume range of 14 to 16º. This baume sometimes produces a naturally occurring high alcohol, although this will depend on seasonal conditions."

£39.95 per bottle

 
 

Greenock Creek Cornerstone Grenache 2018

Winemaker "The grapes for this wine are picked from a single estate vineyard from our Roennfeldt Road property at Marananga near Greenock, and are around 90 years old. The vines crop at 1.5 to 2.0 tonnes per acre and as with all our vineyards the grapes are picked and kept separate to produce a single estate wine. They are picked on phenological ripeness and flavour at a baume range of 14 to 16º. This baume sometimes produces a naturally occurring high alcohol, although this will depend on seasonal conditions."

£29.95 per bottle

 
 

Greenock Creek Marananga Shiraz 2017

Winemaker "Harvested from a vineyard in the heart of the Marananga sub-region, which is renowned for producing rich and silky wines. Vibrant and spicy. Concentrated dark cherries, satsuma plums and freshly ground pepper flow through the palate with supporting charry vanilla bean oak. All encased by a rich and silken tannin profile that drives the raspberry infused chocolate creaminess to round out the lengthy finish. Dark cherry red with rustic red hues. Black plum with mixed berry compote and white peppercorns."

£22.95 per bottle

 
 

Greenock Creek  The Sibling Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Winemaker "Harvested from vineyards in the Northern Barossa sub-region of Ebenezer. The soil profile is sandy clay loam over solid limestone. Layered and full. The fully ripe blackberry and liquor cherry fruits are unpinned with the savoury edges of cigar, leather and dark chocolate. Oak tannins frame the body of the wine adding spiced toast notes, whilst fleshing out the fruit tannin profile to meld with blackcurrant notes, creating a seamless finish. Cherry red with blood orange hues. Raspberry, fig and white cherries with hints rhubarb leaves."

£30.50 per bottle

 

Read our overview and interview with winemaker, Alex Peel  

 
 

The 2017 Two Hands Garden Series SALE

* Now £26.95 per bottle *

For comparison Majestic are selling
Bella's Garden for £40.00 per bottle...

 

The Almost Perfect 2008 Clarendon Hills Astralis

Available by the Bottle @ £119.75

The Best Price in the World Wine Market

99 Points - Joe Czerwinski (robertparker.com) "Picked before the heat and weighing in at a reasonable 14.5% alcohol, the 2008 Astralis Syrah (tasted from magnum) is singing. Showing no bricking at the rim, scents of cracked pepper, mint, bay leaf, thyme, lavender and blueberries pour out of the glass, adding meaty notes and hints of espresso and black olive with air. Full-bodied, creamy-textured and supple on the long finish, this wine shouldn’t be missed. If you’ve got one, open it and see for yourself."

Also Available under bond and by the case. Email the team

 
 

Large Format Sale

The prices are truly fantastic and are offered to our private customers in the first instance. Our trade customers will relish the opportunity to purchase many and they will be offered all remaining stocks on Monday 23 March…

For ease, stocks are broken down into duty paid and under bond.

 
 

Revered by many as one of the worlds best olive oils 

The 2019 Capezzana Extra Virgin Olive Oil came and went when we received the tiny delivery not long ago. As we previously communicated, our allocation dropped from 600 bottles to a mere 60.

Therefore, it was quite a surprise when we were offered another 60 bottles this week, which were freed up from the unclaimed restaurant allocations.

Enjoy!

Capezzana Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2019

Capezzana Olive Oil has a very intense green colour and very fruity aromas of freshly cut grass and artichokes. On the palate, it is dense and viscous, with flavours that match the aromas on the nose, a very long finish with a touch of spice. A very elegant and harmonious Olive Oil.

£26.75 per 75cl bottle

20 bottles available

You may also be interested in...

 

Capezzana Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2018

£26.15 per 75cl bottle

14 bottles available

 

Miraval Olive Oil

In a village in Provence, Château Miraval is surrounded by ancient woods, olive trees and vineyards.The olive groves sit high above old stone walled terraces dating back to Roman times. Organic farming and cultivation practices result in well-aerated, porous soil with a deep root system to exploit the uniqueness of the terroir. The sweet, peppery oil has notes of almond, hazelnut, and artichoke, with aromas of freshly cut grass and a spicy finish.

£19.00 per 50cl bottle
25 bottles available

 

Kay Brothers, a nod to tradition
including a special offer

Written by Magdalena Sienkiewicz

I often reminisce of my parents singing the catchy, reverberating fanfare opening of the “Fiddler on the roof” the exhilarating “Tradition!” They often sang it whilst preparing breakfast or when cooking dinner in the evening. Sometimes, they would sing it all-day-long, which was excessive however, and in fairness to my parents, they both used to perform in a music theatre, and they sing exceptionally well indeed. On the other hand, I do not share their talent.  Nonetheless, as a young child aged seven or eight, I would join in for fun and still to this day, the love of music runs deep throughout my family.

I have fond memories and often escape to them whilst daydreaming. This recently sparked thoughts on the importance of tradition. If you were asked to describe a tradition, how would you define it?

I’m sure your answers would differ, as each one of us has a different understanding or simply, a different approach to traditions. Nevertheless, and regardless of one’s feelings towards traditions, the word “tradition” derives from the Latin ‘tradere’ meaning simply to transmit, to hand over or to give for safekeeping. Although the essence of a tradition remains unchanged, the full definition varies between several dictionaries, depending on the context it is used in.

Generally, traditions are a combination of important customs, stories and information, passed down from one generation to another. They have always been the foundation of society, culture and family, bringing a sense of comfort and belonging.

Some might say that tradition is the opposite of progress and indeed, these are precisely the antonyms by definition in any dictionary. Furthermore, from the perspective of arts, tradition will always remain the opposite of modernism and tradition is a contradiction to originality. 

However, and if we take the lessons as taught by art teachers, curators or artists themselves, they will openly say that it is tradition that often carries strong foundations for innovation. It is also an endless source of inspiration for millennia, with each generation or in fact, each individual receiving it in their own, unique way. Sometimes the meaning of a tradition may change or even lose its bond as time moves on however, this is precisely where new ideas and new interpretations come to light.

 

What does tradition mean in the world of wine?

Recently highlighted in Decanter Magazine as one of the top 10 wineries in McLaren Vale, Kay Brothers is the oldest winery in the region, still in the founding families’ hands. Tradition is very much at the heart of everything they do and if you ever wondered what life at the winery used to look like in the early 1900s and if anything remains unchanged from those days, Kay Brothers certainly provide a wealth of knowledge.

The Kay family meticulously recorded daily life at Amery Vineyards, keeping a diary since the purchase of the property in October 1890. They give not only detailed vintage records and weather information throughout the century, but also a host of day-to-day insights into the tremendous physical effort people put into working and living in those early days. In their first seven years, the Kay Brothers had planted over 90 acres of vines, built a winery and produced their first 9000 litres of wine.  This was quite an achievement in such a short space of time, especially giving consideration to the physical effort required. Their first vintages were crushed with a hand crusher (a wooden roller with protruding spikes), and then by horse power, with a horse walking around a capstan which turned a crusher.

The first Amery bottlings took place in November 1898, with twenty-six dozen bottles of an 1896 vintage. In August the following year, they sent six bottles of 1897 Frontignac to the Adelaide Show. In August 1900 they bottled four dozen pints of the 1896 Burgundy under an Amery label. The Kay Brothers continued to thrive and by 1920 were averaging a vintage harvest of 150 tons of wine grapes. Most of the wines made at this time were dry red blends with the addition of sweet fortified reds and a small quantity of dry whites. 

It wasn’t until 1960s when single red varieties or more focused blends such as Shiraz Cabernet were bottled more often and gradually gained popularity.

Today, the third generation of the Kay family continue to build on their heritage and knowledge passed on from their ancestors. They take great pride in their traditions and often speak very fondly of their legacy:

 

“We believe in our winemaking traditions. Ultimately that’s what Kay Brothers stands for.”

 

When we asked Michael of Kay Brothers to explain how their wines evolved over time and yet remained true to their traditions, he said: “We are traditional winemakers and are not seeking to follow fashions. In terms of winemaking, the evolution at Kay Brothers has been to adopt a more balanced oak regime with wines remaining a lesser time in oak, and we utilise bigger format barrels i.e. 500 litre puncheons and more seasoned oak, which ultimately results in earlier integration and more balanced wines.  However the tannin and structure is still a feature, and the potential for ageing remains strong.”

In essence, there is no right or wrong to a traditional approach in winemaking. Our industry is large enough to welcome all styles produced, and we believe we would be in a poorer place without a little wine heritage. Of course, there are many talented producers emerging such as our very own, Owen Latta from Eastern Peake. Having grown up amongst the vines, Owen continues the heritage at the family winery, respects traditions, but continues on a new journey with experimental blends under his own Latta Vino label (we are currently sampling through the range and some are thrilling!).

So, over to you as proof is in the drinking…

As ever, we would love to hear your views too.

* Offer ends 9:00am Monday 9th March *

Kay Brothers Amery Vineyard
Block 6 Shiraz 2017

Mike Bennie, The Wine Front "This is the 125th anniversary of Kay Brothers wine and the 34th vintage of this single vineyard wine. What a wonderful estate. Pretty perfume here. Red berry-cherry fruits, slight medicinal lift, touch of eucalyptus. The palate is silky yet dense, hemmed with spicy-chalky tannins, drawn long, very fine, fresh-feeling and kind of cool despite all that potent fruit rolling in. Tannins, superb; lots of tension here in best way. Quiet power, then has a prettiness and almost light finish, so very appealing in the scheme of things. Fantastic."

Was £46.95 per bottle
Now £42.95 per bottle

Was £220.00 per case of 6 IB
Now £201.37 per case of 6 IB

 

Kay Brothers Amery Vineyard
Basket Pressed Shiraz 2017 case 
(12x75cl)

Gary Walsh (The Wine Front) "In 2017, McLaren Vale Shiraz is a little different to your usual bear. Quite spicy, almost Rhoney, you might say. Plenty of spice over blackberry and dark chocolate, a pleasant wet forest floor thing happening too, along with some mint. Full-bodied, silty rich tannin, black olive and some meaty umami flavours, in among the warmth and dark fruit, a kind of coolness too, and a finish that runs on with calcium carbonate tannin. Has interest and character. Drinks well now too."

Was £132.75 per case of 12 IB
Now £111.50 per case of 12 IB

 

Kay Brothers Amery Vineyard
Cuthbert Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 case 
(6x75cl)

95 Points - Joe Czerwinski (RobertParker.com) "Prettier and more aromatic than the very good 2015, the 2016 Cuthbert Cabernet Sauvignon hints at violets and mint on the nose and adds hints of cherries to the cassis fruit. Medium to full-bodied, it's supple, almost silky on the palate, with a finish that's simultaneously mouthwatering and firmly tannic. It should drink well for at least a decade."

Was £106.50 per case of 6 IB
Now £92.50 per case​ of 6 IB

 

Kay Brothers Griffon's Key
Grenache 2017 case 
(6x75cl)

95 Points - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front) "Dried roses, ripe raspberry, something like black jelly beans, some sweet spices. Medium to full-bodied, plush and mouth-filling, but gentle too, with insistent silky tannin nudging it along, soft acidity, a savoury cast to a long finish with a cushion of royal purple velour tannin easing it out. Delightful. Texture is a highlight here."

Was £116.00 per case of 6 IB
Now £108.00 per case​ of 6 IB

 

Kay Brothers Amery Vineyard
Hillside Shiraz 2016 case 
(6x75cl)

95 Points - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front) "Dense, meaty, plenty of toasty umami oak, blackberry, liquorice, dried herbs. Full-bodied, well packed and full of flavour, porcini mushroom, black fruits, something a bit ferrous, tightly knit dark chocolate tannin, bold finish where dark berries mix with all kinds of meaty/earthy flavours. Impressive. Muscular. Won’t leave you wondering. I don’t usually say this, but if you’re going in early, a good healthy spell in a decanter will do it wonders."

Was £102.95 per case of 6 IB
Now £92.75 per case​ of 6 IB

 

Kay Brothers Amery Vineyard
Hillside Shiraz 2017 case 
(6x75cl)

Gary Walsh, The Wine Front "Blackcurrant, blackberry, liquorice and dark chocolate, discreet cedar spiced oak. It’s full bodied, and full of dark chocolate, roast beef and dried herb, dense in tannin, though not heavy. Finish is very good too, savoury and long. Excellent. Time is on its side."

Was £106.50 per case of 6 IB
Now £95.55 per case​ of 6 IB

 

Kay Brothers Amery Vineyards
Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

Robert Parker "One of Australia’s most traditional winemakers, Colin Kay fashions old style, high quality, distinctive Australian reds. The spicy, earthy, tobacco, cherry, and currant-scented 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon is borderline rustic, but spicy, big, chewy, and attractive. It is by no means from the refined school of winemaking, but it possesses so much personality and soul, it is hard not to give it a high rating."

Was £14.95 per bottle
Now £12.75 per bottle

or £66.00 per case of 12 IB

UK Competitors
Fine + Rare @ £181.00 per case IB
Cru World Wine @ £149.00 per case IB

 

Kay Brothers Amery
Vineyards Shiraz 2003 case 
(12x75cl)

Robert Parker "One of Australia’s most traditional winemakers, Colin Kay fashions old style, high quality, distinctive Australian reds. The dark ruby/purple-colored 2003 Shiraz exhibits dusty, earthy, truffle-like aromas interwoven with notes of licorice, blackberries, charred wood, and hints of underbrush and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied with moderately high tannin, good spice, and hefty alcohol."

Was £104.00 per case of 6 IB
Now £90.00
 per case​ of 6 IB

 

Kay Brothers Amery
Vineyards Shiraz 2001

The 2001 Shiraz looks to be a return to the style of the blockbuster 1998. Denser and richer than the 2000, this dense purple-coloured effort is full-bodied as well as loaded. Its sweet tannin suggests perfect maturity.

Was £14.95 per bottle
Now £13.50
 per bottle

* Only 10 bottles available *

 
 

The UK's largest Australian wine tasting for private customers

Location:

OXO2, Oxo Tower Wharf, Bargehouse Street, Level Two, London SE1 9PH

Date & Time:

Friday 22 May, 4:30pm to 8:30pm
Saturday 23 May, 10:00am to 6:00pm

Masterclasses

Saturday 23 May:

A series of special Masterclasses all priced at £15.00 each will be running throughout the day. A Masterclass ticket must be purchased in addition to a tasting ticket for the main room. A tasting ticket does not entitle you to attend a Masterclass. Please read the T&C's that apply on the tasting ticket.

The outstanding list of winemakers who will be attending

Artisans of Barossa, Dan Standish, Jaysen Collins (JC’s Own), Massena, Nick Glaetzer, John Pooley, Nav Singh from Domaine Simha, team Greenock Creek, Stuart Angas from Hutton Vale Farm, Julian & Alana Langworthy from Nocturne, Stuart Pym from Flowstone, Greg Hobbs, Kay Brothers, Craig Stansborough from Purple Hands / After Five Wine Co, the boys from Wild Duck Creek, Soumah are back, Angus Vinden from Vinden Estate, Paul & Gilli Lipscombe from Sailor Seeks Horse, Franco D’Anna from Hoddles Creek, Grant Taylor from Valli Vineyards (New Zealand)… and we are waiting on confirmation from Domaine Naturaliste. All-in-all, a very impressive line-up.