Craneford wine is crafted to epitomize the best fruit of the vintage whilst continuing to express the unique characters of the each vineyard. All the wines produced show classic Barossa flavours, complex and well balanced. Craneford’s aim is to continually produce the highest quality wine from the best Barossa fruit available.

Craneford wine is crafted to epitomize the best fruit of the vintage whilst continuing to express the unique characters of each vineyard. All the wines produced show classic Barossa flavours, complex and well balanced. Craneford’s aim is to continually produce the highest quality wine from the best Barossa fruit available.

The wine sees neutral French and American oak that seasons the pure fruit. There are aromas of violets, black current, dark cherry and a mineral note.

These elements come together on the palate with soft tannins and a touch of bittersweet chocolate that follow through with fine length.

Chester Osborn, the remarkable person behind this enormous array of both impeccably high quality and value-priced wines, deserves considerable accolades for what he is able to achieve at all price ranges.

If you love Australian wines, d’Arenberg is a winery to seek out as these offerings all possess abundant soul as well as character. In short, the accolades that proprietor/winemaker Chester Osborn receives not only from The Wine Advocate, but virtually everybody in the wine world, are all well deserved.

Food Matching:

Spice crusted barbecued butterflied leg of lamb, linguine pasta with mushrooms and caramelised onions.

The nose shows intense blackcurrant and cranberry fruit, and the subtle cedary cinnamon spice, barrel-ferment and oak derived aromas, violet and mint scents, as well as liquorice and chocolate smells. Interwined is this wounderful green edge that lifts the wine into a cool climate sepctrum which typifies the cold year.

These Aromas combine with some cassis, blueberry,and cranberry, with lingering mocha and plumy fruit and are just showing through amongst a long, intense vibrant, gritty fruit tannin finish.

The nose shows intense blackcurrant and cranberry fruit, and the subtle cedary cinnamon spice, barrel-ferment and oak derived aromas, violet and mint scents, as well as liquorice and chocolate smells. Interwined is this wounderful green edge that lifts the wine into a cool climate sepctrum which typifies the cold year. These aromas combine with some cassis, blueberry, and cranberry, with lingering mocha and plumy fruit and are just showing through amongst a long, intense vibrant, gritty fruit tannin finish.

Strong bright rim with a deep red core. The lifted bouquet of this Cabernet is reminiscent of red cherries and hints of blackcurrant. This wine shows a little more herbaceous character, although the typical McLaren Vale dark chocolate character is still evident. The oak is particularly attractive, showing some subtle cinnamon and a hint of char.

The palate shows rich, sweet blackberry and chocolate, with the tannin structure tight. The middle palate is full and is followed by a drying, elegant finish. With flavours that are very persistent and a tight structure, this wine shows potential for ageing well.

Deep red central core with vibrant purple rim. Showing typical McLaren Vale Cabernet aromas of spicy blackberry and chocolate together with mint and dark cherries complexed by lifted oak char and cinnamon. Intense black fruits and cherries are supported by firm acidity and enveloping tannin structure giving great balance to the depth.

This range of wines reflects exactly Henry’s Drive Vigneron’s approach to winemaking. The fruit is carefully graded with only the very best from small sections of the vineyard being selected for Henry’s Drive. Made with minimal intervention, each are single varietal wines of great length and longevity that are a true expression of their vineyard, region and variety.

The cabernet sauvignon label continues to carry the name Cyril Henschke (1924-1979) as a tribute to one of Australia’s outstanding winemakers and pioneers in the production of varietal table wines.

Cyril Henschke planted Cabernet at Eden Valley in the late 1960s.

1999 Vintage:  The latter part of spring led into one of the hottest summers on record, with virtually no rain. The drought conditions resulted in smaller berry size producing spicy dark intense reds. Tropical cyclones Elaine and Vance brought unseasonal rains in mid-March, causing widespread botrytis problems requiring careful handpicking. 1999 proved to be another challenging vintage for Eden Valley although the final quality results made it worthwhile.

Description: Deep crimson in colour. Sweet lifted cassis, redcurrant, anise, tar, violets and cedar with liqueur chocolate hints. A complex bouquet of bright black briary forest berry fruits with lush dusty aromas. Sweet fruit, rich, complex, compact, concentrated palate with fruit and dusty tannins; fleshy with firm fine grained chewy tannins on the very long finish.

Serving Idea: Roast leg of lamb with double-peeled broad beans or fresh peas with thyme butter.

This is a big, fruit-forward, rich, concentrated, substantial, corpulent Australian red that is undoubtedly more ageworthy than most suspect. The purity of its flavor, enticing texture, and luscious personality in addition to its fair price, will please many tasters.

The taste has mouth filling rich fruit; again berries and currants carrying through with vibrance and superb extension. The finish has the finest grain of tannins, velvety with the wood and fruit extracts beautifully matched and textured.

The Cabernet Sauvignon for this wine originates from wines planted in 1972 above the Lime Cave, on the crest of the estate vineyard. The intense concentrated dark berry and mint, lingering tanins and the finely balanced nature of the wine reflects the individual terrior of the McLaren Vale.

Deep crimson red in colour with some purple highlights. The nose is extremely complex with cool vintage fruit characters of black olive, prune and seaweed notes, combined with sweet earth and truffle. The oak is beautifully integrated. A sweet and dense palate with super fleshy mouth feel and dense dark fruit flavours of cassis, prune with cedar and liquorice.

The finish is long with firm tannins and an overall balance and depth of fruit, making it one of the best Parker Terra Rossa Cabernet vintages. The outstanding feature was the extremely low crop levels. The season also turned out to be cool and fruit ripened late in the season and consequently elegant with softer tannins and refined delicate flavours. Made for extended cellaring for 15 or more years. Decant before serving.

This wine exudes the elegance and purity of a McLarenVale Cabernet. The nose is refined with aromas of blackcurrant and plum fruit. In the mouth the fruit is rich, harmonious and integrated. The palate is layered, with a beautiful delicate fine structure and a generous smooth finish.

Owners Paul and Lynn Shirvington have replaced winemakers Sarah and Sparky Marquis with Kim Johnston, who appears to be following in the same footsteps, producing bigger than life, bold, rich, but beautifully linear and precise wines. Both of these cuvees are barrel-fermented and aged in 75-85% new oak, primarily American. The vines are young, which makes the quality even more remarkable.

The fruit is hand-picked at optimum ripeness-flavour, gently crushed, open-fermented and matured in a combination of French Oak and American Oak.

The black/purple tinted colour of this wine is followed by a pure liquorice and wild berry fruit nose. The palate is very firm in structure with fine powdery tannins, warm, rounded mouth-feel and long, dry finish.

Deep and intense, the wine displays full palate weight with powerful fruit and soft American oak which was hand-coopered at Yalumba - a wine made for longevity, very much The Signature style.