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.

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.

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.

Strong bright rim with a mid-deep red core.

The hints of blackcurrant and blackberry are typical characters of this variety. Typically McLaren Vale produces a dark, spicy chocolate character in Cabernet and this is evident. However, this wine has fascinating aromas of mint, leather and dark cherries. The oak shows when the wine is first poured, but with a little time in the glass yields to give a subtle cinnamon, char and cherry combination.

As a young wine, the palate is a little tight. The cherry and chocolate come through as does a blackberry fruit character. The tannin and acidity are firm, but balanced for a wine that will drink well when young, preferably with food. It will develop further complexity with cellaring.

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.

Vibrant deep red black with intense violet rim. Powerful lifted complex fruit aromas of cassis, tobacco leaf and subtle spicy oak. Intensely fresh cassis and blackberry flavours with cinnamon and licorice complexity. The fruit weight is balanced by enveloping firm tannin structure and the finish has great length.

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.

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.

This wine shows structure, elegance and complexity. The bouquet is fragrant with lifted red berries and a distinctive savoury character redolent of tapenade, roast capsicum and coffee. This follows through to the palate where intense blackcurrant and integrated oak complete the picture. The wine has excellent structure and balance with ripe, firm tannins adding some grip to the long finish.

A rich sweet core of ripe red berry fruit with hints of violets, fresh herbs and mocha. The palate is round, ripe and sumptuous with good balance and well integrated oak. Fine ripe tannins complete the picture, tightening the structure and drying out the long 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.

Picked late April to early May, the season was warm with dry conditions prevailing throughout harvest. All blocks were hand-picked and sorted prior to crushing. An excellent year for Virgin Hills.

Nose
Pure menthol fruit, minty and fresh, with hints of spice.

Palate
The palate exhibits flavours of mint and blackberry. A good acid and tannin balance prevails with a strong core of menthol and eucalyptus.