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Available in cartons of six
A mostly Shiraz Cuvee sourced from six of the Melton's best dry grown, old vine blocks. Charlie was one of the first to recognize the value and tradition of the Barossa's old vineyard Shiraz, Cabernet and Grenache. At a time when others were pulling out some wonderful old rootstock to plant more fashionable varieties, Charlie was convincing farmers to keep their historic vineyards. He belongs to a small group of dedicated vignerons who fought to retain the viticultural heritage of Barossa Valley. Two years in oak, followed by liqueur dosage tirage and a further four years on lees. The fruit is mostly hand harvested at healthy levels of ripe, natural sugar baume range to give richness with a degree of freshness and acidity for the base wine. Grapes are fully destemmed through the crusher into fermenters, for vinification on skins at moderate temperatures for several days, treated to a regimen of pumpovers twice daily. At close to dryness, batches are drained, pressed and returned to the free run. Components are filled to a selection of predominantly French Never and Vosges or American oak barriques for a year on gross sediments. The wine is then tiraged and left on lees for twenty months before degorgement and expedition liqueur.
TASTING NOTESDeep dark, cherry purple. An elegant, complex bouquet, rich spicy, multi dimensional redolence, mintyness, dark currants and festive pudding fruits. A complex, aromatically opulent cornucopia of flavour, bushels of fruit and classic autolysis within a glorious effervescence of the finest bubble. The wonders of liquering dosage and bottle age, modulating the degree of sweetness, in the tradition of the memorable Great Westerns which evolved for decades. |
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Since the first vintage of Charles Melton in 1984, this small Barossa Valley winery has gained both national and international recognition for its premium red table wines
The wines move from a light red, The Rose of Virginia, described by Anthony Rose in London’s Observer newspaper as the best Rosé in Australia, through to Australia’s premier Rhone-style red, Nine Popes. Charlie Melton also makes small quantities of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sparkling Shiraz, and is the only Australian producer of a vin-santo styled dessert wine, Sotto di Ferro. Charles Melton»
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