HAWKERS SLOE GIN
Hawker’s Sloe Gin is the authority in the sloe gin category. William
Hawker created the original recipe in the late 1790’s and the
family business...
Australia - Tapanappa
In late 2001 Petaluma, the company
Brian and Ann Croser founded in 1976 was taken over by Lion Nathan.
That event ended the 30-year Croser family ownership involvement in
fine wine production but only temporarily.
Even as the ink was drying on the Petaluma purchase, Brian his friends and partners for 17 years in Petaluma, Champagne Bollinger made a pact with the Croser family to begin again.
Then along came the Cazes family from Chateau Lynch Bages in Pauillac, Bordeaux. On a trip to Australia in 2002, Jean-Michel and his son Jean-Charles met with Brian and quickly agreed to join the partnership.
Brian's long held ambition to own and make wine from the 30-year old Koppamurra Vineyard just north of Coonawarra became the ambition of the partnership. Tapanappa was born and purchased Koppamurra Vineyard in late 2002. The vineyard has since been renamed the Whalebone Vineyard.
The partnership is founded in a strongly mutually held belief that some pieces of ground are much better than others for the production of fine wine. Of course this superiority is highly specific to varieties and wine style. The Whalebone Vineyard and Cabernet Sauvignon in particular have a unique synergy. Brian learnt of the wonderful quality of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Whalebone Vineyard 25 years ago when in 1980 he helped Geoff Weaver make the very first wine from this vineyard under his Ashbourne label.
This is the concept of “terroir”, the uncopy able effect of the geology, soil, climate, latitude, longitude, altitude, aspect, surrounds and all other factors affecting Cabernet Sauvignon vines on the Whalebone Vineyard. The mission of the partnership is to maximise the quality of the wine from the Whalebone Vineyard regardless of cost which also implies producing only tiny quantities of wine.
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Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2007 |
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Bin No |
MENT/200 |
Size |
75cl |
Price |
£38.00 |
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2007 Tapanappa Tiers Chardonnay is a very typical wine of the Tiers Vineyard in a good vintage. The aromas are subtle varietal white peach and clove, with marzipan and brioche contributed by the malo-lactic, yeast lees contact and oak. A consistent terroir feature of Tiers Chardonnay is the significant texture followed by a savoury finish and the persistence of the flavours. The 2007 Tapanappa Tiers Chardonnay will develop spicy honey and brulée characters with bottle age of up to 10 years. |
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Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz 2004 |
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Bin No |
MENT/202 |
Size |
75cl |
Price |
£33.50 |
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First and foremost the 2004 Tapanappa Cabernet Shiraz is the taste of the Whalebone Vineyard. The terroir delivers complexity involving the aroma and taste of dusty earth and Eucalypt smoke. A glass of Tapanappa Cabernet Shiraz is translucent and a vibrant cerise colour. The aroma is built in layers with a core of Cabernet Sauvignon mulberry and clove surrounded by the blackberry and liquorice of Shiraz. A central sweet fruit flavour follows on with dry dusty tannins turning creamy as the persistence of the fruit, earth and smoke creates length. 2004 Tapanappa Cabernet Shiraz is from a cool dry sunny year and is much longer than it is wide. Spring lamb lightly roasted with thyme and rosemary is the natural dish to amplify the flavours and structure of the wine. |
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Whalebone Vineyard Wrattonbully Merlot 2005 |
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Bin No |
MENT/202 |
Size |
75cl |
Price |
£34.75 |
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The Whalebone Vineyard terroir exerts its strength across all four of the varieties grown there, and the Merlot develops the smoky Eucalyptus, anise and fresh earth aromas and flavours that are the signature of this distinguished site. The Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard 2005 Merlot has the ripe plum and exotic spice of Merlot from the warm 2005 vintage. The very sweet fruit middle palate is matched by a significant bulk of tannin providing a fine grained and savoury finish. This is a rich and ripe wine, which will best accompany dishes based on braised ox cheeks or slow cooked veal shanks. |
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Foggy Hill Pinot Noir 2007 |
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Bin No |
MENT/225 |
Size |
75cl |
Price |
£21.50 |
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Tapanappa Foggy Hill 2007 Pinot Noir is medium to light in colour and cerise in hue. The aromas are delicate and exotically fragrant of Campari, cherries and five-spice with a richer mulberry component. The flavours are delicate sweet and spicy and are balanced against the tannin and acid without the interference of alcohol – it is as though the wine is built around its water component. The tannins are significant, but soft and savoury, and the whole wine is melded into a complex fabric of aromas, flavours, tastes and texture, which is seamless. This the first exciting taste of the new Pinot Noir terroir at Maylands Farm, Parawa, at the apex of the Fleurieu Peninsula. |
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