Showing all 5 results

• White Wine

  2020 The Broken Fishplate Sauvignon Blanc, d’Arenberg

  £1595

  A flashy sauvignon blanc offering lashings of tropicals such as passionfruit and gooseberry on the highly aromatic nose, boosted by an undercurrent of fresh cut grass and asparagus. The palate is refreshingly crisp and mineral. Vibrant citrus-like acid is a real feature. But this is accompanied by the generosity in flavour and a hint of added texture through some very light-handed oak treatment and a small dose of wild ferment. Balanced and long, served chilled this wine will hit the spot on a warm, sunny day.

  Despite being a good match for fish, the name has nothing to do with them! A fishplate is a term for the nylon plates that collect grape bunches on a harvester and often break when navigating around the steep, windy vineyards.

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• Red Wine

  2017 The Laughing Magpie, d’Arenberg

  £1995

  This 2016 Shiraz/Viognier has a rather dark appearance with a vivid purple hue suggesting a complex dry red.  The nose is particularly intense, with peppery spice, hints of fragrant flower and perfume aromas, plus nectarines, apricots, ginger and herbs from the small parcel of viognier that the Shiraz is co-fermented with.  On the palate, the Shiraz is more dominant with sweeter fruit characters like blackberry, blueberry and boysenberry. The palate is rich and generous and soft silky tannins.

  The Kookaburra is a native Australian bird famous for its distinctive laughing call, Chester’s young daughters named them “Laughing Magpies”. The Magpie plumage is black with a stripe of white feathers, representing McLaren Vale’s first ever blend combining the (black) Shiraz and its white partner, Viognier.

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• White Wine

  2011 The Hermit Crab Viognier/Marsanne, d’Arenberg

  £1995

  The 2011 Hermit  has an Incredibly fragrant nose full of sweet apricot and gingery spice. The palate is luscious and generous but has great acid which tightens the wine, adding freshness and a clean crisp finish. Slight pithy feel which builds on the spice notes. Lovely as a fresh stand-alone drink that still exhibits some mouthfeel, or equally well adapted to enjoy with a range of foods from freshly shucked oysters through to spicy Thai style dishes.

  Many of McLaren Vale’s vineyards are on free-draining soils underlain with limestone, formed by the calcareous remains of the local marine fauna. One such creature was the Hermit Crab, a reclusive little crustacean that inhabits the cast-off shells of others. The Osborn family thought the name appropriate for this, McLaren Vale’s first-ever blend of Viognier and Marsanne. “Hermit” is also an abbreviation for the French appellation of Hermitage, where the Marsanne grape variety dominates.

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• White Wine

  2008 The Virgilius Viognier, Yalumba

  £4250

  Yalumba, the pioneer of Viognier in Australia, has devoted 20 years to the growing and making of this rare and exotic Rhone variety.   The Virgilius is Yalumba’s most distinguished Viognier – a wine that shows power with restraint. As Yalumba’s most premium and enchanting white wine, it is loved by wine lovers looking for something beyond the more conventional offering.

  The nose on this 2009 Virgilius delivers a lifted and exotic aromatic profile of honeysuckle, dried apricot and tropical fruit on the turn followed by a hint of citrus and spice as endnotes. Rich mouth filling flavours of ripe apricot, honeysuckle, tropical fruits and spice. Aftertaste of ripe apricot, honeysuckle and spice – the acidity is incredibly fine, almost taking it into top chardonnay territory; amazing!

  At its best with food, The Virgilius complements a wide range of flavors, particularly dishes with spice and richness.

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• Red Wine

  2017 The Old Bloke and The Three Young Blonds, d’Arenberg

  £7500

  A mix of gnarly, old Shiraz partnered with youthful, exotic and fragrant white varieties. The Shiraz offers a nose brimming with dark, earthen fruits, woody spices and rich blackberry aromas. Viognier adds fragrance in the form of apricot, ginger and florals, Roussanne delivers an exotic, dried almond and papaya note, and the Marsanne contributes pistachio and yellow stonefruit.

  The palate is generous, with layers of fruit characters that ebb and flow through the entire length. The tannin structure is unique, thanks to the mingling of red and white phenolics. The rustic, chunky, mid-palate Shiraz tannins are tempered by the lusciousness of the white varieties, the finish enhanced by the addition of fragrant, flowery tannins, mainly on account of the Viognier and more nutty, walnut skin texture, from the Roussanne.

  A complex and alluring wine that evolves in the glass. So much individual character and much to take in, but somehow we are left with a sense of harmony between the old bloke and the three young blondes.

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