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Wine Heroes

This page is dedicated to our wine heroes – the wines, winery, winemakers that have shaped our vinous journey over the past 20 years.
We followed, bought and collected all the wines that feature on this page for many years and their quality vintage upon vintage is without question.
In short, these are the wines we drink, and we hope you will love them as much as we do.

Wine Heroes

Showing 16–30 of 171 results

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  • 2017 The Laughing Magpie, d’Arenberg Wine Republic Heros 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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  • 2011 The Hermit Crab Viognier/Marsanne, d’Arenberg Wine Republic Heros 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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  • 2017 The Galvo Garage Cabernet Blend, d’Arenberg Wine Republic Heros Red Wine

    2017 The Galvo Garage Cabernet Blend, d’Arenberg

    £1995

    Made during an exceptionally balanced year. A lifted and perfumed nose displaying complex notes of violets, blackcurrant and ripe berries. The colour is quite rich, almost dark, suggesting a fuller-bodied flavour profile.  The palate is elegant, yet sings with ripe fruits, and is extremely juicy with deep richness and structure. This mix of pure fruit combines with fine oak tannins that lead to a lovely fragrant dark chocolate, minerally dry finish.

    ‘Garage wines’ is a term used to describe wines that are produced in the back sheds of French winemakers, who make small batch wines of the highest quality. Our galvanized, corrugated ‘garage’ was built in 1927 and still houses the traditional equipment used in the handcrafting of this wine.

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  • 2022 RosaMati Rosato, Fattoria Le Pupille Wine Republic Heros Rose Wine

    2022 RosaMati Rosato, Fattoria Le Pupille

    £1995

    This rosé wine is made from Syrah, which typically gives the wine a vibrant and fruity character. The wine has a complex nose with citrus notes and a hint of flint. You may also detect the scent of orange zest and small berries. On the palate, it offers an excellent balance between fruit and acidity, supported by delicate tannins. It has a fresh texture on the palate, with a pleasant red berry flavour. Notes of grapefruit and blood orange also come through.

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  • 2021 ‘Origin’ Pinot Noir, Saint Clair Wine Republic Heros Red Wine

    2021 ‘Origin’ Pinot Noir, Saint Clair

    £2075

    Dark garnet colour in the glass with aromas layered with blueberry and blackcurrant fruits, intermingled with dark chocolate aromas. The palate is concentrated and fruit-driven with ripe red berries and dark fruits filling the senses. Delicate tannin and savoury oak notes to finish. Well-matched with garlic and rosemary lamb rack with a side of fresh lettuce and pistachio salad.

    Drinking beautifully now, this wine can be enjoyed young or with careful cellaring will mature into a more complex wine that can be enjoyed for the next three years.

    The fruit is sourced from a number of specifically chosen low cropping vineyards from the Southern Valleys region of the Wairau Plain. The vines are grown in very clay-rich, vigour moderating soils. Each vineyard is closely monitored and tasted to determine when the flavours were at their optimum and harvested in the cool of the morning.

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  • 2018 The Derelict Vineyard Grenache, d’Arenberg Wine Republic Heros Red Wine

    2018 The Derelict Vineyard Grenache, d’Arenberg

    £2095

    2018 was an exceptional year for Grenache in the McLaren Vale. An absolute abundance of fruit on the nose, with all the classics, blueberry, plum, liquorice, spice and earth. The palate too is full of presence. Juicy and generous but with a seam of crunchy tannin and lively acid that add structure and fresh punch to the wine. All of these big rich fruits are wrapped around a graphite almost ferrous like framework. Immediately drinkable but undoubtedly a Grenache built for time. If enjoying young be sure to decant or at a minimum allow it to breath in the glass. Your patience will reward you.

    The name of the wine is inspired by the time in the 1980s and early 90s when Grenache was considered unfashionable, Chester acquired many old bush vine, overgrown and abandoned vineyards. These vineyards still have a slightly dishevelled appearance, but they are back producing very low yields of exceptional fruit.

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  • 2019 The Feral Fox Pinot Noir, d’Arenberg Wine Republic Heros Red Wine

    2019 The Feral Fox Pinot Noir, d’Arenberg

    £2095

    Fabulous! This wine sings in the glass. Gently poached strawberry compote with twists of maraschino cherry. Given time in the glass will leave you wanting more. As it opens the palate offers touches of truffle, spice and forest floor adding layers of serious complexity. A bright acid backbone is a guarantee that this wine will develop with attitude and grace.   Classic Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir.

    THE NAME: The feral foxes that inhabit the Adelaide Hills have developed an appetite for grapes and can often be found eating low hanging bunches during vintage. Chester says that he is nor bothered by this as these bushy-tailed critters act as crop thinners and enhance the quality of grapes that are too high for them to reach. It also has the secondary effect of providing a natural source of fertilisation when the laxative nature of the grapes take effect on the normally carnivorous foxes.

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  • 2017 Smuggler’s Boot Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, Kershaw Wine Republic Heros White Wine

    2017 Smuggler’s Boot Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, Kershaw

    £2100

    In 2014, The Smuggler’s Boot wines were first released. The name derives from the time of trade embargoes in South Africa when growers & winemakers smuggled grapevine material into the country by hiding the cuttings in Wellington boots. The Smuggler’s Boot range celebrates that ingenuity.

    This 2017 Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon is a classic white Bordeaux-style wine.   Light lotus yellow-green in colour, the nose has pristine aromas of elderflower, lemon and mandarin segments. A clean, seamless palate with vibrant fruit definition balanced with a taut natural acidity, this linear structured wine unfurls to lime, rose and pear softened by a creamy texture and lingers long after the first sip.

    Its fresh, citrus profile and mineral texture make it perfect with seafood dishes, fish and spring vegetables. Winemaker Richard enjoys it with tuna sashimi with a delicate lime and ginger or Asian dipping sauce.  Oysters; asparagus and peas in a pasta primavera work well or goats cheese, white asparagus and chorizo (lightly spiced) pizza. Alternatively, a ‘posh’ fie pie or poached salmon with peas and frothy hollandaise, Cod and chips, or beer-battered haddock. For meat lovers, Gammon on the bone with broad beans in a parsley sauce. A light Thai green curry with pork or chicken (but go easy on the curry spice).

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  • 2021 Riesling, Skillogalee Wine Republic Heros White Wine

    2021 Riesling, Skillogalee

    £2100

    The grapes for this dry Riesling are grown on low-yielding vines, along the contours on the highest slopes of the Skillogalee Estate at about 500 metres above sea level.

    In the glass the nose has a perfumed lift of jasmine, orange blossom spice and lemon zest. The palate is full-flavoured with excellent fruit concentration and texture. Flavours of lemon, lime zest and pith prevail, with hints of citrus spice and succulent, juicy acidity emerging thereafter. Structurally, this wine has impressive length, a lively natural acid backbone and a mouth-wateringly powerful finish.

    Drink now with fish, seafood or white meat dishes, or cellar for 5 years or more.

    With cool and dry weather, the 2021 vintage in the Clare Valley produced lovely fruit with excellent varietal character and natural acidity. The cool growing season was preceded by late-winter and early-spring rains which allowed for good spring growth on the vines. This was followed by below average rainfall and dry conditions for the remainder of the season, resulting in a vintage that produced beautiful and classic Clare wines with smaller bunches and grapes therefore reducing Riesling yield.

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  • 2018 Riesling, Skillogalee Wine Republic Heros White Wine

    2018 Riesling, Skillogalee

    £2100

    The grapes for this dry Riesling are grown on low-yielding vines, along the contours on the highest slopes of the Skillogalee Estate at about 500 metres above sea level.

    In the glass this lovely ageing Riesling has intense lime and citrus aromas that dominate the nose with green apple, orange rind and talc also chiming in. Richly textured mouthfeel with concentrated lemon and lime flavours flooding the mouth. Underlying orange rind, talc and mineral characters follow on. Finishes dry with vibrant crisp acidity and a long powerful aftertaste of lime, citrus, orange rind, talc and spice.

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  • 2021 ‘Hen & Chicken’ Chardonnay, Larry Cherubino Wine Republic Heros White Wine

    2021 ‘Hen & Chicken’ Chardonnay, Larry Cherubino

    £2200

    The Ad Hoc range of wines from Larry Cherubino is designed to be your ‘go-to’ wines – dependable, high quality and fit for any occasion.  This 2021 Chardonnay is an inviting and creamy wine with green apple, melon and citrus aromas enhanced by buttered brioche and a lovely freshness on the finish.   The fruit was handpicked, whole bunch pressed, fermented with natural yeasts and aged in new two year old French oak prior to bottling.

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  • 2019 Middle Of Everywhere Shiraz, Larry Cherubino Wine Republic Heros Red Wine

    2019 Middle Of Everywhere Shiraz, Larry Cherubino

    £2200

    Aromas of red earth, ground black spice and dark berries lead to a palate of fine, silky tannins. Juicy fruit flavours of blueberry and dark cherry combine with undertones of spice.

    The fruit was selected and hand-picked from sites across Frankland River, Western Australia. The vines were planted in 1997 to a density of 1,650 vines per hectare and have a northern orientation, which maximises the exposure to the sun. Careful irrigation ensures the vines are healthy. The soils are granite, which are known for their heat retention properties and for promoting the even ripening of the berries.

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  • 2020 Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon, Cape Mentelle Wine Republic Heros Red Wine

    2020 Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon, Cape Mentelle

    £2200

    Cape Mentelle has a rich history of exceptional quality and consistency with Cabernet Sauvignon, from a pioneering producer in Margaret River in the early 1970s to the benchmark winery it is today.
    This 2020 Margaret River series Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic representation of the site selection with perfumed varietal notes underpinned by elegant structure and finesse. This vibrant wine embraces the playful side of Cabernet, inviting you in with an immediate drinkability that is backed by pedigree and longevity.

    In the glass, the bright red berries are on the forefront nicely balanced with fine tannins, complete with blueberries and cranberries suggesting warmth and comfort. A classic example of Margaret River Cabernet made to enhance fruit purity, with elegance and approachable structure.

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  • 2021 Gewurztraminer, Skillogalee Wine Republic Heros White Wine

    2021 Gewurztraminer, Skillogalee

    £2250

    Skillogalee crafts their Gewurztraminer in the classic style – textural, aromatic and spicy with a crisp finish.

    The grapes for this wine come from vines on the Skillogalee Estate that are grown using minimal intervention and sustainable farming practices to minimise the impact on our environment. The wine exhibits distinctive Gewurztraminer flavours, with wonderful aromas of ginger and cinnamon mixed with floral perfumes of rose petals, Turkish Delight and lychees.

    A fantastic food matching wine, spanning most genres, top of the list should be lightly-spiced, contemporary Asian food, fresh summertime salads and flavoursome white meat dishes.

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  • 2019 Laissez Faire Syrah, Larry Cherubino Wine Republic Heros Red Wine

    2019 Laissez Faire Syrah, Larry Cherubino

    £2250

    Laissez-Faire means “let it be” and this reflects the hands-off approach that winemaker Larry Cherubino uses when making this striking Syrah.  A bouquet of black cherries is enveloped in subtle mineral nuances and supporting oak spice. Red flowery fruit flavours dominate, with subtle slate-like minerality following through onto the elegant palate, all framed by fine tannins through to a long finish.

    While inspiration has been taken from organics, biodynamics and natural winemaking practices, the Laissez Faire range could be called ‘natural wines’; Larry Cherubino likes to think of them as “post-natural” wines. Believing in healthy and sustainable vineyard practices, Larry grows all his own grapes and can account for their provenance and natural status. While copper is allowed in organic viticulture, minimal copper treatments are used here. The grapes for this wine are grown in the subregions of Frankland River and Porongurup, in the Great Southern, which are considered to be two of the most distinctive viticulture areas in Australia.

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