Chalk Hill Red Wines 2010

Colour - Deep Purple Aromatics - Dark cherries, plum, spice and dried tea leaves. Palate - Dark Cherry and soaked plum fruit with hints of liquorice and bitter dark chocolate. Lovely spice notes with fine yet firm tannins on the finish.

McLaren Vale is - and will continue to be for some time - built upon a Shiraz reputation, with said red grape presenting as the beacon variety for the region. However if you dig down a little further, beyond the big blends and Shiraz love, you'll discover that the Vale can make tasty Cabernet too. This particular wine fits into the medium bodied end of the spectrum with more leafy black fruit and less overt richness. It's almost a more polite wine in a way, rich yet also edged with restraint and life.

Sourced from some of the 20-40 year old Chalk Hill vines on the Chalk Hill block (I do wonder if there is chalk in the hill) this is a typically gutsy McLaren Vale Shiraz carrying the inky richness and weight of classic Vale form with a modicum of restraint in there too. Nice form, nice wine. One of the best things McLaren Vale ever did was plant Shiraz vines. The region has now become world famous for producing rich and distinctive reds that have become national treasures. Chalk Hill continue the tradition and out of an exceptional vintage present a wine that will bring a smile to your face. Essential Vale aromas of dark berries and chocolate and hints of spice before a well structu...

Barbera is a fantastic variety, a lovely red grape that we wish was more widely planted here. The appeal here is all about juiciness. Juiciness but with more acidity than many other reds making for maximum refreshment factor. In this McLaren Vale iteration that means ripe berrylicious flavours and much of them. Italian Varieties like Barbera are now spearheading the tastes of a new generation of drinkers. Medium bodied and juicy this is the perfect wine for food due to fresh acids and supple tannins. This version from the maritime climes of McLaren Vale is slightly bigger than it’s Italian counterparts but balanced nonetheless ensuring it will pair well with meatballs in a rich, toma...

Typically a procrastinator is someone who tends to do less (or is more talk less action) though the forward and open style of this red suggests the exact opposite. An unusual blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon this has the brightness of the Vale but coupled with some cooler, prettier red fruit characters thanks to the Cab Franc. End result is a winning sort of formula really. One thing we can guarantee with this wine is that you won’t procrastinate when it comes to grabbing it off your wine rack. The great thing about blending reds like this means you get a seamless sensation of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet fruit resulting in a medium-bodied McLaren Vale red ...

The Italian stallion is back, good old Sangiovese bringing a breath of Italian air to the McLaren Vale via Chalk Hill. Sangiovese is starting to prosper on the Australian wine scene and this wine is truly varietal. We suggest a pizza or pasta to complement the taste of blackcurrant and cinnamon with spice and the chalky, savoury tannins. One taste of this and you’ll be having romantic notions about running off with a loved one to Tuscany.

Deep purple-crimson; reaffirms the bond between McLaren Vale and cabernet sauvignon; here blackcurrant fruit, with a subtext of earth and bitter chocolate, has great length, focus and concentration, yet retains elegance.