Description
‘Charlie, one of the Barossa Valley’s great characters, and wife Virginia, make some of the most eagerly sought-after wines in Australia.’ James Halliday
Charlie Melton needs no introduction. Since his first vintage in 1984 and on to his first vintage of Nine Popes in 1988 and beyond he has been a leader of the Barossa Valley. Importantly, he was one of the first to recognise the value of the Barossa’s old plantings of Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro, at a time when the S.A. Government launched the infamous Vine-Pull Scheme, paying growers to remove these so unproductive vines!
And thank goodness he did! Since those early days, the range of Charles Melton Wines has expanded, with total plantings today of just over 34 hectares, the majority being old vine plantings in Krondorf, Lyndoch and Rowland Flat. Indeed, the very oldest of these (at Rowland Flat) will be celebrating their centenary in 2027.
As if this pedigree needed any endorsement, the 2014 Nine Popes was awarded the trophy for Best Australian Red at the 2017 International Wine Challenge in London. Today, Charlie has been joined by daughter Sophie as winemaker, further underwriting the future of this much admired and celebrated family business.
About this wine: 100% Cabernet from Krondorf. Almost traditional practice. Very little or no whole bunch. A mix of crushed and destemmed fruit and fully destemmed but uncrushed berries. A cooler longer ferment on skins (up to 15 days) but no post ferment soak. Run into a mix of new French barriques (60%) and seasoned American (40%). A 30 month sur-lies maturation follows, with regular batonnage.
From the winemaker: “Lovely deep colour. Still some brightness on the edge! A very harmonious mix of aromatics. Measured classic blackcurrant and leaf cabernet, with fine cedar French oak. Polished structure, with no jarring edges. Very good balance of weight and richness. Already complex, however will develop even more with time. Lengthy finishing in oak barriques provides this wine with astounding longevity of 25+ years on the shelf. Pair with similarly well aged red meats — roasted or slow cooked.”
94 points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion “Charlie Melton does Barossa cabernet well … real well. Not much in the way of edgy herbaceous notes here. It’s all about purity of fruit – blackberry, blackcurrant and black cherry at the core, with an array of spice, cedar, licorice, crème de cassis and earth. It’s 100% new oak for 20 months, and the fruit just sucks it up like a hungry labrador. The tannin has some grunt too, and there is a freshness that is bang on.”
RRP $75 Our Special Price $58.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine
