Handpicked Capella Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018
Mornington Peninsula, Australia
The Mornington Peninsula is famous for its Pinot Noir wines and this is a fine example of a great vintage: deep colour, spicy berry aromas, a silky-smooth palate and fine tannin to finish.
Elegant & Refined
Food Pairing: Peking Duck, Roasted Quail, Mushroom Risotto
"A boldly spicy pinot that has ripe red cherries and a layer of charcuterie, as well as sappy, first-wood aromas. The palate has boldly spicy, red and dark-berry flavors with assertive tannin grain. Drink or hold. Screw cap." - 92 points, James Suckling
Handpicked Capella Vineyard Chardonnay 2016
Mornington Peninsula, Australia
This wine has wonderful complexity on the nose with aromas of flowers, ripe melon and guava and generous barrel ferment character. It is a full-bodied Chardonnay with citrus fruits on the palate, some lanolin and well-integrated oak.
Whole bunch pressing, barrel fermentation and regular lees stirring over 11 months in French oak add to the complexity of this full-bodied Chardonnay
Food Pairing: Shellfish and Seafood, Creamy Vegetarian Pasta, Soft Cheese
"This is an impressive contemporary expression of domestic chardonnay: a conflation of Chablis-like flint and toasted hazelnut, curd and stone fruits flowing effortlessly and long across a thread of juicy acidity and mineral tension. Burgundian. All augurs for a long future. A stamp of authority for this producer." - James Halliday
Awards: 96 points, James Halliday Wine Companion 2018
Yangarra Old Vine Grenache (MLV) 2021
These gnarly strugglers were planted in 1946 in a deep sandy dune we call The Beach, overlying the North Maslin Sands geological formation. The Old Vine Grenache is a complex, perfumed and elegant wine with a trademark tannin structure.
Sourced exclusively from the 17 hectares of un-irrigated bush vines planted in 1946. Hand-picked, selectively sorted in the winery. 50% whole berries retained. Wild yeast. A very gentle pump over regime during fermentation, often just wetting the cap. Time on skins during maceration varies, the majority is approximately 21 days, with a few extended to 140 days. No pressings used. The wine was matured in a mixture of older French oak puncheons and foudre, ceramic eggs and amphora. Certified Organic/Biodynamic.
VARIETY: 100% Grenache Noir
Gralyn Estate Reserve Chardonnay 2018
A single vineyard wine showing great depth of flavour and finesse. Bright straw-green in colour, with complex aromas of peach, nectarine and citrus. Wild yeast fermentation and maturation in French oak barriques has produced a finely textured palate with a refreshing minerality.
Matured in French oak barriques for 12 months.
“Super-pungent in style, with an alluring perfume augmented by gunflint, coriander and bay leaf, couched in explosive citrus, guava and glossy exotic fruit. Silky and fine, with a salty texture.” - Gold Medal, 95 points. Decanter World Wine Awards, 2021
"This has that striking, Margaret River nose of intense lemon with nectarine and yellow peach. Really mouthwatering fruit aromas here. The palate delivers a very vibrant, rich and tangy fusion of citrus and peach flavors and gentle oak handling. Good balance, too. Drink or hold. Screw cap." - 94 points, James Suckling
First Drop Cold Sweat Eden Valley Syrah – Moculta (Single Vineyard) 2014
Eden Valley is the perfect backdrop for us to further push our vinous boundaries. At a higher elevation than the Barossa Valley below, we embrace the funk to make even more diverse expressions of Syrah that speak of their unique sites. It’s all about the one. Give the drummer some! With this Eden Valley project we are looking for the ultimate expressions of three cooler climate sites and working hard to find them, utilising all our experience. Syrah from a single vineyard in Moculta.
Colour: Garnet red with purple hues
Nose: A complex nose of dark cherry, savoury and spice aromas
Palate: A brooding palate of grainy tannins support complex dark cherry, earthy and savoury flavours.
"A more conventional syrah, but that doesn’t make it any less attractive as it’s impressively well made. Fresh blackberry compote, fresh herbs, dark licorice, hot stones and cassis. Full-bodied with a lovely line of acidity that runs all the way through the layers of black fruit and right up to the chewy finish. Drink in 2022." - 95 points, James Suckling
Starward Coffee Old Fashioned Cocktail
Coffee Old Fashioned is our take on a classic cocktail recipe, with a typically Melburnian caffeinated kick. We start with our award-winning whisky, aged in Melbourne’s variable weather in red wine barrels from world-class local wineries. Together with Mr Black’s delicious cold brew coffee liqueur and our distillery made orange bitters, we intended our rich, fruity whisky to shine in a cocktail. Taste this, and we rest our case.
Pour over ice with a twist of orange peel to garnish. Best served with chocolatey dessert or tiramisu. One word of warning though. Bring this to a party, and it might just steal the limelight.
Nose: Intense coffee, vanilla with a hint of orange peel.
Palate: Coffee forward followed by dark chocolate and cacao.
Finish: Textural and rounding. Vanilla and light roasted coffee bean.
First Drop Cold Sweat Eden Valley Syrah – Craneford (Single Vineyard) 2014
Eden Valley is the perfect backdrop for us to further push our vinous boundaries. At a higher elevation than the Barossa Valley below, we embrace the funk to make even more diverse expressions of Syrah that speak of their unique sites. It’s all about the one. Give the drummer some! With this Eden Valley project we are looking for the ultimate expressions of three cooler climate sites and working hard to find them, utilising all our experience. Syrah from a single vineyard in Craneford.
Colour: Garnet red with purple hues
Nose: Complex nose of dark cherry, tomato leaf, celery and pepper spice.
Palate: A textured palate of fine graphite tannins support complex dark cherry, savoury and Bloody Mary flavours.
Handpicked Collection Chardonnay 2016
Mornington Peninsula, Australia
Opening with stone fruit and floral aromas with bright citrus notes, this wine has layers of fruit flavour and creamy complexity derived from 11 months aging on lees in barrel.
Vintage 2016 was marked by warm and dry conditions and the Mornington Peninsula harvest was one of the earliest on record. It arrived in a hurry too and many vignerons were being picked in early February. The resulting wines have excellent flavour and weight and tend to be earlier drinking styles.
Starward Muscat Cask
Starward Muscat | Single Malt Australian Whisky
Fully Matured in Muscat Barrels; combination of fresh and charred barrels In a Starward first, this single malt whisky was fully matured for 4 years in Muscat barrels from Rutherglen, Victoria. Australia produces some of the finest Muscat fortified wine, and we are lucky to have access to these barrels within a day's drive of our distillery.
Our distillers used two parcels of locally sourced casks, wet filled and charred. The whisky absorbed the brightly perfumed aroma from the wet filled casks while the charred casks provided caramelized Muscat undertones and a toasty oak profile.
Our team are no strangers to experimenting with fortified wine. Our very first whisky, Solera, is fully matured in Apera barrels while our previous Dolce and Tawny releases show further variation in our fortified wine barrel maturation.
This latest Projects release is a nod to the iconic Muscat grape, balancing the deliciously sweet, sticky characters with soft oak spice from the barrels. Featuring notes of toasted almond, raisins, and cinnamon, it's delicisous sipped neat and fits perfectly around the dinner table.
Nose: Toasted almonds and raisins, topped with sweet and juicy lychees.
Palate: Imagine a plate of hot sticky cinnamon spice buns, straight out of the oven. Smooth and delicate, with hints of toasted oak and liquorice.