MAJELLA Coonawarra, South Australia

"The Lynn family have been residents of the Penola - Coonawarra district for over four generations, starting out as Store-Keepers and then graduating into grazing. The property on which Majella now stands was originally owned by Frank Lynn, and bought by his nephew, George, in 1960. George and Pat Lynn kept Merino's for wool production on their farm about ten miles away, and had always wanted some good Coonawarra country for their up-and-coming prime lamb enterprise. Viticulture, however, was not on their agenda until 1968. We'd always made a bit of wine up from our own grapes, and knew that the quality was very good. After prompting from many of our peers we finally bit the bullet and in 1991 made up 600 cases or so of Shiraz. We continued with the Shiraz in 1992 and 1993 and then in 1994 we released our first Cabernet as well. Tony always wanted Sparkling Red so the now famous Majella Sparkling Shiraz was born. We only make this in small quantities so it sells out very quickly. Winemaker Bruce was taken with the idea of creating a super premium blend. We'd resisted this for a while but in 1996 we let him have his head. The wine was named "Malleea", an aboriginal word meaning "green paddock", and was released in June 1998. The critics have so far acclaimed "The Malleea" by Majella as one of Australia's great red wines."

2003 Majella Cabernet

$24.99
  • James Halliday
  • Winemaker's Notes
  • Technical Notes
"94 pts ... Spotlessly clean; a fine, long, supple palate driven by fresh, cassis-accented fruit; fine, ripe tannins. Drink to 2015." -- 08/05
""
""


14% alc.

2005 Majella Sparkling Shiraz

$29.99
  • James Halliday
  • Other Southern Hemisphere Remarks
  • Winemaker's Notes
"89 pts ... Full-bodied, complex and rich; ripe fruit, and definitely needs food. Drink through 2009." --09/07
"'Spicy licorice and intensely powerful Shiraz. Rich and leathery. A beauty.' Ray Jordan – The West Australian. 'Great with bacon and eggs'"
"Sparkling red wines are a great Australian tradition, and along with other wineries Majella has kept the tradition alive with our very popular sparkling Shiraz. Our Shiraz is bottled fermented on “lees” for just on 48 months. The wine is then disgorged and a small amount of “liqueur” ( sweetener ) is added. In the true Aussie tradition we use some really fantastic vintage port. It’s a great wine for any occasion, and goes well with most food styles. Drink through 2015."


14.5% alc.