| Region of production: | Fleurieu Zone |
| Winery Location: | McLaren Vale |
| Year Established: | 1990 |
Vineyard Holdings
63 ha
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Astralis Syrah: Inaugural vintage 1994.
- Hickinbotham Syrah
- Piggot Range Syrah
Average Total Production
- 180,000 bottles
Summary
Clarendon Hills was established by owner and winemaker Roman Bratasiuk in 1990. In recent years, Roman’s sons Alex and Adam have gradually taken on responsibility for the winery, while Roman stays on as winemaker teaching and assisting Alex. The Bratasiuks both own and purchase fruit from old vine pre-phylloxera vineyards and hand-pick their vineyards. The estate’s primary focus is Shiraz, Grenache, and Cabernet Sauvignon, producing exclusively single vineyard, single varietal red wines. Their flagship “Astralis” Syrah is one of Australia’s cult wines, and has been rated “exceptional” in various installments of Langton’s “Classification of Australian Wine.”
Style & Vinification Techniques
Individual vineyards are fermented in open top stainless steel fermenters by indigenous yeasts, with an average of 18 month maturation period in new and used oak, depending on the particular wine.
Producer Website: Clarendon Hills