2020 Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard Reserve
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The Crayères Vineyard Reserve is made every year using the best parcels of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz from our estate vineyard.
The Crayères Vineyard Reserve is the classic Australian blend, a Cabernet and Shiraz assemblage, following the long-established tradition of Cabernet Shiraz fine Australian wines. It is made every year using the best parcels of Cabernet and Shiraz from our estate vineyard. The low yields of the 2020 vintage did not allow us to allocate Cabernet Franc to the blend. The very mild vintage conditions provided the perfect slow ripening framework for Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz in Wrattonbully. It is an eminently Australian wine style, with black and red fruit and floral aromas, velvety tannins and superbly balanced palate texture.
This vineyard has been baptised the Crayères Vineyard, after the chalk cellars that are found throughout Xavier’s region of birth in Champagne, France. Similar natural structures are found underneath this very special vineyard, and they are now the subject of a research project led by a team from the University of Adelaide as they are full of undisturbed ancient fossilised remains.
The Crayères vineyard is located next to Tapanappa’s Whalebone Vineyard, at the top of a north-south limestone ridge in Wrattonbully, one of Australia’s most exciting regions. The Terra Rossa top-soil is characteristic of the area. This part of the vineyard was planted on rootstocks in 2008, using cuttings from the neighbouring Whalebone Vineyard and French clones, and at a relatively high density for the area (4,444 vines per hectare, similar to the density of vineyards in Saint Emilion). The fruiting wire is only 50cm above ground, which is why the local vignerons call the vines the “low vines”.
Read more about the Crayères Vineyard.
- “Very young but very good” 94 Points – SA Wine Guide 2025 | The Vintage Journal
- “Has power and presence, not to mention a mighty moreish drinkability” 95 points – Jeni Port | Wine Pilot
- “Silky and fine, a little leafy through the finish” 95 points – Erin Larkin | Wine Advocate
- “Silky tannins, very good intensity and serious length.” 96 Points – Ken Gargett | Wine Pilot
- “This will wow many dinner guests.” 95 Points GOLD – Shanteh Wale | Halliday Wine Companion
- “Long, detailed and serious.” 95 points – Regan Drew | VinoNoteBook
- “Palate is long and balanced” – Lester Jesberg | Winewise
- “A benchmark example for great Australian red blends” – Marc Malouf | Wine Worth Writing About
- “Tense, tight with quality dripping from every pore.” 97/100 – Steve Leszczynski | Q Wine Reviews
- “Very good and built for the long haul” 94 Points – Angus Hughson | Wine Pilot
