Highbank Coonawarra Merlot ‘Basket Pressed’ Single Vineyard 2015

Owners Dennis and Bonnie Vice believe, as custodians of the land, that it is their responsibility to farm it carefully, harvesting the fruit gently and nurturing the wines, with as little intervention as possible through a very natural wine making process.

Highbank’s vines are grown without the use of chemical herbicides or insecticides or fertilisers, and have been farmed according to biodynamic principles for more than 25 years.

The family vineyards are located only on the highest banks of terra rossa soil, overlaying the cigar shaped limestone ridge of the renowned Coonawarra wine region.

WINFRONT: Mike Bennie – Rated: +96 Points
“Highbank are one of my favourite South Australian wine producers that I seem to always forget about. The wines are stoically traditionally, grown and raised biodynamically-organically and deliver a near peerless Coonawarra expression. These are natural wines that defy the naysayers of the category. This is as good a merlot as I’ve seen in recent years. Seamless, svelte, incredibly succulent and appetising tannins (those tannins!),
dark plum and berry fruit but all of that understated, rasps of ferrous earthiness and graphite minerality, faint ‘Aussie bush character’ – there’s so much going on but it’s seamless, finessed and just shy of medium weight across the palate. Every sip I wanted another. Big call. It’s merlot, and old school-good school, and outdoing that region with an X at the end of it. This is the one. Must drink.”