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There has always been a strong tradition in Australia in producing aged fortified wines. Rutherglen is in the north east of the state of Victoria and has been famous for its wine. This Muscat (which we call Black Muscat in California ) is a true fortified wine, 100% Black Muscat Grape and completed in the Solero aging method over a nineteen year period. The resultant wine holds 19% alcohol which is hidden by the ripe berry flavors of the wine. This wine is rich in sweet raspberry, blackberry and a touch of raisin. When thinking about pairing this wine with food be careful not to think it goes with all sweet desserts. It has such delicate flavors that it is best on its own or with some dried fruit and nuts and maybe some hard cheese.

This wine is the fifth vintage that Mike Brown has produced Shiraz from the old Kabininge Vineyards in the heart of the famous Barossa Valley in South Australia . The fruit comes from 45 year old vines and after fermentation was aged in a mixture of French and American oak. The wine shows off bright berry flavors with subtle spices and cassis overtones. It is full bodied like most Barossa Shiraz and has such complexity and structure that it will be good to drink for at least another 8 years.

The Bien Nacido Vineyards in the Santa Maria Valley are perhaps one of the most famous Chardonnay producing vines in California . Mike Brown has hand selected six of the best barrels from the 2003 vintage and carefully aged the wine. The wine was fermented and aged in French oak barrels and left on the lees for around 16 months. The wine then underwent partial malolactic fermentation then aged for a further four months before being racked off unfiltered and bottled

The 2003 vintage has been earmarked as a great vintage and this wine will age well over the next eight years and should reach its peak and settle off around 2008.Having said that it tastes so good at present you should not tuck it away.

The tradition continues. As with Mike Brown 's previous vintages, this newly released dessert wine is produced from Orange Muscat grapes sourced from the very warm growing regions of Madera County . The wine was fortified during fermentation for a resultant 15% alcohol and 8% residual sugar. The wine has nicely balanced flavors of citrus, apricot with a touch of orange blossom and honey on the nose. Serve this wine chilled and try to pair it with a non fruit style dessert such as crème brulee or a warm chocolate brownie with vanilla bean ice cream.

Only 198 cases of this wine were produced. It exhibits subtle violet and blueberry fragrances with a complex and soft mouth feel. This is a perfect food pairing wine with complex flavors and a smooth chocolate finish.

The fruit for this wine was sourced from one of the oldest vineyards in the Santa Ynez Valley. Winemaker Mike Brown has created a new world style Sauvignon Blanc by use of Stainless steel fermentation with no oak barrel aging. The wine is made in a style that truly reflects the bright nature of this varietal. The resultant wine is crisp, light and flavorful with classic floral, gooseberry and grapefruit overtones. Its firm acidity makes it perfect to pair with grilled fish, spicy seafood dishes and summer salads.

He's done it again. Mike has produced another superb port in the traditional Australian Style but with 100% Syrah from Santa Ynez Valley. The wine is fully fortified during fermentation and then aged for two years in both American and French Oak. We had the opportunity of calling this wine either a Vintage Port or a Ruby Port but to avoid any confusion we went with the varietal name. The wine is rich in dark berry and stone fruit flavors with a touch of fig and raisin on the finish. It is medium bodied and perfect to pair with hard cheese, dried fruits and even chocolate. This port will keep very well for up to 20 years if stored properly (320 cases produced).

This is the third in line of Mike Brown 's Portuguese varietals produced right there in Santa Ynez Valley. Sourced from vineyards in Los Olivos this is classic example of southern European style wine. Tinta Cao (pronounced sayo ), which translates as ‘red dog', is one of the varietals typically used for Port production. The table wine version is both flavorful and complex. It is light in color with a soft berry nose and mild spice. It has a nice solid finish and its light body makes it a great food compatible wine. Given the mild yet fruity flavors of this wine we suggest you save some bottle to have with your Thanksgiving turkey dinner. It is a perfect match

This Chardonnay has been made in a new world style with no oak influence at all. The fruit was sourced from he White Hawk Vineyards in Los Alamos and then fermented in stainless steel.

Winemaker Mike Brown has always loved making sparkling wine and on his last trip to Australia he was fortunate enough to have the opportunity. The Sparkling Brut Rose is made from a blend of Chardonnay from the cooler Macedon Ranges in Victoria and some Pinot Noir from the cool Tasmanian growing regions. This wine has been made in the Blanc de noir style but a dash of red wine liqueur is added at disgorging, thus giving the wine its delicate rose characteristic. Crafted from a traditional blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier this wine is bottle fermented and matured for a minimum of 18 months according to traditional “Methode Champenoise” practices. This sparkling wine shows off abundant fruit, dazzling color and refined mouth filling flavor. It is best served chilled and a perfect pairing with sushi, sashimi or creamy pasta (440 cases produced).

In what can only be described as an aggressive and adventurous approach to winemaking and blending this wine offers the best of both worlds. A blend of Australian and Californian wine together. One can use such elaborate words as “trans-pacific”, “dual hemispheric” and ‘bi-equatorial” to describe the blend but we like to just say it is intelligent winemaking.

The Syrah was grown on La Presa vineyards in Santa Ynez and was late picked deliberately to make sure the grapes had maximum ripeness and sugars.

The Riesling grapes were taken from the vineyards if Vina Santa Ynez.