Introducing our new 2019 Pinotage!
We're thrilled to announce our new Seasonal Release project, launching today with the inaugural spring release, a 2019 Pinotage.
Although a favourite in South Africa, Pinotage is rarely produced in Australia; our 2019 Pinotage is the only current release in the Clare Valley, and one of just a handful across the nation.
Headed by our young gun winemakers Jack Walker - son of co-founder Nick Walker - and Luke Broadbent, the Seasonal Release project focuses on interesting regional varieties and small-batch creations, with a new wine to be released every season - ensuring there’s always something new to share with family and friends.
“This project was born of our desire to create hand-crafted, small-batch wines to meet seasonal drinking conditions. We want to showcase emerging new varietals, regional selections, single vineyard wines and distinct winemaking techniques so that we can give our customers something new to get excited about,” said Jack Walker.
A medium-bodied red, this release also taps into the developing taste for lighter styles of red wine. Boasting notes of bright black and red fruits over anise spice, with chocolate notes and subtle French oak influence, this wine is just right for a spring evening relaxing with friends.
“Our 2019 Pinotage encapsulates what the Seasonal Release project is all about – it’s approachable and perfect to enjoy now, while also providing an introduction to a variety that many people are not familiar with,” says winemaker Luke Broadbent.
The fruit for this release was sourced from Neil and Heather Grace's Home Block, with Pinotage planted in 2015 after a trip to South Africa highlighted how well the variety was suited to the Clare Valley.
The vibrant label was crafted by the team at Frame Creative, who were also behind our brand identity refresh last year. The design was created to ensure it was still visually part our brand, but to add a new spin - for instance the introduction of the wrap design and play on the core label, with a fresh take on the strong horizontal line that has become identifiable as O'Leary Walker. As introducing lesser-known varieties to our customers was a cornerstone of the project, Jack and Luke also wanted to ensure that the variety of each vintage was, quite literally, front and centre. This has resulted in a bold yet approachable design which we believe perfectly matches the wine within.
Try out the 2019 Pinotage for yourself now.
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All images: Sam Pearce/Frame Creative