In 2012, d’Arenberg celebrated 100 years of family ownership. Established in 1912 by Joseph Osborn, the d’Arenberg story began with the purchase of a picturesque property atop one of the rolling hills of McLaren Vale. d’Arenberg now exports to over sixty countries and is one of Australia’s most revered wineries, with two wines in the Langton’s Classification of Australia Wine and a top rating in the Australian Wine Companion. Leading the celebrations in 2012 is the current Managing Director, 84 year old d’Arry Osborn OAM.

A lodestar is something on which your attention is fixed, and the piceous, pitch black nature of this wine is certain to keep your focus until the bottle is finished.

The vines were 42 years old when the grapes for this wine were picked on Mar 19, the trellis an unromantic double cordon sprawl; more to the point was the District 7 Blanch Point Formation geology of 35 million-year-old fossil limestone. There was nothing remarkable about the vinification nor the 20 months in used French and American oak spanning '98 to '09, but the wine is exceptional, overflowing with black fruits and a lick of dark chocolate in a richly textured palate ticking all the boxes for line, length and balance. Drink to: 2036; Date Tasted: Apr 2013; Alcohol: 14.5%; Rating: 96 Points; James Halliday Wine Companion