Elate Grange Cuvee 2012


In making Elate Bill wanted to produce a wine in the style of an Australian Grange. From our first experimental vintage in 2008 our Elate Grange Cuvée has been a fine homage to one of the world's most prestigious iconic wines. Primarily Shiraz driven with a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, Elate is a beautifully seductive, modern wine that combines some of the best qualities of great wines of Bordeaux and the Rhone.


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Max Schubert, the grandfather of Australia's Grange told us "We must not be afraid to put into effect the strength of our own convictions, continue to use our imagination in winemaking, and be prepared to experiment in order to gain something extra, different and unique in the world of wine."

Well grandfather, we put our convictions and imagination into Elate by following the original recipe of blending the best of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon in this Australian twist on a Rhône/Bordeaux Cuvée

We chose the name Elate which means to make someone ecstatically happy. One try of the wine and we think you will know why we chose the name. Bill describes the sensation of drinking this wine as similar to sitting in a big, old overstuffed sofa - comfortable and luxurious!

Elate shows a deep purple color inviting you to taste. A weighted and concentrated wine combining intense, ripe plum aromas with smoky oak. At first taste you notice the wine is already complex with smoky, coffee and plum-like fruit, integrated oak, fine tannins and promising length. This is a balanced and opulent wine showing long term potential.
Blessed with ideal weather 2012 was one of those idyllic growing seasons. The 2012 grape harvest yielded generous amounts of high quality fruit causing us and our fellow winemakers to use words such as *"excellent," "outstanding"* and *"ideal"* to describe the vintage. Located high on the Dry Creek Valley bench land the Vesenaz vineyard is planted on sandy soil filled with shale and serpentine rock which will not hold water. Irrigation immediately drains out in the same way as the hillside vineyards of the Rhône Valley, so here we planted the classic Rhône grape varieties Syrah/Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvèdre. Using largely mountain fruit from three of our vineyards
Color Red
Vintage 2012
Style Red Rhône
Appellation Dry Creek Valley
Varietal Rhône Blend
Date Bottled 18th Aug 2014
Drinkable 2015 - 2020
Alcohol 14.50%
Bottle Size 750ml