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Wineries
and Wines

Sevenhill

Location: Clare Valley

A rich blend that combines signature Clare Valley wines with a distinctive location renowned for its historic and spiritual qualities awaits you at Sevenhill Cellars.

Sevenhill's celebrated old stone winery and cellar door, stately St Aloysius' Church, the College building, spacious gardens and the surrounding vineyards provide visitors with a memorable experience of a welcoming and tranquil place.

Sevenhill was established in 1851 when the Jesuits who settled in the area planted vines to produce sacramental wine. From these modest beginnings, the Jesuits' focus on wine has remained, with Sevenhill adding to its sacramental wine production with an extensive range of table wines that are highly regarded throughout Australia and overseas.

Sevenhill's reputation reflects a commitment to the creation of distinctive wines that express the authentic styles and flavours of the Clare Valley. Integral to this philosophy are our modern winemaking skills and highly prized vineyards that provide high-quality, estate-grown fruit, some of which is sourced from vines among the oldest in the Clare Valley.

As the only remaining Jesuit-owned winery in Australia, residing Jesuits are actively involved in Sevenhill's ongoing development in partnership with lay staff who share the ethos of building the Jesuit Mission to support works of charity and compassion throughout Australia.

2008 Inigo Verdelho

The light-yellow colour exudes the vibrancy of this fresh, young wine. The nose expresses the aromas of spicy lime leaf and pronounced floral honeysuckle blossom. The palate is prominent, showing balanced weight, nice viscosity and strong crisp flavour, followed by a long and quite dry finish.

Vines

Verdelho is planted extensively throughout the world. The variety originated in Portugal where traditionally it has been used to make White Port, but more recently it has produced attractive table wines. The Clare Valley’s natural climate shares many similarities with those parts of Portugal where Verdelho prospers, areas such as Alento and Algarvewhere the variety is renowned for its strong regional character. Planted in 1985 from old-vine-sourced material, this classic clone develops distinctive individual character that is expressive of Sevenhill.

Vintage

Warm conditions during January were favourable to the development of Verdelho, a variety that can handle the heat. A vigorous grower, the vine canopy is carefully managed to prevent excessive shading and the warm weather helped to slow the vines’ vigour and push it into the ripening phase. As flavours developed during late February, the profile developed from grass and lime to the classic honeysuckle of Verdelho. Picked just before the blast of the March heat wave, the bright gold fruit displayed a lovely array of these qualities.

Winemaking

Winemaker Liz Heidenreich has a personal passion for a fresh style of Verdelho, cultivated during her regular sojourns in Portugal. Liz is drawn to making a much brighter and expressive style that has lightness in the palate that distinguishes it from older, heavier-style wines. The timing of picking is critical to achieving the right flavour profile and much time is spent in the vineyard tasting fruit. Gently pressed, the Verdelho undergoes a long, slow fermentation to retain fruit characters and it is bottled quickly to maintain its freshness. The wine develops a palate weight akin to Chardonnay over 12 months.

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