Wrattonbully

South Australia, Australia 

Sue Bell was voted Australian Society of Viticulture & Oenology Winemaker of the Year in 2014, and her tiny winery in an 1860s shearing shed outside Coonawarra is the source of a range of such exciting wines.

Sue's Ant Series range showcases alternative varieties and unsung regions. This Tempranillo is sourced from a 20-year-old vineyard in nearby Wrattonbully, farmed by old friend Peter Bird. It's a glorious spot underneath gum trees and planted on the region's famous terra rossa limestone soils (like Coonawarra), underneath which you have a magnificent prehistoric cave system.

Texture and complexity are what Sue is after here and in this relatively cool, Limestone Coast climate, with its limestone soils, the Tempranillo achieves softness and layers and acidity redolent of its most famous home: Rioja. This is treated gently and naturally, allowing for pure, juicy fruit flavours, judicious oaking and soaring aromatics. One of the best Tempranillos in Australia.