Producer · South Australia, Australia

Charles Melton

Charlie Melton was one of the first to see the worth of the Barossa's old Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro vines. While others pulled up Shiraz, he and a few fellow winemakers persuaded farmers to keep their old vineyards.

He has made Barossa reds since 1984, and his daughter Sophie now works alongside him in the winery. The estate grapes are dry-grown without chemicals in Tanunda and Lyndoch, on 20 hectares. The oldest of them date from 1947. Long-standing growers add fruit from vines 70 to 100 years old, with one block dating back to the 1880s.

The wines started out in a Rhône style but now stand on their own. Mostly French oak, with some American, gives them a supple texture, balance and freshness. There is a bright, full rosé too, named after Charlie's wife.

£28.49 a bottle