What began as a yearly diversion for label designer Aaron Woods and marketer Nicholas Crampton has grown into almost a full time obsession, with a range of wines from the Barossa and Eden Valley spanning five varieties and numerous styles. The ambition of Woods Crampton is to create unforced wines that showcase the quality of their fruit and tell the story of their vineyards. Minimal intervention winemaking follows to create elegant and expressive wines.

Made using Burgundian techniques and a “hands-off” philosophy. The fruit is hand-picked, given an overnight chill before a cold-soak for seven days at seven degrees. The fruit is primarily de-stemmed and allowed to reach ambient temperature before transferred to two-tonne fermenters with 25% whole bunches laid across the bottom.  A very slow, cool ferment with the cap held down and hand plunging twice daily. At two grams the ferment was pressed in a very old, very gentle pneumatic press to a settling tank to finish fermentation. The fruit was racked to medium and large format french oak, about 50% new, and topped every six weeks but not racked or stirred for 18 months. The wine was not fined, given a coarse filtration and a dash of sulphur before bottling. 

From the first class Fechner Vineyard, hand-picked, open-fermented with 25% whole bunches, hand-plunged, matured in medium and large French oak (50% new) for 18 months. The new oak is obvious on both the bouquet and palate; medium to full-bodied blackberry and anise fruit, the tannins plentiful but soft. Drink To: 2041; Price: $65.00; Alcohol: 14.5%; Rating: 96 Points & Special Value Star; James Halliday; Wine Companion

Rich, perfumed, chocolaty Shiraz with layers of concentrated mixed berry flavour, along with some spicy and creamy vanilla oak, though I hasten to add that it’s not a ‘blockbuster’, as such, tending towards the finer side of such things. Tannin is plush but makes a firm play, and the vanilla cream and berries are offset by some more savoury elements. Finish is free-flowing and impressive. In the immortal words of Young Mr Grace – "You’ve all done very well!" Tasted: Jun 18; Alcohol: 14.5%; Price: $65; Closure: Screwcap; Drink: 2019 - 2030+; Rated: 95 Points; Gary Walsh; The Wine Front