Description
BLACK Stump is an all-time customer favourite and the 2007, according to winemaker Alan Kennett, is the best one he's ever made. This award-winning wine comes from the Casella family winery in Yenda, just outside Griffith in Riverina. Now in their sixth generation of winemaking, they can boast an impressive medal-winning history - winner of 350 awards in just four years, plus the top trophy of them all - the Jimmy Watson - in 2004.

Like many cellars in Riverina, it was founded by an Italian family, Filippo and Maria Casella, who emigrated from Sicily in the 1950s, where their ancestors had been making wine for the previous 100 years. Their son, John, is now in charge and is responsible for the many outstanding, medal-winning wines of the cellar.

Black Stump is a unique wine, made from the rare Durif grape (Durif makes up less than 0.2% of plantings Down Under). In its home in southwest France it can be quite tough and rustic; in Australia's warm climate, it loses none of its power, and is chocker with big, black fruit with lots of spice and an edge of mocha earthiness. A slug of Shiraz gives a boost of ripe blackberry and liquorice-scented fruit and helps to make the wine even more succulent.

International Wine Challenge 2008, United Kingdom

Winchester Tasting 31/1/08 2008, United Kingdom

Session 4 at the Vintage Festival April 2008 2008, United Kingdom

The Black Stump Durif Shiraz 2007 is available in the following cases: