Clarendon Hills

Biochemist and self-taught winemaker Roman Bratasiuk founded Clarendon Hills in 1990, at first buying fruit from growers in the hills around the town of Clarendon, close to Adelaide. He picked the fruit for his first wine, Clarendon Hills Shiraz, by hand, and crushed it with an old Burgundy bottle in a bucket. Back then, he was working full-time for the Australian government and only left to focus exclusively on winemaking in 1994. That same year, he rebranded the Clarendon Hills Shiraz – made with a four-hectare old-vine plot – as Astralis (which means “pertaining to the stars”), a tribute to its out-of-this-world quality. It was the first Australian wine to be priced at $100 a bottle, and has become the flagship for this estate.

Clarendon was settled by European immigrants in the late 19th century, who planted (pre-phylloxera) vine cuttings they’d brought with them. Bratasiuk had chosen the area because of this history, and the wealth of old vines that remained. Inspired by the wines of France, he chose to focus on single-variety, single-vineyard bottlings – then very unusual for the region. He has been at the vanguard of Australian wine ever since, crafting single-site wines and the country’s first pure Grenache from a single site (with his 1991 Blewitt Springs Grenache). Bratasiuk discovered the Astralis vineyard almost by accident, as it was not far from the old Elysium winery that he purchased when he started the project in 1990, in the Blewitt Springs sub-district. Once trellised, now the old vines (planted in 1920) grow as bush vines and are dry-farmed. The fruit is fermented in stainless-steel open-top fermenters, spending 14-16 days on skins post-ferment, before it is pressed off and matured in 100% new French barrels for 18 months. The result is an astounding expression of Australian Shiraz that is rightfully revered – concentrated, pure, with refined tannins that display an almost nervous energy. It’s no surprise it has received impressive critical acclaim, with two perfect scores from the Wine Advocate and one of just 22 wines that earn ”Exceptional” status in Langton’s Classification.

It was arguably when Robert Parker named Clarendon Hills his producer of the year in 1996 that the brand truly rocketed to fame – and hasn’t looked back. Beyond the limelight-stealing Astralis, the estate’s other single-vineyard expressions – Sandown, Romas, Liandra and Onkaparinga – are equally outstanding and fantastically priced given the pedigree. The wines are all fermented with indigenous yeast and see no fining or filtration, both elements that Bratasiuk feels is key to quality.

While most of the wines are made with fruit from long-term growers, in 2003, the property launched Domaine Clarendon – making wine from estate-owned vineyards, which are some of the highest-altitude in the McLaren Vale.

Today Bratasiuk’s sons, Alex and Adam are both also involved in the project, set to continue their father’s legacy.