| | | | | Click the map for an enlargement | The Buttery family's 330-acre Gemtree vineyard typifies what wine making should be. The vineyard is deeply personal, with a real commitment to the environment and producing only very high quality wines. Two generations of Butterys are dedicated to Gemtree. The founders and mentors are Paul and Jill Buttery (Jill's parents were also viticulturists), their daughter Melissa is the award-winning viticulturist on the estate, and her husband Mike Brown is the vineyard's world-class and well travelled wine maker. Paul and Jill's son Andrew is a business degree graduate and the vineyard's General Manager, and his wife Helen, who has a wealth of marketing experience is in charge of Gemtree's marketing. Five years ago the family committed to the largest single re-vegetation and environmental enhancement programme ever undertaken by a grape grower in the region. To date they have planted more than 20,000 native trees and shrubs. Gemtree are now moving onto the next three-year phase in which they are building a wetland for native water birds, with park areas for local residents and tourists Foremost for the family is ensuring that Gemtree wines represent the best of Mc Laren Vale and Australian wines. Of the roughly 1500 tonnes of fruit the vineyard produces yearly, less than 135 tonnes are kept for Gemtree's own production. The largest portion of this Gemtree reserved fruit becomes the vineyard's Uncut Shiraz, which is the wine we consider represents the best of Gemtree. Mike Brown (the wine maker) has taken his experience with D'Arenberg's Dead Arm Shiraz to create this unique uncut Shiraz, which comes from Gemtree's 40-year-old vines. These vines are subject to little intervention, with minimum pruning. The best fruit is then selected and hand picked, before going on to open fermentation, with gentle pressing and minimal fining and filtration. The result is a wine of unusual depth and consistency. Indeed, James Halliday, the pre-eminent Australian wine expert, scored Gemtree's 2001 Uncut Shiraz at 95 points and categorised it "as close to perfection as the real world will allow". Both he and we consider that 2002 was a better vintage in Mc Laren Vale and we expect Mr Halliday's rating of Gemtree's 2002 Uncut Shiraz will equal or exceed his rating of the 2001 vintage. Less than 500 cases of this exceptional Shiraz will be available in the UK and will be offered at Gemtree's Australian cellar door price of A$30.00 which is just over £12.75. In 2001 Gemtree also released a premium uncut Shiraz called Paragon, and we are pleased to make a tiny amount of this remarkable wine available at Gemtree's cellar price of A$50.00, which is roughly £21.50. | 
