Coonawarra is known as a superb region in which to craft medium-bodied red wines.
So what do you do if you have a small vineyard planted with traditional red grape varieties that is producing outstanding fruit - albeit in small quantities.
If you are Sam Brand - a member of one of the region's standout wine families - you create a new premium brand to showcase the quality of your grapes.
You call the brand Nightfall, and commission some outstanding artwork so your labels stand out from the crowd.
"Nightfall wines are the epitome of luxury, style and exclusivity," says fourth-generation winemaker Brand. "They are crafted from a pristine single vineyard, in the heart of Australia’s most premium wine region, Coonawarra.
"This is an extremely limited series of wines, all sourced from a single site with a definite sense of origin, a true representation of the soil, the environment and the stars."
The concept for Nightfall was born after a dinner with customers when Brand walked outside to find his clients all looking up, mesmerised by the beauty of the night sky above Coonawarra.
They likened the stars to diamonds in the sky - and a brand - and a label idea - was born.
The 10-acre vineyard planted was planted in 1984 with cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot, all of which traditionally shine in Coonawarra.
The soil is terra rossa over limestone - perfect for premium reds.
The latest releases are from the 2019 vintage - and all are bold, complex wines, full of individual personalities, that would benefit from medium to long term favourites.
Three are available in the Noble Beasts Three Pack: The Lion Cabernet Sauvignon, Aquila Cabernet Franc and Lupus Merlot.
Brand says: "Each of these wines represents a noble animal, a lion, eagle and wolf, released only when the single varietal from each vineyard shines like the diamond skies."
The intense but varietal cabernet franc is outstanding, with the powerful merlot one of the best examples in Australia.
The range also includes the Nightfall ‘ The Balance’ Dry Red (Cabernets) 2019 and the very serious Nightfall ‘Draco’ 2019 (red blend).
These wines need to be seen with food to be at their best.
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