Established in 1838 in the acclaimed McLaren Vale of South Australia, Chateau Reynella is the state’s oldest operating winery. John Reynell, in the earliest years of South Australia’s colonization, planted some of the first vines in the colony and ten years later became the first to export South Australian red wine.

In 1982 Thomas Hardy & Sons acquired the Reynella property and began a multi-million dollar undertaking to upgrade and restore the winery. In keeping with John Reynell’s spirit, the wine makers made a decision to utilize the old basket presses and wax lined, open concrete fermenting tanks for the red wines and to maintain a traditional, elegant style for the whites. The results have been fine wines that receive critical acclaim, including the 1998 Chateau Reynella Shiraz, which was named the one of the “Top 25 Wines in the World” by Wine Spectator (12/31/01).

"The big, thick, rustic 1998 Shiraz Basket Press exhibits a dense purple color along with scents of smoke, earth, blackberries, asphalt, and pepper. Layered and chewy, with rustic tannin as well as American oak in the background, it should drink well for 10-12 years."

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #135 Jun 2001