2024 Rusden Ripper Creek Shiraz Cabernet, Barossa Valley

Rusden's Ripper Creek is a Shiraz-Cabernet blend built in traditional Barossa style: open-fermented, basket-pressed and matured in seasoned oak. Expect blackberry, plum and mulberry fruit with cedar, licorice, milk chocolate and a savoury, earthy edge, carried on soft, rounded tannins. It's an unpretentious, generous drink, and a great reminder that despite this blend having roots in Southern France, it has become something of an Australian signature in its own right.

The soft fruit and gentle spice make this easy company with Australian country cooking: home-made wood-fired sausage rolls with bush tomato relish, or a chargrilled steaks dusted with native pepperberry.

About Rusden

A born and raised to Barossa vine grower, Christine Canute and her husband Dennis purchased what was to become the Rusden vineyard in 1979.

The 16-hectare site with vines to 1969 is located in Vine Vale in the heart of Barossa Valley, with vines rooted in white sand over clay subsoils.

All Rusden wines are made on-site using only estate grown fruit. Christine and Dennis’ son Christian is a Rockford-disciple and was handed the keys to the winery in 2016. His wife Amy leads the replanting of the property’s native bushland and works on reducing the overall environmental impact of the winery operations. Christian’s sister Hayley is also an integral part of the business, looking after all aspects of accounts, finance and daily operations.