Behind every wine is a story - and this one starts 175 years ago when Governor Macquarie detailed a group of explorers to establish an overland route to the Hunter Valley. One wild, windy night as the intrepid travelers were crossing Wollombi Brook, misfortune struck. Cockfighter, the lead horse, became bogged in river quicksand and despite all efforts, drowned. A fateful night that gave birth to the legend of Cockfighter’s Ghost....
Much later, businessman David Clarke decided to expand his Hunter Valley vineyard holdings, and in 1994 acquired a 13 hectare property on the banks of the Wollombi Brook near Broke, which he named after the phantom steed.
The Cockfighter's Ghost range is produced by Poole's Rock Wines. Our philosophy for Cockfighter's Ghost is to produce single varietal wines from Australia’s finest wine regions, including of course, the Hunter. The original 8 hectare vineyard is planted to chardonnay and semillon, and a small block of old vine shiraz dating back fifty years. These estate vines are the foundation of the range which currently includes six wines - Chardonnay, Unwooded Chardonnay, Semillon, Verdelho, Shiraz and a Western Australian Pinot Noir. Annual production is 15,000 cases.
Proprietor David Clarke intends that Cockfighter’s Ghost wines become benchmarks of their time. “Unlike Poole’s Rock, we chose to renovate an existing caliber vineyard. We have built a new dam, installed extensive irrigation and re-trellised the entire estate, a substantial investment that already is reflected in the quality of the initial vintages.”
Each Hunter wine is produced from prime quality grapes grown in the well drained sandy loam soils of the estate, and select vineyard sites managed by specialist individual growers. And each is made by a noted winemaker chosen by David Clarke for their specialist skills and reputation for creating definitive varietal styles. It is this unstinting commitment to varietal excellence that underpins the ongoing success of Cockfighter’s Ghost..
The existing range will soon be extended to include three premium red varietals and one white from premium South Australia appellations – a McLaren Vale Shiraz, Langhorne Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, McLaren Vale Merlot and Clare Valley Riesling.
In 2000, a Premium Reserve Cockfighter's Ghost label was released featuring a medal-winning Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from the famed terra rossa soils of Coonawarra. A Limestone Coast Merlot and bottle-aged Hunter Shiraz will also be released under this Premium Reserve label.
If one chooses to experience the true spirit of Cockfighter’s Ghost, there is another option. A relaxing getaway at the delightfully renovated, rambling 1930’s Cockfighter’s Ghost cottage, which is available for weekend and holiday rental.
Visit the
Cockfighter's Ghost website.
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Red Wine
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White Wine
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Sparkling Wine & Champagne
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Kosher
Wine which is produced and bottled under strict supervision and meets all standards to be certified Kosher.
Organic
Wine which is produced using organic practices and is free of all synthetic chemicals, antibiotics, hormones and pesticides.
Biodynamic
Biodynamic designation is regulated by Demeter, an international certification organization. Biodynamic agriculture is based on the view of a farm as a self-contained organism. Certified organic vineyards must meet Demeter"s additional criteria for a period of one year before earning the designation "biodynamic."
Sustainably Grown
Sustainable practices incorporate organic standards and may exceed them and include ecologically and socially sound business practices such as fair pay for farm workers and energy conservation.
Screw Cap
Wines sealed with a screw cap as opposed to a cork, which experts report protects and preserves wine more effectively than does a cork, while also eliminating the possibility of cork taint.
No Sulfites
All wines naturally contain some sulfites, however wines that contain less than 10 parts per million sulfites are not required to include "Contains Sulfites" on their labels.
Futures
Wines that are still in the barrel and have yet to be bottled. Futures offer the opportunity to invest in a wine before it arrives in our store.
Pre-arrivals
Like futures, pre-arrivals are wines that have not yet arrived on our shelves, however they may or may not be a new release. Pre-arrivals may already be bottled and en route to our store.
Wine Advocate
The Wine Advocate is a bimonthly wine publication featuring the consumer advice of wine critic Robert M. Parker, Jr. Initially titled The Baltimore-Washington Wine Advocate the first issue was published in 1978. Accepting no advertising, the newsletter publishes in excess of 7,500 reviews per year, utilizing Parker's rating system that employs a 50-100 point quality scale.
Wine Spectator
Wine Spectator is a lifestyle magazine that focuses on wine and wine culture. It publishes 15 issues per year with content that includes news, articles, profiles, and general entertainment pieces. Each issue also includes from 400 to more than 1,000 wine reviews, which consist of wine ratings and tasting notes.
International Wine Cellar
Since 1997, the 100% subscriber-supported IWC has also been available in French and Japanese editions.
Wine Enthusiast
Wine Enthusiast Magazine is a lifestyle magazine covering wine, food, spirits, travel and entertaining topics. It was founded in 1988 by Adam and Sybil Strum and reaches 686,000 readers. Its wine ratings, conducted by reviewers in major wine-producing areas of the world, are considered an influential gauge for consumers and professionals in the wine industry.
Wine & Spirits
Wine and Spirits is America's practical guide to the straightforward, enlightened enjoyment of fine wine and and premium spirits. We have for 18 years served customers and marketers alike with a lively mix of wine reviews, features, profiles, food and wine pairings, new product introductions, travel pieces, history, opinion and wine business news.
Burghound
Burghound.com was the first of its kind to offer specialized, and more importantly, exhaustive coverage of a specific wine region. The first Issue was released in January of 2001 and there are now subscribers in more than 50 countries and nearly all 50 states. Allen Meadows spends over four months a year in Burgundy and visits more than 300 domaines during that time.
James Halliday
James is one of the world’s leading authorities on Australian wine, matching intelligent, honest reviews with unparalleled knowledge of, and passion for, the wine industry.
Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine
For thirty-five years, Connoisseurs’ Guide has been the authoritative voice of the California wine consumer. With readers in all fifty states and twenty foreign countries, the Guide is valued by wine lovers everywhere for its honesty and for it strong adherence to the principles of transparency, unbiased, hard-hitting opinions.
James Suckling
I rate wines using the 100-points scale. I have used this point system for close to 25 years. I still believe it is the simplest way to rate a wine, with its origins from grade school in the United States. A wine that I rate 90 points or more is outstanding (A), and worth buying. If I rate a wine 95 points or more (A+), it is a must buy.
View from the Cellar
View From the Cellar, an electronic wine newsletter published bi-monthly by John Gilman.
Wine Journal
Homepage for wine writer, Neal Martin's, "Diary of a Wine Writer".
Malt Advocate
Malt Advocate magazine is America's leading whisky magazine. It's the number one source for whisky information, education and entertainment for whisky enthusiasts.
The Rhone Report
Dedicated to the wines and grapes of the Rhone Valley
Wine Review Online
Wine Review Online was originally conceived by Publisher Robert Whitley as an all-encompassing platform for the many talented wine journalists he came across in his travels as wine columnist for the Creators Syndicate.
All sizes are 750mL unless otherwise noted.
Vintages and ratings subject to change at any time.
All pricing and availability subject to change.
