Majella

Brian Lynn, known throughout Coonawarra as Prof Lynn, was a university professor of agriculture who established Majella in 1968. The Lynn family planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz on terra rossa land in the heart of Coonawarra, drawing on Brian's academic understanding of viticulture and soil science to select premium plantings on the region's defining soil type. For more than two decades, Majella operated as a grape grower rather than a wine producer, with the family's terra rossa Cabernet and Shiraz fruit sold to the major Australian wine companies of the era, including Penfolds, Lindemans, and Wynns Coonawarra Estate. The family fruit appeared in well-regarded Coonawarra wines from these companies through the 1970s and 1980s, building the Lynn family vineyards' reputation as a premium fruit source long before Majella released its own label. The transition to wine production came in 1991 under Brian's son Peter Lynn, who oversaw the first own-label Majella vintage. The family has remained continuously involved since founding, and the estate is now run by next-generation Stephen Lynn alongside long-serving winemaker Bruce Gregory.

• 1968: Brian Lynn (Prof Lynn), university professor of agriculture, founds Majella with plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz on Coonawarra terra rossa
• More than two decades as grape grower: fruit sold to Penfolds, Lindemans, Wynns Coonawarra Estate; appeared in well-regarded Coonawarra wines through 1970s and 1980s
• 1991: First own-label Majella vintage under Brian's son Peter Lynn; transition from grape grower to wine producer
• Continuously family-owned; now run by next-generation Stephen Lynn alongside long-serving winemaker Bruce Gregory

Majella's vineyards sit on terra rossa soils in the heart of Coonawarra, the defining red iron-rich clay loam over hard cap rock and underlying soft limestone formation that gives the region its name and structural character. The Lynn family vineyards were planted in 1968 with Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz on the central Coonawarra terra rossa strip, where the combination of shallow free-draining red soil over hard rock and the underlying limestone forces deep vine root development. The original 1968 plantings are now mature vines providing the structural backbone of the Malleea and the flagship Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz bottlings. Subsequent plantings have expanded the estate while maintaining the focus on the two defining Coonawarra red varieties. The Lynn family's viticultural background under Prof Lynn's professional agricultural training has produced one of the most consistently regarded vineyard sites in Coonawarra, with the long history of fruit supply to Penfolds and the other major Coonawarra customers reinforcing the parcel's quality reputation across decades.

• Terra rossa vineyards in the heart of Coonawarra; red iron-rich clay loam over hard cap rock and underlying soft limestone
• Original 1968 Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz plantings now mature vines; structural backbone of Malleea and flagship varietals
• Subsequent plantings have expanded the estate while maintaining focus on the two defining Coonawarra red varieties (Cabernet and Shiraz)
• Long history of fruit supply to Penfolds, Lindemans, Wynns Coonawarra reinforces the parcel's quality reputation across decades

The Malleea is Majella's flagship wine and one of the most respected Cabernet-Shiraz blends in modern Australian wine. First made in 1996, the wine takes its name from the Mallee scrub, the eucalyptus-dominated low scrubland native to Coonawarra and the broader South East South Australia landscape. The Cabernet-Shiraz blend tradition is one of Australia's distinct contributions to international red wine: while Bordeaux focuses on Cabernet with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot blending partners, Australian Cabernet-Shiraz blends (sometimes labelled simply Cabernet Shiraz or Shiraz Cabernet depending on the dominant variety) combine the structural backbone and cassis character of Cabernet with the riper dark fruit, savoury herbal lift, and supple texture of Shiraz. The Coonawarra terra rossa Cabernet-Shiraz expression is one of the most distinguished examples of the style, and the Malleea is regularly cited as a canonical example of the Australian Cabernet-Shiraz blend at the premium tier. The wine is built for 15 to 25 years of cellaring and consistently scores well in major Australian wine reviews.

• Malleea: flagship Cabernet-Shiraz blend; first vintage 1996; named for the Mallee scrub eucalyptus-dominated low scrubland native to Coonawarra
• Cabernet-Shiraz blend tradition: Australia's distinct contribution to international red wine; combines Cabernet structure and cassis with Shiraz dark fruit and supple texture
• Coonawarra terra rossa Cabernet-Shiraz is one of the most distinguished examples of the style internationally
• Malleea regularly cited as a canonical example of the Australian Cabernet-Shiraz blend at the premium tier; 15-25 year cellaring

Beyond the flagship Malleea, the Majella range includes the Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz as single-variety flagship bottlings, the Sparkling Shiraz in the distinctive Australian tradition of red sparkling wine, and The Musician Cabernet Shiraz at the value tier. The Musician deserves particular note: it has become one of the most popular and best-selling Coonawarra red wines in the Australian market, recognised for delivering authentic Coonawarra Cabernet-Shiraz character at an accessible price point. The wine offers an introduction to the Majella house style and to Coonawarra Cabernet-Shiraz blends more broadly. The Sparkling Shiraz continues the Australian red sparkling tradition that combines secondary fermentation in bottle (traditional method) with full-bodied Shiraz, producing a distinctive style enjoyed particularly at Australian celebrations and Christmas tables. Across the range, Majella expresses ripe but elegant Coonawarra wines with the region's classic structural framework, alcohol typically 13.5 to 14.5 percent, and the consistent house signature of dark fruit, regional cedar and eucalypt, and firm but fine-grained tannins.

• Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz: single-variety flagship bottlings expressing the estate's Coonawarra terra rossa character
• The Musician Cabernet Shiraz: value tier; one of the most popular and best-selling Coonawarra red wines in the Australian market
• Sparkling Shiraz: distinctive Australian red sparkling tradition; traditional method secondary fermentation with full-bodied Shiraz
• Range expresses ripe but elegant Coonawarra wines; alcohol 13.5-14.5%; dark fruit, regional cedar and eucalypt, firm but fine-grained tannins

Bruce Gregory has been the long-serving winemaker at Majella, working alongside the Lynn family across the development of the modern Majella label since the early 1990s transition from grape grower to wine producer. Gregory's continuity at the estate has produced a consistent house style: ripe but elegant Coonawarra wines, traditional fermentation, French oak ageing with controlled new oak, and the structural framework built for cellaring that defines premium Coonawarra reds. The Malleea blending discipline, balancing Cabernet structure against Shiraz fruit and supple texture across vintages of varying character, has been a particular focus of Gregory's work, with the wine evolving in vintage-specific ways while preserving the canonical Cabernet-Shiraz character. The combination of family ownership continuity (now in the third generation with Stephen Lynn) and winemaking continuity under Bruce Gregory has produced one of the most consistent stylistic lines in modern Coonawarra wine, alongside the parallel continuity at Wynns Coonawarra Estate, Katnook Estate, and Parker Coonawarra Estate that defines the regional fine wine tier.

• Bruce Gregory: long-serving winemaker at Majella since the early 1990s transition from grape grower to wine producer
• House style under Gregory: ripe but elegant Coonawarra wines; traditional fermentation; French oak ageing with controlled new oak; structural framework for cellaring
• Malleea blending discipline: balancing Cabernet structure against Shiraz fruit and supple texture; canonical Cabernet-Shiraz character across vintages
• Family continuity (now third-generation Stephen Lynn) plus winemaking continuity produces one of the most consistent stylistic lines in modern Coonawarra wine