Winemaker Charles Smedley's sister, Vanessa, never got to try the Butterfly Cabernet - it was named in her honour after she sadly passed away in 2005 (Vanessa means 'butterfly' in Greek). This Cabernet is a vibrant and classy wine too - it's cool, elegant and refreshing with cedar and blackberry flavours and a real sense of completeness. There's some welcome cedary softness creeping in here thanks to the ageing in the cellar too. Wonderful stuff.

It was always an ideal of the Smedley family to plant vines. It's a dream that eventually led them to plant Pinot Noir vines in Yarra Junction in the leafy Yarra Valley in 1999. But the true beginning of what we now know as Mandala came in a mysterious dream: Nanna sent winemaker Charles Medley's mum a vivid vision of rolling hills, tranquil dams, burgeoning vines, and the perfect spot to relax and take in an endless view. That vision became a reality just a year later when the family moved to the Dixon’s Creek site. With this new addition complementing the Yarra Junction vineyard, the family's original vision finally came full circle, forging the complete estate now known as Mandala. Nowadays, Mandala has thirteen different wines, with what Charles calls 'the best Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sparkling Wines the region can provide'.