The McGuigan vineyards and winery are a family operation, beginning with Owen McGuigan who was born in the Hunter Valley of Australia in 1869. Now a fourth-generation of winemakers they've expanded from their own vines in New South Wales' Hunter Valley, to sourcing grapes from a variety of wine regions, including Hunter Valley, Barossa Valley, Coonawarra, Adelaide Hills, Eden Valley and others. In 1947, the McGuignan's opened a second winery in the Barossa Valley. Currently, the McGuigan Wines group is Australia's third largest wine producer under their corporate umbrella of Australian Vintage. They are the family behind the Wyndham Estates winery and label, begun via the purchase of the Dalwood Estate Winery from Penfolds in 1970. In 1990 the international conglomerate Pernod Ricard seized control of Wyndham Estates in a hostile takeover. They began again, using the funds from the takeover, in a venture headed by fourth generation McGuigan, Lisa. Today, the McGuigans control a variety of labels, including Tempus Two winery, an enterprise created and run by Neil McGuigan, the current head winemaker at McGuigan vineyards' daughter Lisa.

The McGuigan Black Label wines seem to have been deliberately created for the Irish market. They're a drink now table wine, though in this case "now" means in two or three years after release. McGuigan 's Black Label Cabernet Merlot is a mostly Cabernet Sauvignon blend; it's 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Merlot, but 100% Australian. Balance of fruit, and acid. Startlingly good; the Merlot is just the right touch to balance the Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a remarkably smooth wine, at 13.5% ABV. We picked this up at the Bargain Grocery Outlet for $4.99, largely drawn by the label and the typography (I know, I know, I've fallen back on bad habits). I'm not sure why it's at BGO (one never is) but I suspect that a 2006 bottle is nearing the end of its useful life, and I for one am happy to remove it from the shelves, and put it out of its misery. I think this particular blend of wine would go well with a Memorial Day grilled steak, or a good burger. I can attest to it's suitability for dark chocolate pairing. We picked up a bottle of McGuigan's Bin 4000 Limestone Coast Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 as well; I'm looking forward to it, and thinking perhaps it's time for a really good, hand-made burger on a whole wheat bun with locally grown onions and tomatos.