For much of my life in wine I have been aware of John Cassegrain. He came into the NSW wine industry as a profoundly talented and visionary winemaker and entrepreneur. Back in the early 1980s I was entranced by the complexity of his Fromenteau Vineyard Chardonnay, which was far, far better that I considered it had any right to be. Cassegrain explored and showed great faith in a number of inland NSW wine regions, always adhering to his conviction that wine should be elegant, savoury, gentle and intriguing. He spent a career introducing European elements of wine quality and style into the Australian market. I wonder if in a different set of circumstances what might have happened had he commenced his winemaking career surrounded by regions that might perhaps have had more potential to fulfil his dreams. Today, finally, I opened a wine his team sent me years ago – the Cassegrain White Label Shiraz 2017 from Hilltops and Orange. A couple of hours after opening it was sublime – a medium-bodied Rhone-inspired shiraz that I honestly could have picked as being made in the Rhone Valley itself. It was never an expensive wine – I’m thinking it sold for less than $30 at release- but it reminds me of the respect I  have always felt for John Cassegrain and the ambitions he held dear regarding style and quality. God bless him.