First Paddock is at the top tier of Sam Neill’s Two Paddocks estate, and with just 200 cases produced, it’s very rare in Australia. This vineyard in upper Gibbston Valley celebrates its twentieth birthday this year, providing impressive focus and great persistence to this finely mineral style. Whole bunch fermentation lifts its violet and exotic […]
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Martinborough Vineyard is high on the A-list of New Zealand’s classic pinot noirs and the natural acidity of the 2011 vintage lends a balanced elegance and poise to this release. An impressively focused wine of lovely violet fragrance and black fruit depth, accented with notes of anise. This will be a long-lived vintage, tightly wound, […]
readWith origins in its blend back to the 1890s, Chambers Grand has such depth of black hue and such engine oil-like viscosity that you’d swear it was Rare before you’d even lifted the glass. “Well, this is the problem!” exclaims maker Stephen Chambers, whose wines have never fit the Rutherglen classification neatly. This is a […]
readThe Waipara Valley will be hailed in years to come as one of the greatest sources of pinot noir in the southern hemisphere, and Pegasus Bay Prima Donna is already one of its unsung heroes. A barrel selection from twenty-seven-year-old vines, this is a voluptuous yet intricately structured pinot noir. Impressive depth of black cherry […]
readDry River sometimes explodes with such ripe fruit intensity and immense whole bunch spice that it all seems a bit too much. Not this vintage. This is benchmark Dry River with an enticing bouquet of ripe black fruits and exotic spice lift. The palate is crafted around impeccably fine, gravelly tannins, contrasting with glossy, persistent, […]
readIt would be right to think of every Chambers fortified as a level above its official classification, which puts its Rares completely off the scale. Bill Chambers didn’t keep accurate records, so the average age of this wine is unknown, but the origins of the blend date back to the 1890s. Such is its intensity […]
readAs Bell Hill’s vines penetrate further into their limestone soils, the inimitable character of this site is articulated ever more dramatically in its fruits. This release is more honed and scaffolded than ever, with a frame of firm, finely textured tannins of great focus and persistence. Fantastic exotic depth of sarsaparilla, coal and black fruits […]
readThe ascent of its estate pinot noir elevated Rippon to the highest Five Star tier of The Great Pinot Noir Classification of Matthew Jukes and myself this year, and its even more rare Tinker’s Field is on a level of its own, with just 85 cases produced from the oldest vines of the estate. The […]
readAll Saints is far from the darkest rare tokays, but don’t be fooled: this is an average of a whopping thirty-five years of age. Its aromas declare its maturity in allusions of a dusty old tractor shed, walnuts and raisins, balanced with youthful notes of cumquat and fig. There’s intensity and focus to the palate, […]
readThe great paradox of the finest old fortifieds lies in the skill of the blender in retaining impeccable freshness while building all the theatrics of great maturity. Grand is much deeper in colour than Classic at Stanton & Killeen, reflecting the depth of age packed into this bottle. Savoury dryness juxtaposes with honeyed sweetness as […]
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