This single vineyard Yarra Valley shiraz is fragranced with an intricate assembly of understated black plum skin, blackberries, black pepper, black cherries and a hint of fresh liquorice straps. The palate captures wonderful density without ever losing control of its elegantly medium-bodied aspirations, a trail of black that is dead straight, immaculately polished and yet […]
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Coldstream Hills’ foray into south-eastern Tasmania is an impeccably assembled pinot noir of outstanding persistence and a promising future. An enticing bouquet captures beautifully fragrant rose hip aromas amidst blackberry and strawberry fruits and hints of brambles. The palate exemplifies the concentration and expression of southern Tasmanian pinot, with deep-set blackberry and black cherry fruit […]
readA brilliantly honed Coldstream Hills Reserve Chardonnay with a grand future before it. Its bouquet is desperately, breathtakingly pristine, singing with lemon blossoms on crisp dawn air, freshly picked grapefruit and almost ripe white peaches. The palate is charged with impeccable poise, an exactingly focused vector of white fruits that will uncoil slowly and assuredly […]
readIt is difficult to overstate the significance of the 2010 vintage in the flow of the grand history of Penfolds. Late last year I was privileged to a very rare sneak preview of this vintage at Penfolds’ Rewards of Patience tastings. In assessing almost every vintage of its top red wines spanning seven decades, one […]
readThe cool and wet 2011 season was tougher for grenache in the Barossa than it was, for instance, in McLaren Vale, so the focus of this blend has moved decidedly to shiraz (65%), supported by just 20% grenache and 15% mataro, all from vines older than forty years, and some older than a century. Its […]
readAt just 13.5%, 2011 Bin 128 is an elegant Coonawarra shiraz that accurately captures this cool region in a cool season in its lifted violet perfume and lively acid profile. It’s tangy, taut and finely structured, with a refined tannin profile that underlines crunchy blackberry and blueberry fruits and white pepper. A well-balanced wine that […]
readIn a flight of the forty finest vintages of Bin 28 since 1963 in the Rewards of Patience tasting last year, the trilogy of 2008, 2009 and 2010 was the highlight. If 2008 was defined by richness and 2009 by restraint, 2010 unites the best of both worlds in magnificent concentration, within a framework of […]
readPenfolds has been home to some of the world’s most revered cabernet shiraz blends for more than half a century, yet never in any of my tastings with the house have they opened a bottle of Bin 8. They generously obliged my request for a sample, and it’s unfortunate that the lesser 2011 vintage was […]
readLike Bin 8, I’ve never seen Penfolds open a bottle of Bin 2 to show it off, yet this blend of shiraz (81%) and mourvèdre (19%) from the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale is well-crafted, appealing and fruit-focused. Blackberries and black cherries are along for the ride, amid lifted notes of violets and the layered […]
readPenfolds pinots always seem to have an air of having been assembled by an expert in shiraz and cabernet. In 2012, this translates into a tightly wound palate scaffolded with firm, fine tannins. The aim here is a pinot for the long-term, which Gago admits is more robust than some. It’s a savoury style of […]
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