Charlie Melton introduced me to the new vintage of ROV on his fabled veranda last month by saying, “If we had a year that we wanted to show people as the archetypal ROV, 2012 would be that year. We would love to make it this way every year, in colour, aromatics and structure. It’s a […]
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With the 2010 reds not yet unleashed, Moppa was the highlight of my recent pilgrimage to Rockford. Ben has built a real freshness into this style, and it’s impressively backward after four years under cork. Well-defined black fruits and cola meet a peppery, spicy and edgy red fruits demeanour, with lingering raspberry fruit persistence, medium-bodied […]
readThere’s not a ripple or crease to delineate each of the varieties in this consummately crafted blend of mataro, shiraz, grenache and cinsault. The florals and spices on display here are exotic and captivating: dried flowers, red cherries, greengage plums, mixed spice and pepper. The delight of the bouquet flows all the way through the […]
readIntroducing one of the greats in the lineage of Turkey Flat Cabernet, a vintage that captures both the concentration and the varietal definition of Barossa cabernet – a delicate tug-of-war that rarely finds such balance. Cabernet’s hallmark blackcurrants, capsicum, leaf and tobacco play with considerable distinction, over a backdrop of finely-tuned dark chocolate French oak. […]
readPronounced, glossy blackberry and black pastille fruit showcase the immense fruit generosity of this sensational vintage, brilliantly balanced by a carefully honed finish of firm, finely textured tannins. For such up-front sweetness and juicy, jubey generosity to pull into a finish of such tangy and refined demeanour is rare indeed, and reason to hunt down […]
readBarossa cabernet offered little to inspire until the cool season of 2002, and since then its trajectory has been breathtaking – primarily because its most talented practitioners seem to have learnt to draw out a varietal integrity hitherto unknown in this warm region. A wine like this plays an important role in your wine repertoire […]
readIt doesn’t get much bigger than Barossa durif, and this thing is potent. Its powerful, impenetrable black depth is densely packed with liquorice, coal, black olives, black jubes, plum pudding and every black fruit you could conjure. It’s a testimony to Pete Schell’s mastery that, in the midst of this maelstrom, it never deviates from […]
readSt Hallett’s 2010 reds are a revelation of an order hitherto unknown, even to this celebrated estate, and it’s remarkable that the standout to date (stand by for 2010 Old Block next year) is not a shiraz but a cabernet. The story becomes all the more unlikely when it’s revealed that this wine comes from […]
readGamekeeper’s is an institution in the wonderful world of shiraz grenache and – blimey – I can’t remember a rendition as expressive as this marvellous new release. All hail 2010, for its beautifully accurate fruit expression, with grenache contributing rhubarb and red berry notes, and shiraz, black plum, black cherry and pepper, overlaid with a […]
readTash Mooney named her business “Wine Architect” because structure and shape count more to her than surface finishes. When I visited recently, she lined up 2004 Uncles with 2010, just to demonstrate her progress toward more honed restraint. There’s no question one of the Barossa’s most insightful winemakers has maintained a steep trajectory of refinement. […]
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