BOAW’s 2010 Chardonnay was one of the discoveries of last year, and her successor is every bit as beautifully crafted. Intricate poise meets fruit concentration and structural drive, with darting suggestions of orange blossom amidst layers of flinty, funky complexity, over a core of calm, controlled grapefruit and pear. The palate is understated and restrained, […]

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The refinement unfolding here is a joy to behold. I cannot recall a Brookland Valley of such consummate restraint and low alcohol elegance, boasting a beautiful bouquet of fresh violet perfume and a palate that provides space for varietal and regional definition to sing with full voice. Pure black- and redcurrants, tobacco and cedar meet […]

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Never has Mount Mary declassified its flagship Quintet. Until 2009. If there is any influence of bushfire here, it is an exceedingly subtle wisp of smoke. The warm, dry conditions of the season clearly did not stress cabernet and its friends like they did pinot noir, and the result is a triumph for the vintage […]

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The 2010 vintage shone on one of the Yarra Valley’s most revered vineyards, nurturing a chardonnay of profound and generous complexity. Struck flint and lees funk form a seamless veil over a core of concentrated white peach and grapefruit pith. A deep, mouthfilling, textural structure carries with relentless persistence, confidently pulling the finish in honed […]

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There is an effortless, harmonious, silky, graceful approachability to Quintet that makes it enticingly appealing and instantly recognisable. This is cabernet sauvignon (almost half) and friends (one third merlot, a good dose of cabernet franc and a dash of petit verdot and malbec) of perfectly ripe, deep black fruit character, yet utterly restrained at a […]

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Comtes de Champagne occupies a privileged position in the top ten sparkling wines in the world, and a sneak preview of the 2002 vintage prior to its October release confirms its ranking. And it goes further, proclaiming a remarkable consistency from vintage to vintage, like no other champagne, even at this mesospheric height. Adoring followers […]

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Cabernet is the pinnacle of Nottage Hill this year. It’s unmistakably cabernet, too – filled with varietal hallmarks of crunchy black- and redcurrants, capsicum and cassis, supported by well-defined tannin structure. Impressively balanced and drinkable for the price, and it will live a few years! Quaff a case over springtime BBQs or pop it in […]

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For at least a decade, the coveted Trophy for the Best Current Vintage Semillon in the Hunter Valley Wine Show has been hotly contested by the more expensive semillons of the region. Quite a scandal was unleashed in the Hunter last week when both this trophy and the trophy for Best Current Vintage Dry White […]

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The third cool, wet vintage in a row has done nothing to slow the illustrious pace of progress at the finest estate in the Canberra district. The precision and intensity on display here are captivating, with a powerful kaffir lime juice core encased in notes of wet slate and granny smith apples. It surges with […]

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Finesse before power. True to the cool, wet 2011 vintage, this is a lighter, spicier and more textural rendition of Hilltops, laced with notes of violet perfume, crunchy blackberry fruit and an overlay of pepper. Fine, textural tannins carry its savoury fruit elegance long into the finish. A flattering style that makes for a compelling, […]

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