Mark my words: Grüner Veltliner is the next big thing for the Adelaide Hills. New plantings, regional think tanks and experiments are playing out behind the scenes, but Hahndorf Hill was the first to take it to market two years ago. The 2012 will land shortly and it’s the most refined yet. Displaying impressive, primary […]
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Such elegance and purity is rarely found in Australian sparkling wine, and after experiencing this wine it’s no surprise to learn that its maker Kate Laurie learnt her skill in the heart of Champagne. Her expertise is on display in this refreshing aperitif style. It’s spent 18 months on lees, and it’s only lacking the […]
readTim Knappstein clearly still has Clare flowing in his blood, because even from his base in the Adelaide Hills he’s conjured a quintessential Clare Riesling of articulate expression. It’s racy, clean and refreshing with a wonderful lift of lemon blossom and talcum powder, accurate granny smith apple and lime zest fruit, chalky mineral structure and […]
readAdam Marks is one of the most reflective minds in Australian wine right now, and this is his finest pinot yet. Elegantly poised, silky structured, fragrantly lifted, gorgeously perfumed and hauntingly persistent. It unites rose petals, red cherries, wild strawberries, dried herbs and exotic spice into a seamlessly flowing stream which rolls over a tannin […]
read2010 is an exceptional season for Yeringberg’s cabernet blend, presenting impeccably ripe fruit of immaculate blackcurrant refinement and fragrant violet lift, wrapped intricately in high cocoa dark chocolate and vibrant acidity. Its tannin framework is nothing less than profound, perfectly gauged to provide mouthfilling presence and confident control, yet at every moment integrated, finely textured, […]
readA beautifully poised and graceful Yeringberg of effortless harmony, possessing that elusive trait of truly great pinot noir: seductive approachability with great longevity. Pure, beguiling character of red cherries, rose hip, wild strawberries, brambles and undergrowth, restrained yet pronounced. Tannins are silky and superfine, already seamlessly integrated yet possessing a structural assuredness that will make […]
readIt perplexes me that a wine of average age twenty-five years can sell at a price which, by world standards, is no more than tiny. After a generation in a solera of small barrels, it has concentrated down to an incredibly dark, dense and viscous thing, decadently thick, potently concentrated, lusciously sweet and mind-blowingly persistent. […]
read2000 ranks with 1994 and 2007 as one of the Douro’s greatest vintages in recent decades, and Warre’s boasts a balance, refinement and seamlessness that rank it ahead of 1994 in my tastings. There is tremendous complexity here of exotic spice, dark chocolate, sarsaparilla, even the lingering primary fruits of strawberry and fig. Its persistence […]
readAlways a reliable grab from the bottom chardonnay shelf, Hanwood is built around a core of two-thirds Riverina fruit, with its characteristic fleshy peach and rockmelon flavours. It’s the remaining third that’s really exciting. From eleven regions across four states, including a respectable 10% Tumbarumba, controlling the finish and keeping it crunchy and grapefruit-accented. Softly […]
readLaurent Delaunay visited me from the south of France recently, flying the flag for an exciting new range of wines (more on these in the coming weeks). His entry cabernet took my fancy, reflecting a strong vintage in this part of the world. The result is unashamedly medium-bodied and refreshing, an impressively textural cabernet of […]
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