Australia is rediscovering pinot noir, and there’s never been a better time to do it.
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Australian wine first shot to international stardom on the back of full-bodied reds, and no variety has done more for its reputation than shiraz.
readThis magnificently crafted expression of Australia’s own blend is one of the most invigorating Battles that Bosworth has staged yet. Cabernet, shiraz and a dash of petit verdot charge forth in an awe-inspiring display of dense blackcurrants and sweet dark berries of all kinds, with a rose petal and violet freshness. Dark chocolate oak is […]
readHeytesbury Chardonnay 2009 was a game-changer in Margaret River, and here’s the proof it was no one hit wonder. At a refreshing 13% alcohol, Margaret River no longer needs ripe power to make an earth-shattering statement. A wine of finesse, complexity, grace and profound texture, promising great longevity. The levels of complexity and sheer detail […]
readNever have the gravelly, granitic soils of this elevated Adelaide Hills site been preserved with such precision of firm, long-haul definition, within a style as monumentally intense as this. Riveting layers of black plum skin, blueberries, black olives, fresh liquorice straps, black pepper, dark chocolate, exotic spice, even fresh bitumen, engine room, coal steam and […]
readHaunting reflections of Ashton Hills’ 2010 Reserve Pinot echo in this wine, but it was only in a later conversation with Jeffrey Grosset that I discovered why: the core of this fruit is sourced from Ashton Hills’ back fence. There is no finer place for this distinguished variety anywhere yet planted in SA. This cool, […]
readImmaculately composed, this is a Heytesbury of profound red fruit purity and persistence, structured with sensationally fine, textural, gravelly tannins that demand decades to unravel. Pristine redcurrants, red cherries, cherry kernel and pink pepper, with subtle notes of capsicum and tomato. On paper, the ripeness here is higher than many of its 2009 peers (14.5% […]
readThe 143 year old vines of the Concongella vineyard rank among Victoria’s most famous, and produced just 4200 bottles in 2010, but this is not the reason for their inclusion in this list. The layers of exotic complexity on display here are mesmerising, and the longer it swirls around the glass the more it reveals. […]
read2004 La Grande Dame follows 1998. This is a mind-boggling statement, considering the years in between. No other house, bar none, skipped these five vintages. The endorsement that this in itself places on 2004 in the Clicquot cellars cannot be overstated. And the wine delivers. My goodness, does it deliver! Close acquaintances of La Grande […]
readClos du Mesnil is the most famous Champagne vineyard of all and nowhere outside the hallowed grand crus of Burgundy itself does chardonnay enjoy a more privileged position than in this village. The 2000 vintage has neither the vivacity nor the energy of 1998, but a more generous white peach purity across Champagne, and Clos […]
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