One of South Australia’s greatest pinots, with a track record now spanning 20 vintages, attaining particularly lofty heights in the great 2012 season. This is a wine of remarkable fruit presence, succulent black cherry depth of grand cru proportions and breathtaking violet fragrance. It ripples with pure, fresh cherries and alluring stewed plums, driven by […]
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The sheer vibrancy and purity of fruit is nothing short of a marvel from these grand, dry grown 1867 vines planted by Henry Best himself. The 2012 is just the 13th release, precociously backward on release, promising a monumental future, yet so irresistible now that it will take superhuman restraint to let it get there. […]
readSuch charm that it’ impossible not to fall for this vintage right away, yet it’s built with the stamina for long endurance. Great intensity meets medium-bodied grace in a core layered with violets, Satsuma plums, blueberries and black cherries. Nuances of liquorice, high cocoa dark chocolate and vanilla flash by along the way, but the […]
readA clever recipe that upholds varietal integrity while building character and interest. This is a fresh and accurate vermentino of pretty custard apple, nashi pear, lemon tea and honey notes. Maturation in six old barrels has created lovely fine texture, harmonising evenly with well-focused acidity, drawing out the finish long and even. Best price direct.
readKeith Tulloch’s fanatical attention to detail has crafted a semillon of focus, purity and youthful energy, even a year after harvest. It’s fine, focused and backward, with softly textured structure and even, harmonious flow, juxtaposing tightly coiled acidity, fresh lemon fruit drive and hints of lemongrass. A stunning and long-ageing vintage for Tulloch. Best price […]
readIgnore all preconceptions of this blend that you might have from cheap and nasty renditions, this wine is Vat 47 (80%) tweaked with a little Vat 1 (20%) and ludicrously offered at well under half the price of either. Quite how Tyrrell’s accountants have let this go on since the late sixties is beyond me, […]
readHusband and wife winemaking duo of Liz Jackson and Shaun Silkman of First Creek fame have joined forces to launch their own label, drawing on some of the best sites of First Creek Winemaker’s Reserve and some others beyond. From a single block of the Black Cluster vineyard, this is a wine with plenty of […]
read“I don’t care what anyone says, the best semillon in the Hunter always comes from sandy soils, giving more finesse, better acid structure and longevity” says Meerea Park winemaker Rhys Eather, comparing his Alexander Munro (sandy soils) with his Terracotta (clay). Munro is sourced from the 1969 planted Braemore vineyard, referred to by Eather as […]
readKeith Tulloch’s vineyard forms a grand cru strip of the Hunter Valley, continuing the fine white sand that defines the great neighbouring vineyards of Braemore and HVD. From a single block on the edge of the creek, with soils so fine he compares them with pulverised talc, this wine articulates the epitome of this great […]
readThe Blackberry Vineyard provides the core of First Creek’s top semillon, setting a distinctive fruit character akin to blackcurrant bud in its youth, slowly developing via preserved lemon to lanolin and toast in its maturity. A wine of balance and poise, with wonderful focus, determined acid line and enduring persistence. $35 at Wine Selectors (2009). […]
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