There is a fresh mineral purity to the soil and the air at The Lane Vineyard, high in the Adelaide Hills, and the top shelf chardonnay of the estate captures it with precision. Notes of barrel fermentation charcuterie unite with subtle gunpowder reduction to drive a fruit profile of deep white peach, fig and grapefruit. […]
readEdition 165
In the quarter-century over which these 1894 planted vines have been bottled as Command, 2010 will go down among the greats. True to its name, this vintage makes for a commanding Barossa Shiraz of impenetrable layers of red and black fruits, spice, dark chocolate and red liquorice becoming faintly gamey. It upholds exacting balance for […]
readThere’s an understated, tightly coiled potential to 2013 Clonakilla Syrah, definitively medium-bodied in its stature, with an enduring longevity as protracted as any from this legendary estate. Texturally it’s a revelation, superfine yet confident and strong, promising many years of marvellous development. Impeccably refined and elegant, it’s an exquisitely focused syrah of exact white pepper […]
readOaktavius’ no more, this label is the happy benefactor of a regime of restraint, no longer all about full-bodied Barossa shiraz in tiny barrels, now much more sophisticated and articulate in its fruit expression and style. Magnificent layers of deep-set black plums, black cherries, mixed spice, black jubes and aniseed are laced together with fine, […]
readThe warm 2012 season in Great Southern and Margaret River has built an Abercrombie of impressive black fruit depth, yet retaining the control and determination to see out a very long life. A beautifully focused, exquisite bouquet of blackcurrant, cassis, black cherries, cedar and tobacco announces a generous yet compact palate, with a focused and […]
readFrom vines thought to be 169 years of age (and if they are, they represent one of the oldest vineyards in the Barossa Valley and indeed the world), this is a great vintage for The Freedom. Layered complexity of exotic spice envelops luscious blueberry, plum and cherry fruit, with the inimitable supple, harmonious tannin structure […]
readA union of all the strength of Barossa Valley, Langhorne Creek and McLaren Vale, this is a deep, complex and intriguing black label of full, vibrant purple hue, surging with black olives, back fruits of all kinds and layers of liquorice. It’s built around a rigid yet fine-strung cage of cabernet tannins, powering through a […]
readNathan Scarlett was one of the keenest young minds in Australian viticulture, snatched from the world prematurely in 2013. I admired him immensely for his work across the Rathbone group in honing in on the detail and refining each of their vineyards. It is fitting that the new flagship Yering pinot is named in his […]
readA refined and classic Thomas Hardy that unites three of Australia’s finest cabernet regions of Coonawarra, McLaren Vale and Margaret River. This is a vintage of elegant, understated character, whose greatness is declared softly and slowly. Take your time and listen to it carefully, as its dark berries, dark cherry, violet, capsicum and dark chocolate […]
readA semi-sweet Oloroso style of approximate average age 43 years, from museum reserve parcels held in secret in the Seppeltsfield cellars since the mid-1900s. It’s a medium tawny in hue, with a golden rim that declared grand maturity. Layers of bitter roast hazelnuts, toffee, honey, and the olive and savoury spice nuances of old age […]
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