Chateau Coutet Sauternes-Barsac ($375mL)

Regular visits to Australia by Chateau Coutet’s delightful proprietor Aline Baly provide opportunities to compare many vintages of one of Sauterne’s great sweet wines. She recently pulled 2002, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010 out of her bag, and this was my pick. A vintage of great definition, projecting wonderful freshness of pristine peach, apricot, fig […]

Yalumba The Reserve Cabernet Shiraz

I was privileged to have the opportunity to showcase trophy winners of my Great Australian Red competition in London earlier this year, and one of the finest wines in the room was the 1990 vintage of The Reserve. The confident longevity of the greatest cabernet shiraz blends is perhaps uncontested in Australian wine. In 2004, […]

Cullen Mangan Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Semillon

Sauvignon blanc performed well at Cullen in 2012, so its representation here has been lifted to a little more than 50%, without doing a thing to raise the volume on this coiled and restrained style. It declares its texture and structure first, beautifully fine in its chalky mouth feel, bolstered with just 6% barrel maturation. […]

Seville Estate Yarra Valley Chardonnay

A great vintage for this estate, celebrating the 40th anniversary of its planting in 2012. This mild season has produced taut focus amidst well-composed depth, at once zesty in its grapefruit tang and juicy in its refined white peach flesh. Elegant Upper Yarra fruit is gently supported by cashew nut French oak and alluring overtones […]

Umamu Estate Margaret River Cabernet Merlot

Umamu is one of the great, though lesser known, estates of Margaret River. Three things jump out as remarkable about this release. First, that it’s so wonderfully harmonious, elegant, immaculately poised and understated for a warm season. Second, that it’s so backward and youthful for its pending release at an incredible six years of age. […]

Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz

An elegant and refreshingly medium-bodied take on Hilltops, in a fragrant an enticing style to enjoy right away, with deceptive potential to develop for a decade. Five vineyards around Young have conspired to build a perfumed and spicy shiraz that conjures associations with rose petals, violets, incense and black pepper, against a backdrop of tangy […]

Port Phillip Estate Chardonnay

The cool 2011 season has produced an outstanding Port Phillip Estate Chardonnay of structural energy, focus and texture. Diligent vineyard attention did away with any hint of rot, leaving pristine fruit of expressive white nectarine character, taut grapefruit focus and wonderfully vibrant acidity. Wild fermentation, maturation on lees and a light touch of new French […]

Scorpo Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay

Dollar for dollar, this has got to rank among the top chardonnays that have emerged this year. More than this, it’s one of just two chardonnays at this price that I have ever scored 96 points, the other being the sublime Oakridge of the same vintage. Scorpo’s most outstanding chardonnay yet is impeccably precise in […]

Clonakilla O’Riada Canberra District Shiraz

“A celebration of spice,” proclaims the bottle, and this it is! Laced with white pepper, potpourri, curry and exotic spices of all kinds, it’s a tangy and crunchy style, with fine, textural, spicy tannins holding everything in place. Wonderful persistence and harmony make for an alluringly exotic and enticing wine that’s difficult to resist before […]