This is no simple apéritif tipple, the cool, dry, low-cropping 2005 season has yielded a full-bodied, full-throttle sparkling white wine of sumptuous generosity, enduring persistence and creamy, silky mouth feel. There is real power and generosity on display here – think fig, grilled pineapple, honey on toast, even notes of truffle. Its true pedigree is […]
Zinfandel must rank among the most challenging varieties of all to tame to any semblance of elegance, too often overstepping the mark into hedonistic raptures of exotic complexity. To tone it to such levels of restraint and sophistication as Rob Mann has achieved in 2012 is nothing short of astonishing. In my memory, unprecedented in […]
Tim Adam’s 21st Aberfeldy is the best wine this talented man has ever made. More than this, it is one of the finest red wines to bear the great name of the Clare Valley in the modern era. This is a stonking Aberfeldy that captures the depth and magnificence of an epic season, layered with […]
Once in a very, very long while a wine bursts into the world and smashes the familiar paradigms of classic blends and traditional practices with the kind of distinction that sets it among the classics. Thousand Candles Yarra Valley 2013 leaves me grappling for a paradigm, and I land in uncharted territory. It’s at once […]
A bargain in the Tasmanian pinot noir field – and that’s not something you hear often – this is an elegant and well balanced lunchtime style. It’s built around pure red cherry and rose hip fruit, supported by comfortably integrated, well structured tannins. The inaugural 2011 release was just 600 cases, and its successor is […]
This is my pick of the current Robert Oatley stable. Made by Larry Cherubino, it’s a well crafted and value-for-money Yarra pinot from an outstanding season, elegant in its wild strawberry and red berry fruits and gentle in its fine-grained tannin structure. Lovely rose bud and dried herb notes draw out a long finish amid […]
A pretty pinot of silky mouth feel, vibrant acidity and elegant persistence at a bargain price. Sourced from Port Philip Estate’s 1.14ha Tuerong vineyard and matured for 12 months in new and used French oak, the focus here is on savoury and complex fruit, expressed in notes of rose hip, mixed spice, brambles, strawberries and […]
In contrast to Blend No 1, this is a 50/50 blend of the two vineyards in its name. The result is elegant, textural, confident, precise, and much more sophisticated than its third tier price might suggest. With lovely lift and vibrancy, it’s an elegant pinot noir of crunchy morello cherry and wild strawberry fruit, with […]
Aston Hill’s Piccadilly Valley Pinot Noir has long been a blend of fruit from the estate vineyard and that of Jim Grigg’s vineyard next to the cemetery near Uraidla in the Piccadilly Valley. Stephen George has long been looking for an opportunity to showcase Jim’s fruit solo, and the high quality and above average yields […]
Coombe farm is a large and historic Yarra estate that has built its own wine range over the past decade. Its estate pinot is a fragrant and lively Yarra style of lifted rose petal fragrance and tangy morello cherry and strawberry hull fruit. Ten percent whole bunch is well constrained to add spice, pepper and […]