Dark chocolate and spice, polished wood, red and black fruits. It’s full bodied, boysenberry springs to mind, and again that bitter dark chocolate and earthy tone, along with some open weave slightly gritty tannin, a slight warmth, and a chunky finish of modest length. It’s a pretty robust and dark expression of Margaret River Cabernet, but will appeal to many who want a bigger style.
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Perhaps because of my (somewhat) perverse nature, I tend to enjoy Pinot Noir from places where Pinot-Noir, apparently, should not be grown. Goodness me, it’s not like its a special grape variety or anything…
Raisin, but with perfume, earth, chocolate and blackcurrant, along with plenty of spice. A fuller bodied style, with grainy tannin, balanced acidity, meat and ripe strawberry, good carry and length. Sure, it’s not your typical Pinot, but there’s style and substance here, a feeling of age-worthiness and confidence in delivery. Yes, don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. And no one puts baby in the corner.
Published 29 November 2017.
Golden and rich. It’s full of peach, apple and lime, with plenty of spicy sawn wood and vanilla. Full-bodied, and full of flavour, powerful and quite oaky, but with the fruit to mop it up. Almond and butter gloss cut with firm grapefruity acidity, and a long dry finish that almost feels tannic. Slight warmth through the wine which doesn’t distract from the overall bounty of Chardonnay on offer here. Bold but excellent.
Published: 10 December 2018.
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Medium to full red colour with the faintest trace of purple. The bouquet is quite minty, with eucalyptus as well as raspberry overtones, the palate fruity and medium-bodied, soft and rounded, easy to enjoy. It’s pleasantly flavoured and structured. There’s abundant fruit on the palate, which is both bright and fresh – if not yet complex.
Published 6/1/2019
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Light straw-yellow colour, with a hint of nougat on the nose, as well as vanilla and nutty suggestions of barrel age. There is richness and texture, intensity and drive, with good extract and satisfying weight, as well as subtle varietal definition. It has a satisfying, juicy finish and a clean, dry aftertaste.
Published 16/12/2018
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Light straw-yellow colour, with a straw and lemongrass aroma, the palate taut and tight, restrained and young but quite intense with a clean, properly dry, refreshing finish. The palate is intense, concentrated and youthful and not too straightforward. It could be more rewarding in a few more months. The fruit is nice and ripe and not grassy or snowpea-like.
Published 16/12/2018
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It only takes a millisecond to know you are in the presence of vinous royalty. This is a truly beautiful chardonnay, seamless perfection from the first sip. You know there has to be quality oak somewhere in the wine, and know that all the analytical numbers will be a Bo Derek 10. It is liquid gold.
James Halliday is an unmatched authority on every aspect of the Australian wine industry. He is the author of The Australian Wine Companion (among many other wine books), primary content provider to supporting website, winecompanion.com.au and and has a weekly column in The Australian.
Published 01 November 2018
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The bouquet shows the first signs of development via nuances of spice and earth. The palate is still bracing and fresh, cassis and redcurrant on the same page. These different personas are simply an intermediate stage before the wine moves on to a lingering plateau measured in decades not years.
James Halliday is an unmatched authority on every aspect of the Australian wine industry. He is the author of The Australian Wine Companion (among many other wine books), primary content provider to supporting website, winecompanion.com.au and and has a weekly column in The Australian.
Published 01 November 2018
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Vibrant crimson-purple; if you are searching for a merlot that has bell-clear varietal character and is a joy to drink, go no further: this is it. It is sheer perfection, its red fruits dripping from a trellis line of fine tannins and controlled French oak. The best Australian merlot I’ve tasted.
James Halliday is an unmatched authority on every aspect of the Australian wine industry. He is the author of The Australian Wine Companion (among many other wine books), primary content provider to supporting website, winecompanion.com.au and and has a weekly column in The Australian.
Published 01 November 2018
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