WBM Trade - March 2015

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March 2015

WBM Trade features 100 outstanding wines selected by our expert palates, Mike Bennie and Tyson Stelzer, who taste thousands of samples a year. Only the best appear in these pages!

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WINE REVIEWS

95

SEVENHILL

@SevenhillWines Clare Valley St Francis Xavier Single Vineyard Riesling 2014

Super release from the Clare Valley stalwarts Sevenhill – imbued with citrussy scents and ginger, lemongrass and peppery spice, it tickles the senses from the get-go. Intense and coiled up to taste, the wine blasts across the palate with lime juice and wet slate-like mineral feel, shows depth of flavour but purity and vitality. Brilliant release. 12.0% Reviewed by Mike Bennie

97

95

$53.00 GROSSET

95

$40.00 GROSSET

$35.00

$65.00 KREGLINGER

@GrossetWines Clare Valley Polish Hill Riesling 2014

@GrossetWines Springvale Clare Valley Riesling 2014

@Pipersvineyard Tasmania Vintage Rosé 2004

In fragrance, purity, energy and slatey mineral texture, Polish Hill transcends a season of extreme heat and rain. The Riesling of the year to date, and set to live confidently for the long-term. 12.5%

2014 delivers impressive spicy intensity with refined purity in Grosset’s Rieslings. Signature lime, lemon and granny smith apple fruit is nuanced with kaffir lime spice. Impressive concentration carries with outstanding persistence. Medium-term potential. 12.5%

Crafting elegant, long-aged vintage rosé is one of the higher skills of master sparkling craftsmanship, and René Bezemer has nailed the art in this decade-old cuvée. It’s a subtle, elegant and sophisticated expression of Tasmanian Pinot Noir. 12.5%

Reviewed by Tyson Stelzer

Reviewed by Tyson Stelzer

Reviewed by Tyson Stelzer

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WINE REVIEWS

95

95

$90.00 THORN CLARKE

TOBY BEKKERS

@thorn_clarke Barossa Valley Ron Thorn Shiraz 2010

@TBekkers McLaren Vale Grenache 2013

If you’re after a nouveau style Barossa wine, step away from the bottle; this is old school, but good school gear. Full tilt in flavour and weight, it’s a boldly flavoured, oak framed wine of deep concentration, persistance, palate drenching fruit and wild, ripe fruit driven scents. Pulses through the mouth with heft but knife edge balance. Impressive example of the style. 14.8%

Really potent perfume, musk, potpourri and plum and choc-berry fruit characters. There’s a bold, juicy wash of ripe, plush dark fruit that feels sweet at first then lifts on the rivulets of mouthwatering acidity set underneath. It’s ultra perfumed and gorgeous to swill around the mouth before swallowing. Effortless drinking. 15.0%

Reviewed by Mike Bennie

Reviewed by Mike Bennie

93

FLOWSTONE

The quirky blend of Cabernet and Touriga shouldn’t dissuade you, it’s offering early complexity and some high end drinkability. The wine shows a raft of blue and black berry fruit character, a whiff of licorice, some puffs of menthol and a whiff of wet slate. Tastes bright and fruity, sloshes around the palate well and finishes in a satisfying pucker.

Great stuff. 13.5% Reviewed by Mike Bennie

$75.00 TAPANAPPA

@Tapanappa Adelaide Hills Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2013 Definitively sophisticated in its sleek profile, offering satiny curves of ripe stone fruit, green apple and sexy, nougat-scented oak, the wine feels molten and flowing over its impressive length, but doesn’t forget to cleanse the palate with revitalising acidity. There’s a sense of a wine captive in its youthful shell too; a portent for its impressive cellaring future. 13.8% Reviewed by Mike Bennie

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$35.00

Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon Touriga 2010

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$80.00

93

$40.00 NGERINGA

$23.00 OAKDENE

@Ngeringa Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2012

@Oakdenewines Geelong Single Vineyard Pinot Grigio 2014

Quietly, quietly, Ngeringa go about their biodynamic farming and exceptional winemaking, and have come to release some seriously good white wines from their estate vineyards. Viognier does well, white blends too, and this Chardonnay lends credence to these thoughts. It shows some richness but the counter balance of nuttiness and brine is brilliant – so very drinkable. 13.5% Reviewed by Mike Bennie

A blush of colour! Chalky texture, loads of savouriness, wet pebble texture and a bold vein of granite-like minerality. Nashi pear juice comes to mind too. This is a great example of how some judicious winemaking decisions can make Pinot Gris a more complex, compelling wine with drinkability and interest hand-inhand. So well done. 13.0% Reviewed by Mike Bennie

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WINE REVIEWS

92

92

$27.00 BROWN BROTHERS

@BrownBrothers King Valley Méthode Traditionnelle King Valley Brut NV

92

$30.00 MAXWELL

$50.00 PARINGA ESTATE

@MaxwellWines McLaren Vale Whistle Stop Malbec 2013

@ParingaEstate The Paringa Chardonnay 2011

This is a classy sparking, loaded with leesmatured complexity that brings depth and sophistication. It’s brimming with honey, roast nuts, butter on toast and fig, backing juicy baked peach fruit. It’s rounded, silky, persistent and ready to drink. 12.5%

Malbec doesn’t always have to be super serious, and when it’s handled like this wine, all bubblegummy and pretty in perfume and jolly, juicy and plush to taste, there’s an argument to explore the variety’s early drinking potential. That being said, the clip of tannin and peppery-spice add some stucture and further interest. Neatly done. 14.0%

There is power and intensity here – unusual in this cool, wet season. Layers of struck flint and gunpowder add a level of sophistication to concentrated grapefruit and white peach fruit, well supported by cashew nut and vanillin French oak. 13.5%

Reviewed by Tyson Stelzer

Reviewed by Mike Bennie

Reviewed by Tyson Stelzer

92

$25.00 RINGBOLT

Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 A Cabernet of drive and definition, with excellent intensity of crunchy and intense blackcurrant and capsicum fruit. Excellent length and even line are supported by fineground tannins that suggest medium-term potential. Great value. 14.0%

Reviewed by Tyson Stelzer

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92

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$25.00 THREE DARK HORSES

$18.00 LOST BUOY

@3DarkHorses McLaren Vale Grenache + Touriga 2014

@lostbuoywines Adelaide Hills Gulf View Sauvignon Blanc 2014

A pretty darn funky blend of Touriga Nacional and Grenache. You don’t see that every day. Kind of better for the pairing of the varieties, the wine is pure feeling, ultra juicy, brisk in acidity and imbued with this joyous, vibrant ‘drink me quickly’ kind of feel. It’s all musk and cola scents and sweet but crisp, pickled cherry fruit flavours. Yum. 14.0%

Here’s seemingly great value – a passionfruitmeets-grassiness in the bouquet, echoed in the palate but without a tinny feel, instead offering a touch of fruity generosity and a refreshing, gulpable feel. The touch of chalkiness to textures lends a little bit of extra interest too.

Neatly done Hills Sauvignon. 12.5%

Reviewed by Mike Bennie

Reviewed by Mike Bennie

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WINE REVIEWS

Mornington Peninsula Single Vineyard Selection Farrago Chardonnay 2012

KOOYONG

Mornington Peninsula Single Vineyard Selection Faultline Chardonnay 2012

KOOYONG

TAMAR RIDGE

Tasmania Reserve Botrytis Riesling 375mL 2013

Barossa Valley The Signature Cabernet Shiraz 2012

The tension on display here between wonderfully energetic acidity and impressive fruit power, line and length is captivating. A benchmark Kooyong to go down among the greatest yet.

13.5% TS

A wine of fantastic poise and energy, tightly wound with cool acidity and fresh lemon fruit, beautifully contrasting vivacious energy with fruit presence and grand persistence. Wow. 13.5% TS

A magnificent botrytis Riesling that displays the expertise of this outfit in achieving remarkable levels of sweetness and yet fermenting it as clean as a whistle. One of the great Australian sweet wines. 8.0% TS

Absolute belter of a release.

Matured in French, Hungarian and American oak. Released as a tightly-wound but approachable wine. Supremely long in flavour, architectural and wonderfully expressive of soil, warmth and Barossa.

Cellar long. 13.5% MB

96PTS $60.00

96PTS $60.00

96PTS $25.00

96PTS $50.00

BEN HAINES

CURLY FLAT

Macedon The Curly Pinot Noir 2012

Clare Valley The Insider Riesling 2013

This vineyard is a hot bed of interesting wines. Ben Haines has applied a gentle hand in winery to eke out some of its nuance.

Supple, succulent and spicy.

Incredible length. Savouriness and purity of red berry fruits coupled to briar and bramble-like herbal edges. 13.5% MB

Intoxicatingly perfumed, fragrant and Musigny-like, crammed with rose petal fragrance, musk, pink lady apples, strawberries and red cherries over a wonderful sea of exotic spice. It’s beautifully textured, enlivened by tense Macedon acidity. 14.0% TS

Spends 156 days on skins, which plants it firmly in the ‘orange wine’ camp, yet it shows little in colour aside golden hues. Structured and complex. Compelling. Lavish in perfume and offers a great drinking and intellectual experience. Kudos. 13.0% MB

95PTS $45.00

95PTS $60.00

95PTS $26.00

Pyrenees Malakoff Vineyard Syrah 2012

KOOYONG

MONTALTO

Mornington Peninsula Single Vineyard Selection Meres Pinot Noir 2012

Mornington Peninsula The Eleven Vineyard Chardonnay 2013

The fragrant child in the Kooyong family, this is a Pinot of delicate rose petal perfume and morello cherry. There is elegance to its savoury depth of beetroot underlined by fine yet confident tannins, promising a great future. 13.5% TS

In a purple patch! Conspiracy between an increasingly interesting/clever winemaker and maturing sites. Nutty, cedary trimmings but shows a powerful yet restrained flow of just-ripe stone fruit meshed to green apple acidity. 12.9% MB

95PTS $60.00

95PTS $55.00

ANDEVINE

Hunter Valley Reserve Shiraz 2013 Seriously good release from a vintage in the Hunter that might just be one of those ‘vintage of generation’ contenders. Poise and sinewy chew are hallmarks of the quality. Slippery and fine.

Savoury earthiness. Fresh, pure, characterful. 13.0% MB

94PTS $30.00

BREMERTON

Langhorne Creek Best of Vintage Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

KNAPPSTEIN

WOLF BLASS

YALUMBA

KOOYONG

Mornington Peninsula Single Vineyard Selection Haven Pinot Noir 2012 The most commanding of the Kooyong trio this year.

The power of Haven is encapsulated in an expansive palate, fanning out into a finish of breadth yet retaining the precision and drive of lively acid and fine tannins.13.5% TS

95PTS $60.00 YALUMBA

South Australia Black Label Cabernet Shiraz 2012

Coonawarra The Menzies Cabernet 2012

Waves of signature Black Label magnitude yet with a brightness and fruit definition reflecting one of the great vintages of the modern era. In time it may just go down as the finest of all. TS

A cracker. Warm-hearted wine of ample fruit flavour and lashings of cedar-meetsnougat oak character, and some of the gravelly tannins found in great Cabernet of the region. Superb balance.

Medium bodied, svelte and yet generous. 14.0% MB

95PTS $130.00

95PTS $55.00

FLAMETREE

GROSSET

Margaret River SRS Walcliffe Sub-Region Chardonnay 2013

Clare Valley Alea Riesling 2014

Potent. Rich in shiny, classy wood with whiffs of vanilla and cedar over blackcurrant and plum. Graphite and red earth weave their way through dark fruit characters, though texture remains smooth, rich and powerful. 15.0% MB

Cliff Royle is making good wines and this continues the compelling argument. The palate is finely wrought, tight in acidity but offers chewy nougat-like cedar character while driving with ripe stone fruit flavours.

Fuller bodied but vital and fresh.

Elegant. 13.0% MB

Delightful purity of kaffir lime, granny smith apple and layers of mixed spice with impeccably gauged sweetness to provide body and flow without appearing sweet, perfectly balancing well-focused acidity.

It’s persistent, impeccable and alluring. 12.5% TS

94PTS $85.00

94PTS $55.00

94PTS $36.00 WBM March 2015

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WINE REVIEWS

HENSCHKE

MONTALTO ESTATE

PRIMO ESTATE

Deep reserves dating back to 1997 build impressive maturity in this rich and complex style.

It’s decisively at the fullerbodied end of the Australian sparkling spectrum, admirably upholding balance and style.

12.0% TS

Dry grown, low cropping vines contribute to this sophisticated, racy Chardonnay. Immediately the funky hit of struck match and flint in the bouquet, but underlying a purity of white flesh stone fruit and green melon. Driving and urgent across the palate. 13.2% MB

Characterful, idiosyncratic expression of sparkling red with aeons of maturity bound up in savoury, gamey, meaty complexity and notes of crushed ants. The character of McLaren Vale shiraz and Cabernet shine through. 13.5% TS

Adelaide Hills Johanne Ida Selma Blanc de Noir MD

94PTS

$50.00

ROCKFORD

94PTS

$39.00

94PTS

$80.00

PRINTHIE

Orange Super-Duper Syrah 2012 A hip new flagship for Printhie, capturing a cool season in the heights of Orange in wonderful white pepper, rose hip and exotic spice. It’s taut and tight, with fine tannins and tangy acidity promising a wonderful future. 13.1% TS

94PTS

VINTELOPER

WILLOW BRIDGE

Surprisingly light and firm considering the variety. Ends up satisfying for structure and sophistication over the garish possibilities of plushness and choc-berry mellowness. Flavours are more in amaro, herb and just-ripe berry spectrum. Vin de garde feel. 13.5% MB

Dave Bowley continues to create noise and interest in his wines. Offers glorious scents of cherry, twiggy oak and sweet spice, while the palate has beautiful, effortless flow of flavour that shows bright, gently sweet fruit finishing savoury and spicy. 14.0% MB

Gravel pit is actually a gravel pit, or it once was. This medium bodied Shiraz shows with scents of eucalyptus, dried herbs, pepper and the rush of ripe red fruits that echo in the palate. Long in flavour, seamless and mouthwatering. 13.4% MB

94PTS $61.00

94PTS $39.00

94PTS $95.00

94PTS $30.00

WOLF BLASS

BLEASDALE

CHANDON

A Grey label of depth, magnitude and impressively well-defined structure and bright fruit detail. It’s loaded with dark berry fruit of all kinds, underlined by liquorice and dark chocolate oak. A grand, age-worthy Grey.

14.5% TS

A raft of Malbecs coming out of Langhorne Creek, and Bleasdale is making a compelling argument for the variety within a suite of wines. Thick set, pillowy and slick, offering dark ripe fruits and the spice of Xmas puddings.

It might be bold and full, but it’s also well balanced. 14.5% MB

94PTS $45.00

93PTS $35.00

Grey Label Langhorne Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

DEVIATION ROAD

Langhorne Creek The Riparian Vineyard Malbec 2012

HOWARD VINEYARD

A beautifully elegant, fragrant and tangy Pinot Noir rosé that captures the pretty rose petal nuances of the variety, flavours of guava and strawberry hull and a lingering, tangy pink grapefruit finish. Impeccably graceful.

12.0% TS

From a pocket-sized patch of Florita Vineyard, the younger Barry generation have carved out (again) a beautiful Riesling.

Bold perfume of green apples, honeysuckle flowers, mixed citrus zest and a whiff of ginger.

The talc-like texture lends the wine a light, pretty feel with lacy acidity. 11.5% MB

93PTS $20.00

93PTS $26.00

KREGLINGER

OLIVER’S TARANGA

A portion of the fruit was left to ripen further on the vine.

Smells potently of rich stewed fruits, figs and dates, warm Xmas pudding. Generous in ripe fruit character with a flourish of thick, chewy tannins. Balanced in its amplitude. 14.5% MB

Tasmania Vintage Brut 2006

Kate and Hamish Laurie’s sparklings are coming into their own with bottle age, and Beltana is the best. Layers of secondary complexity build notes of intrigue over a core of refreshing Adelaide Hills lemon and white peach Chardonnay character. 11.5% TS

Howard Vineyard seem to have a dab hand with the notoriously tough to get right Cabernet Franc grape. Structure from oak, sluice of peppery, herbal, dark fruited juice underneath. It’s fresh feeling but has depth and concentration. Classy. 13.6% MB

Extended time on lees and some cork ageing sees Kreglinger become an ultra-complex, rich, cookies-and-cream-meetsbrioche driven sparkling of great interest. The bouquet might smell like a French patisserie, but the palate is more cut and thrust of bustling acidity and green apple crunch. 12.5% MB

93PTS $80.00

93PTS $60.00

93PTS $55.00

Th dy ta

Th w W

T O E W W S

CLOS

Clare Valley Riesling 2014

Adelaide Hills Amos Cabernet Franc 2013

s

Geographe Gravel Pit Shiraz 2013

Pinot Noir Rosé 2014

Adelaide Hills Beltana Blanc de Blancs 2009

p

$85.00

Adelaide Hills Odeon Lenswood Pinot Noir 2012

Loaded with complexity, first the primary Barossa Shiraz signatures of black plums, blackberries and black cherries, then dark chocolate, black olives, crushed ants, game and pan juices. Great promise. Don’t drink it too cold, or too soon. 13.5% TS

THE LANE

McLaren Vale Joseph Sparkling Red 2014 Disgorgement NV

Adelaide Hills Block 8 Single Vineyard Merlot 2012

Barossa Black Shiraz NV

74

Yarra Valley Chardnnay 2013

McLaren Vale Vine Dried Cabernet 2013

93PTS $35.00

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The National Australian wine premier tradeshow willShow return to Adela The Wineindustry’s Industry Supplier Trade

dynamic new format in 2015. WISA will deliver a different experienc targeting those in the industry with a direct operational focus.

The event will showcase leading industry suppliers and be complime presents with seminars, workshops, social and networking events.

Workshop Titles Include...

The Future of Wine Retail “Digital innovation from Woolworths Liquor - Co July to 16, 2015 “Opportunities Goyder Pavilion,toAdelaide Showground, SAindustries Our14 Future Generation attract and nurture the Emerging Markets “Understanding North Asia and Free Trade Agreemen proudly WarbyStories “Building an export market - success stories from food & bev supported Wine Tourism “The do’s and don’ts for success at cellar door” Social Media “Turning your audience into customers” The Australian wine industry’s premier tradeshow will return to Adelaide in a dynamic new format in 2015. WISA will deliver a different experience, targeting those in the industry with a direct operational focus.

Visitor Registration

The event will showcase leading industry suppliers and be complimented with seminars, workshops, social and networking events.

Pre Register to visit WineTech 2015 by March Workshop Titles Include...

15 and go into the draw to WIN a Liebherr 60 bottle Fridge The Future of Wine Retail “Digital innovation from Woolworths Liquor - Connections program”

$1,600

Our Future Generation “Opportunities to attractat andwww.winetechaustralia.com.au nurture the industries next generation” RRP Conditions Emerging Markets “Understanding North Asia and Free Trade Agreement Opportunities” War Stories “Building an export market - success stories from food & beverage” Wine Tourism “The do’s and don’ts for success at cellar door” Social Media “Turning your audience into customers”

To register, simply email your company details, name and title to natalie@kjex.com.au

Visitor Registration Pre Register to visit WineTech 2015 by March 15 and go into the draw to WIN a Liebherr 60 bottle Fridge

Exhibiting Enquiries

RRP $1,600 Conditions at www.winetechaustralia.com.au

To register, simply email your company details, name and title to natalie@kjex.com.au

If you have a product to sell to the Australasian Wine Industry

contact Erin or Vicki at Kym Jones Exhibitions Exhibiting Enquiries P: 08 8297 1688 E: info@kjex.com.au If you have a product to sell to the Australasian Wine Industry

or Matthew Moate (WISA EO) P: 0409 783 221 E: eo@wisa.org.a

contact Erin or Vicki at Kym Jones Exhibitions P: 08 8297 1688 E: info@kjex.com.au

Space Filling Fast

Secure Your Site Today

or Matthew Moate (WISA EO) P: 0409 783 221 E: eo@wisa.org.au

Space Filling Fast

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Secure Your Site Today

4/03/2015 3:59 pm

WINE REVIEWS

PLANTAGENET

The name is likely just a tad off a law case from France.

Clever in a way, and the wine shows some of the complexity of barrel ferment and artful blending as expected. Scotty Comyns’ first proper vintage in control, and this is a great release. 12.0% MB

A recent vertical proves there is pedigree beyond expectation. It’s wonderfully perfumed with exotic tropical fruits, lime juice and a whiff of marzipan. To taste, more of the sweet richness and a touch of oatmeal-like savouriness with a chewy, chalky finish. 13.5% MB

Bang on for drinkability and refreshment, it ticks a lot of boxes. Smells like fresh citrus and a bunch of sweet flower.

Offers flavours reminiscent of a squeeze of lime in mineraltinged mineral water. Flirty and frisky in acidity that keeps the wine wickedly fresh and crisp. Great. 12.0% MB

93PTS $28.00

93PTS $34.00

93PTS $27.00

93PTS $30.00

SIDEWOOD

SWIFT

THE LANE

THE LANE

Warm-hearted. Cedary wood, silky red and black berry fruit, savoury spice. Smells of warm berry pie and sauna wood, comely and attractive in swirls from the glass. Tannins sit flush and succulent in the palate. Classy.13.5% MB

Price double-take! Feels, tastes and smells classier.

Pure and tense. Crisp finish.

Nougat oak chiming in. Seems to deliver a bold Chardonnay expression with finesse and drinkability. Sweet oak-framed scents let you know what you’re getting. 13.0% MB

93PTS $39.00

93PTS $20.00

WILLOW BRIDGE

CHAFFEY BROS.

Though it smells sweet in watermelon fruitiness and rose petal floral characters, it’s chalky in texture to taste with a dusting of spice and ultra-crunchy acidity to refresh the palate. Depth of flavour in notes too. Sophisticated.

13.4% MB

Dufte punkt loosely translates as ‘the aromatic point’ so don’t be disappointed not to see robot-mask-wearing dance music producers anywhere on the bottle. There are layers of texture and flavour to taste beyond expectation of the simple but pleasing bouquet.

The blend works. 11.7% MB

93PTS $25.00

92PTS $24.00

Orange Polly Fume Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2014

Adelaide Hills Chloé Cuvée 2012 Rarely does a brand new sparkling wine land as pretty and masterfully assembled as this, capturing the elegant strawberry and white cherry fruit of Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir, complementing it beautifully with the citrus zest of Chardonnay. 12.5% TS

93PTS $30.00 TIM ADAMS

Clare Valley Cabernet Malbec 2010

Margaret River LTC 2014

Vintage 2011 Drew Tuckwell is doing clever things with fizz up in Orange, and his second vintage was a pearler of a season. Four years on, its lees-infused texture underlines impressive white fruit purity and nougat complexity. It will appreciate a few more years of age yet. TS

93PTS $50.00 TIM ADAMS

Clare Valley Riesling 2014

Great value. Unites fruit brightness with depth of flavour, impeccable varietal definition and persistence.

Depth of signature Cabernet black- and redcurrant fruit is impressive, overlaid with Malbec’s savoury complexity.

Hint of Clare mint. 14.5% TS

Tim Adams has an uncanny knack of getting out bargain Riesling that shows a lot classier than its price point. This lemon and floral scented wine offers bright perfume, some light creaminess in texture, more citrussy tang in the finish and the finishing crunch of green apples. It’s a lovely, soft, juicy style. 11.5% MB

93PTS $26.00

93PTS $22.00

CHANDON

Pinot Noir Shiraz NV This is a sparkling red of more depth and intensity than its pale colour betrays.

Pepper and mixed spice, impeccably crafted structure and gracefully integrated sweetness reflect real attention to detail. The best Chandon sparkling red I can remember.14.0% TS

92PTS $32.00 76

PRIMO ESTATE

PIERRO

PEPPER TREE

CURLY FLAT

Macedon The Curly Chardonnay 2012 A rich and succulent Chardonnay of butter, ripe white peach, cashew nut and even notes of honey. Yes, it’s powerful and toasty but it doesn’t diminish into heaviness, instead relying on the cool heights of Macedon to uphold life, line and length.

13.8% TS

92PTS $55

Great Southern Riesling 2014

Adelaide Hills Block 14 Single Vineyard Basket Press Shiraz 2013

Geographe Rose de Solana Tempranillo Rosé 2014

DEVIATION ROAD

Adelaide Joseph Pinot Grigio d’Elena 2014 A wonderful confluence of exotics and florals, at once tropical and fleshy and yet decisively cut and tense, this is an eminently extroverted and flamboyant Grigio and yet high-tensile, riding a razor-sharp backbone of Clarendon and Adelaide Hills acidity. 13.0% TS

Adelaide Hills Block 1A Chardonnay 2013

Eden Valley Düfte Punkt 2014

DEVIATION ROAD

Adelaide Hills Pinot Gris 2014

Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2012

A cool and restrained Gris of finely poised lemon and crunchy pear fruit and the lively acid line of cool Adelaide Hills sites.

Partial barrel fermentation builds texture and subtle savoury complexity. 12.5% TS

Impressive depth and intensity of black cherry and dark berry fruit is contrasted with the savoury complexity of brambles and beetroot in a well-composed style of finely textured tannins, bright high-altitude acid line and good persistence. Potential.

13.5% TS

92PTS $28.00

92PTS $45.00

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WINE REVIEWS

HAHNDORF HILL

DEVIATION ROAD

DOWN TO EARTH

FIRE GULLY

Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2014

Adelaide Hills GRU Gruner Veltliner 2014

Beautifully fragrant and precise.

Lemon and lime fruit precision enlivened with the exotics of golden delicious apple, guava and passionfruit. Texture is built with firm, fine phenolic structure, uniting with lively, high altitude acidity on a long, even finish. 12.5% TS

Ocker red drinkers will like it.

Smells of the Aussie bush.

Wafts of warm, brambly berries and eucalyptus, though the wine is cooler to taste than expected.

Blueberry and some menthol.

Train track tannins. Savourysweet medium-bodied feel.

14.5% MB

From the Wilyabrup parish.

Classic feel of tropical fruits meets grassy scents with herbal lifts reminiscent of dried Italian herbs. Gently sweet, again tropical, once more with the herbal whipcrack. Finishes with a stony dryness. 12.5% MB

This release is a touch spicier and longer in flavour than others. Shows some more textural interest and yet retains its inherent drinkability. Think cucumber-in-lemonade kind of feel, but with less sweetness and more class. It’s great drinking. 12.0% MB

92PTS $24.00

92PTS $26.00

92PTS $25.00

92PTS $28.00

KNAPPSTEIN

LECONFIELD

Red berries and musk are backed by the roast nut and nougat notes of three years of lees maturity. It showcases the strength and depth of Tasmanian Pinot, wrapped in expertly gauged, subtly structured texture, creamy bead and persistence. 12.2% TS

More Glenn Barry magic. Not trying too hard or pitching at the fancy-haired sommelier.

Content in providing a balance of ripe plum and forest berry fruits, a whiff of smoky oak, A touch of splintery wood to taste, plushess in texture and a long gently sweet finish.

Golf claps. 13.5% MB

A classic Coonawarra Merlot of considerable endurance.

Crunchy black- and redcurrant fruit and notes of leaf and liquorice are underlined by firm, fine tannins that beg for a decade to soften and settle.

Impressive persistence and structure. 14.0% TS

92PTS $35.00

92PTS $22.00

Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2014

HOME HILL

Tasmania Ms Daisy Cuvée 2011

PIRIE

Tasmania Rosé 2009 This is a deeply coloured rosé of full crimson hue, loaded with pomegranate, guava, raspberry and tamarillo flavour, celebrating the characterful and flavourful Pinot Noir of Tasmania.

A skillfully crafted style.

12.0% TS

Wrattonbully Cabernets Shiraz 2013

Clare Valley Shiraz 2013

RINGBOLT

21 Barriques Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 A spicy and minty Cabernet of eucalypt notes over dark berry fruit, laced together with firm, fine tannins of grippy texture and dark chocolate oak, promising medium-term opportunity. Impressive fruit line and length. TS

92PTS $50.00

92PTS $40.00

VERTIGO

WALLACE

BY BEN GLAETZER

Adelaide Hills TRKN Riesling 2013 Smoke, black currants and spice spill out of the glass on first approach. Then you take a second sniff and honeycomb and an oatmeal-like savouriness come forth. It’s a wine of impeccable sweet/ sour and sugar/acid balance.

So well done. 12.0% MB

92PTS $26.00

Barossa Valley Grenache Shiraz 2013

Coonawarra Merlot 2013

LOWE

Mudgee Nullo Mountain Late Harvest Riesling 2013

HOME HILL

Tasmania Kelly’s Cuvée 2011 A richly-flavoured blend showcasing impressive balance of red berry and citrus fruits with the depth of nutty, nougat notes from three years’ ageing on lees. It’s softly textured and creamy, finishing strong and persistent and a touch candied.

12.7% TS

92PTS $35.00

PARINGA ESTATE

Peninsula Chardonnay 2012

From 1,180 metres above sea level and the steady hand of David Lowe. Reeks of oranges, honey and green apples.

Shows richness and depth of flavour, but it’s the steely cut of cool climate, high elevation acidity that gives it flair. Feels steely and cool. 12.3% MB

A great value Mornington Chardonnay performing well beyond its price point, loaded with character, concentration, complexity and texture. Oak barrel wild fermentation and ageing builds complexity and struck-flint character, over a core of intense white peach and grapefruit. 13.5% TS

92PTS $25.00

92PTS $30.00

92PTS $22.00

SIDEWOOD ESTATE

SWINGING BRIDGE

Adelaide Hills Pinot Gris 2014

TOMICH

Orange Mrs Payten Chardonnay 2013

Woodside Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2014

Smoky, nougat-on-stone-fruit characters, richness in perfume of ripe melon chimes in. Rich in texture. Smooth flow of fleshy fruit. Feels a touch sugared up but has a comely feel. Full, ripe style done pretty well, with a suggestion of something funky starting to happen. 13.0% MB

Restraint in Sauv Blanc can be a great ally. A cool, even, clean, grassy version of the variety. Fit for summer drinking or as a neat accompaniment to seafood or leafy salads.

Pure in its expression of fruit, brisk in acidity and high in drinkability. 12.5% MB

92PTS $20.00

92PTS $32.00

92PTS $25.00

ALKOOMI

CHANDON

Sidewood sells half its Gris fruit and keeps the best half.

The result is a Gris of integrity, spicy, succulent and slippery, with ripe pear fruit balanced with tight, fine Adelaide Hills acidity and softly-integrated phenolic structure. 13.5% TS

Frankland River Late Harvest Riesling 2014

Assertive. Feels confident in its ample perfume, flavour spectrum and plush texture.

All choc-raspberry and slurpy, but framed by twiggy oak and guided by graphite-tinged tannins. Drinks better with a little time in glass. 15.0% MB

Fun, frivolous, fruity. The three Fs of commercial appeal. Won’t rock the socks of a high-end wine geek, but it is a wine of judicious sweetness, cut of acidity and general good-times feel. Tastes like Splice lemon lime ice blocks and delivers a similar refreshing hit. 10.0% MB

92PTS $25.00

91PTS $15.00

Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2013 An elegant and fragrant Yarra Pinot Noir that embodies the pretty rose hip and morello cherry personality of this variety, with brambles and dried herbs, structured with impressive presence of confident, finely poised tannins. 13.0% TS

91PTS $31.00

KARRAWATTA

Adelaide Hills Dairy Block Shiraz 2012 I imagine fans of this will settle into a big, charry steak or a hunk of mature cheddar. It’s voluminous in perfume, set to brooding, mocha-choc-berry fruit characters and saturating the palate with its coffee-mocha tannins. Satisfying for its hit of juicy-redness. 14.2% MB

91PTS $38.00 WBM March 2015

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WINE REVIEWS

LEEUWIN ESTATE

MAJELLA

Coonawarra Minuet NV

This is a racy young sparkling of high-strung acidity. It’s clean, precise and well crafted, a highlight of Margaret River fizz. It’s toned by the subtle fresh almond complexity of lees ageing and a fine creamy bead. 12.5% TS

Dollar for drop, this must rank among the most expensive moscatos in the country. It’s just faintly sparkling and thankfully not too sweet, carrying lovely lychee, ginger, lemonade, table grape and frangipane fruit character.

Orange region acidity keeps it lively and long. 10.5% TS

Great to see an Australian sparkling Riesling made with this care. There’s character here, tight acid line and leesderived texture. Riesling doesn’t have the mid-palate depth of Pinot Noir or Chardonnay, making for a more refreshing aperitif style with medium-term potential. 11.0% TS

91PTS $33.00

91PTS $20.00

91PTS $30.00

MARGAN

PIPERS BROOK

Tasmania Sparkling 2008

Mudgee Riesling 2014

The Field Blend range is commanding attention. Blend of Semillon, Sauv Blanc and Pinot Grigio, which pushes an agenda of early complexity, layers of flavour, crunchy texture and voluminous perfume well. Feels like bang for buck. 12.5% MB

A tangy and tense sparkling of lively lemon and lemon zest fruit becoming preserved lemon, with a hint of bubblegum from long lees ageing. The great 2008 vintage charges it with a firm acid backbone that will benefit from a few more years in the cellar. 12.5% TS

Robert has hitched his wagon to producing Riesling from Mudgee, and it often turns out to be his best release. Again, this excels. Tutti-fruitti scents and whiffs of honey, matched by a curvaceous, slippery texture offering candied citrus flavours and another honeyed hit. Drinks well. 11.5% MB

91PTS $17.00

91PTS $37.00

91PTS $35.00

Hunter Valley Field Blend Block 08

DI GIORGIO FAMILY

ROBERT STEIN

MAJELLA

Coonawarra Sparkling Shiraz 2008 Beautiful expression of the Majella vineyard capturing the black plum, blackberry fruits, black pastilles and pepper of Coonawarra Shiraz from a great vintage. There’s layers of milk chocolate and spice, supported by fine, supple yet grippy tannins. 14.0% TS

91PTS $30.00

CHARLES STURT

Tumbarumba Reserve Sparkling 2010

A notably toasty/biscuity style for its age, yet retaining vitality, cool Tumbarumba acid line and good persistence.

Pinot Noir takes the lead in this rich and intense style.

11.8% TS

90PTS $27.50

Limestone Coast Lucindale Sparkling Merlot 2012

Margaret River Chenin Blanc 2014

FLAMETREE

PINDARIE

Barossa Valley Western Ridge Shiraz 2012

Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2014

Tastes exactly as it says on the tin: Limestone Coast Merlot with bubbles, filled with crunchy red- and blackcurrant fruit and leaf.

Tangy and crunchy with fine, well gauged tannin grip and a lick of dark chocolate oak on the finish. Will age. 12.5% TS

Chenin Blanc hasn’t won great public attention and can be polarising in its sweeter, simpler ilk, but when produced thoughtfully is super. Slippery then crunchy to finish. Balanced in fruit and acidity, with cucumber in tonic water flavours and a lick of gentle sweetness. Cool. 13.5% MB

Reminds me of rusted-out FJ Holdens, not the decay, but the sense of nostalgia: Barossa Shiraz with all the trimmings. Smooth texture and an almost-soupy hit of lush fruit, finishing earthy and savoury again. It’s a great drink. 14.5% MB

A Sauvignon of lime zest crunch and green pea character with intense fruit, tight Adelaide Hills acidity and good persistence. A lively quaffer and well priced.

13.0% TS

90PTS $19.00

90PTS $20.00

90PTS $26.00

90PTS $20.00

TIM ADAMS

CHANDON

The bright red berry fruits and red liquorice of Grenache, the earthy, structured Malbec and the black fruits and spice of Tempranillo make for an evenly balanced, appealing style of fine tannins and lingering fruit integrity. 14.5% TS

Dan Buckle admits to an obsession with Pinot Noir, and confesses that it’s tricky to achieve colour without phenolic tannin grip. Both are present here, with a delicate pomegranate, rose hip and musk personality, even, refreshing acid line and integrated dosage. 12.5% TS

90PTS $25.00

89PTS $32.00

The Fergus Clare Valley Grenache Tempranillo Malbec 2012

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LOGAN

Orange Moscato 375mL 2014

Margaret River Pinot Noir Chardonnay Brut 2011

Brut Rosé NV

HOWARD VINEYARD

Adelaide Hills Clover Sparkling Brut 2014

Well balanced and enticing for its youth with a touch of barrel fermented Chardonnay to bring a suggestion of toasty depth and texture. The main game here is Hills Pinot, lending a blush tint and primary red fruits. It’s young, fruity, simple, refreshing and a touch sweet. 12.0% TS

89PTS $22.00

SIDEWOOD ESTATE

MYATTS FIELD

Perth Hills Pinot Noir Chardonnay Methode Champenoise 2012 This is a bready, biscuity, yeasty sparkling from the Perth Hills, building lees-aged complexity over neutral apple/ lemon fruit. The bead is fine and creamy, and low dosage allows its acid line to linger undeterred. 11.5% TS

89PTS $28.00

WBM March 2015

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