Australia


Showing 25–36 of 53 results

  • House of Arras Vintage Rose 2016

    House of Arras Vintage Rose 2016

    £74.95

    “The 2016 Methode Traditionelle Rose pours such a light shade rose that one could be forgiven for not assuming it is rosé in the glass. On the nose, there are aromas of rose petals and strawberry tops, crushed oyster shell, ocean mist, caper brine and kelp. In the mouth, the wine is plump and layered, with toffee apple, lemongrass, flaked white chocolate and fennel. It is complex and savory, with attractive texture, too. It is ample, fine, long and saline. The wine spent six years on the lees. 13% alcohol. Drink: 2025-2036. 95 points”

    Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate (06/25)

    In Stock

  • Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

    Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

    £48.95

    “The 2019 Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon has admirable fruit presence in the mouth. As an immediate follow on from the great 2018 vintage, the 2019 vintage was cooler and wetter, but the average quality across the region was excellent. In many corners, the quality is argued as being on par with the 2019; it comes down to a matter of preference. Here, the wine is elegant and fine, very aromatic. It’s an excellent wine and a clear statement about the direction and refinement of the Cabernet program at Leeuwin. Drink: 2023-2045. 96+ points

    The release of the Art Series Chardonnay (in this case, the 2020 vintage) is tasted in this manner at the estate each year prior to vintage. This year, in 2023, we consider three verticals: Art Series Chardonnay 2020–1982, Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2019–2005 and the Art Series Shiraz 2011– 2021. In attendance at the tasting were siblings Justin and Simone Horgan (joint directors of the estate), winemakers Tim Lovett and Phil Hutchinson and estate viticulturist David Winstanley. As is usual for the wines from these vintages, the 2014 and 2018 Cabernets from Leeuwin Estate were standouts in this vertical. So, too, the cooler 2019 vintage. 2018 and 2019 are an interesting pair to compare, as I am reminded time and time again of their differences in style and personality now that they have settled in bottle. The two vintages were really quite different in conditions, and that, pleasingly, has yielded two very different wines in the glass. Personally, I have a penchant for the power and grace of the 2018; however, the aromatic detail and black heart of the 2019s is just as attractive, on different days of the week. No right or wrong. Just different. Though known for the Art Series Chardonnay, and for good reason, the quality of the Cabernets increases with every year that goes by (we can look to vine age, refinement of style, etc.). In terms of vintages to come, there is the warm and low-yielding 2020, the moderate but wet 2021 vintage, the warm and dry (and by all accounts and according to my 80+ barrel tastings) excellent 2022 and the cool, long, moderate and super fine 2023. Exciting times ahead for this region, and indeed, Leeuwin Estate.“

    Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate (07/23)

    In Stock

  • Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2022

    Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2022

    £86.95

    “The 2022 season was warm and low-yielding, particularly for Chardonnay, and many of the wines produced in the region this season can be typified by their nuttiness and a distinct chamomile tea/white flower character. Here, the 2022 Art Series Chardonnay is showing both of those characters, neatly wedged into the authoritative profile of Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay. Today, for perhaps the first time ever in seeing these wines on release, I note that the oak is a key player in the drinking experience—as ever, seamlessly matched to the fruit and an important part of the wine’s style and evident here today. There are toasted nuts, yellow fruits, exotic spices and an open fan of acidity/phenolics through the finish. This 2022 will prove to be a powerful and statuesque player in the wider footprint of Art Series Chardonnays. It’s one to collect, but for drinking in the short/immediate term, decanting is recommended. Sealed under screw cap. Drink: 2030-2047. 97 points”

    Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate (03/25)

    In Stock

  • Leeuwin Estate Art Series Shiraz 2020

    Leeuwin Estate Art Series Shiraz 2020

    £32.95

    “The 2020 Art Series Shiraz is complex and dense in the mouth. It has considerably more fruit power and concentration in the mouth than the cool 2021 release tasted alongside. There is red and purple fruits, alongside a skein of shapely savory tannin. It is fully resolved and ductile, very good, almost savory (a very good thing). The fruit for this wine was wholly sourced from the estate Peppy Park vineyard, 17 kilometers south of the main estate vineyard in Boodjidup. The fruit went over a sorting table, followed by a five-day cold soak. There is up to 20% whole bunch in this cuvée (none in 2017 or 2019), and it is composed of 100% WA Clone. The wine was matured for 18 months in 600-liter demi-muids (Rhone and a Bordelais coopers). “Our priority is opening up the canopies to obtain proper solarization of bunches,” said Lovett.”

    Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate (08/23)

    In Stock

  • Neldner Road Barossa & Eden Valleys Shiraz 2019

    Neldner Road Barossa & Eden Valleys Shiraz 2019

    £58.95

    “The 2019 Barossa & Eden Valleys Shiraz shows excellent, excellent concentration here. It is exciting, bloody, dark, dense and brooding. The two vineyards are picked and vinified separately and blended right before bottling. It matured in 4,500-liter foudre. “Eden and Barossa go together like tomato and basil,” says Dave Powell. 100 cases. Drink: 2022-2032. 94 points”

    Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate (09/22)

    In Stock

  • Patrick Sullivan Ada River Chardonnay 2025

    Patrick Sullivan Ada River Chardonnay 2025

    £64.95

    “The 2025 Ada River Chardonnay is an abundantly interesting wine. The texture on the middle palate is immediately the first aspect that makes an impression, with real, chewy width. The acidity tethers the wine to the length through the finish, making for engaging, electric drinking. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Drinking window: 2026-2035. 95 points

    According to Patrick Sullivan Wines: The Ada River vineyard was planted in 1982 by the Kelleher family at Neerim South in the foothills of Mount Baw Baw in Gippsland. The site is composed of uniform volcanic soils that run deep into basalt rock. The clonal selection is kept to P58 and I10V1 Chardonnay, with the total plantings to Chardonnay being just one a hectare. The vineyard is situated at 300 meters in elevation and has the fortune of 360-degree windbreaks that limit the occasional harsh winds pushing from the snowfields. The vineyard is 100% dry grown, which is evident through the intense fruit concentration. The fruit was hand-harvested into 15-kilogram baskets and transferred to the winery, then whole-cluster crushed into the press and drained off into tank for settling. Primary fermentation took place in barrique (30% new) over three weeks, followed by complete malolactic fermentation. Lees stirring occurred weekly until the completion of malolactic fermentation. The wine was then aged in barrique for 10 months.”

    Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate (04/26)

    In Stock

  • Patrick Sullivan Bull Swamp Chardonnay 2025

    Patrick Sullivan Bull Swamp Chardonnay 2025

    £56.95

    “The 2025 Bull Swamp Chardonnay leads with a magnificent nose of almond meal, white peach, salted lemon rind, vanilla sponge and even a hint—the merest—of curry leaf. In the mouth, this is flinty, salty and electric in its acid line and creamy/mealy through the finish. This is a little bit of everything in one glass, and I absolutely love it. There’s a rawness and openness to this wine that is compelling. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Drink: 2026-2035. 96 points

    Patrick Sullivan Wines: The Bull Swamp vineyard was planted in 1982 by the Farrington family on the very edge of the Warragul township (in Victoria, Australia, 102 kilometers southeast of Melbourne). The Bull Swamp Chardonnay comes from the oldest plantings of P58 clone on a north-facing aspect of the site. Deep, rich, volcanic soils nourish the dry-grown grape vines. The elevation is 100 meters, and this section of the vineyard receives the least amount of airflow relative to the other sites. The northerly aspect provides full sunlight and exposure, resulting in powerful, rich fruit. The fruit was hand-harvested into 15-kilogram baskets and transferred to the winery, then whole-cluster crushed into the press and drained off into tank for settling. Primary fermentation took place in barrique (30% new) over three weeks, followed by complete malolactic fermentation. Lees stirring occurred weekly until the completion of malolactic fermentation. The wine was then aged in barrique for 10 months.”

    Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate (04/26)

    In Stock

  • Patrick Sullivan Camp Hill Chardonnay 2025

    Patrick Sullivan Camp Hill Chardonnay 2025

    £59.95

    Awaiting a review

    In Stock

  • Powell & Son Barossa Grenache/Shiraz/Mataro 2017

    Powell & Son Barossa Grenache/Shiraz/Mataro 2017

    £49.95

    “Vivid ruby. Pungent, spice-accented scents of ripe red and dark berries, cola, potpourri and smoky minerals. Smooth and expansive on the palate, offering juicy cherry-vanilla and boysenberry flavors that are complemented by a hint of peppery spices. Becomes more taut with air and finishes smoky and very long, with building tannins adding shape and grip. Drinking window: 2024-2032. 93 points

    After parting ways with Torbreck, the winery that he founded in 1994, David Powell took a brief pause and returned in grand style with his son, Callum, for this project. Readers familiar with the wines that Powell made over the years at Torbreck will no doubt appreciate these extroverted, intensely perfumed and flavored wines, which show the full-throated Barossa style at its best. These wines exhibit almost shockingly fine detail for their mass and power. The thick-staved barrels made by Dominique Laurent are omnipresent here, and they are ideally suited for the extended aging regimen that Powell favors. While the barrel presence in these 2017s is undeniable, so is fruit intensity, which makes me confident that, with patience, the wines are more than capable of absorbing the oak.”

    Josh Raynolds, Vinous (12/21)

    In Stock

  • Powell & Son Brennecke Grenache 2016

    Powell & Son Brennecke Grenache 2016

    £219.99

    “The 150 cases of the 2016 Brennecke Grenache will no doubt sell out quickly. Aged in 100% new Tronçais barriques, the nose hints at woodsmoke, crushed stone and pencil shavings, while the full-bodied palate reveals crystalline-pure, bright cranberry and pie-cherry flavors. It’s surprisingly crisp, with herb and savory notes on the long, zesty finish. Although the supple tannins make this wine approachable now, I’d give it a couple of years in the cellar to better harmonize and soften. Drink: 2020-2030. 95 points

    Dave Powell was the founding winemaker at Torbreck (1994), where he single-handedly built the brand into a major player before being ousted in a business dispute. The 2016s are the third vintage for him and his son Callum under the Powell & Son label. Many of the vineyard sources are similar to those he worked with previously, but there’s no doubt Callum has had an impact on the style of the wines, as they’re definitively not Torbreck. The changes are subtle, but there’s a finer eye on the oak and gentle extraction, all in pursuit of intricacy and detail in the finished wines. “It’s been crucial for me to have Callum come in and give another perspective,” said Powell. The stars of the lineup are the Steinert and Kraehe Shirazes, very different expressions from very different sites, but it is impossible to go wrong with any of the latest releases.”

    Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate (238)

    In Stock

  • Powell & Son Eden Valley Riesling 2017

    Powell & Son Eden Valley Riesling 2017

    £34.95

    “There are 300 cases of the 2017 Riesling, sourced from 90-year-old dry-grown vines. Really vibrant and fresh, it boasts aromas of lime and wet stone, finishing dry, clean and crisp. It will round out a bit with age, but it’s so enjoyable now, I’d opt for drinking it young. Drink: 2018-2030. 91 points

    Dave Powell was the founding winemaker at Torbreck (1994), where he single-handedly built the brand into a major player before being ousted in a business dispute. The 2016s are the third vintage for him and his son Callum under the Powell & Son label. Many of the vineyard sources are similar to those he worked with previously, but there’s no doubt Callum has had an impact on the style of the wines, as they’re definitively not Torbreck. The changes are subtle, but there’s a finer eye on the oak and gentle extraction, all in pursuit of intricacy and detail in the finished wines. “It’s been crucial for me to have Callum come in and give another perspective,” said Powell. The stars of the lineup are the Steinert and Kraehe Shirazes, very different expressions from very different sites, but it is impossible to go wrong with any of the latest releases.”

    Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate (08/18)

    In Stock

  • Powell & Son Kleinig Mataro 2016

    Powell & Son Kleinig Mataro 2016

    £239.99

    “There are two barrels (50 cases) of the 2016 Kleinig Mataro. Like many Barossa Mataros, it’s more red-fruited than black, with wild swirls of Provençal-like garrigue and licorice notes. Full-bodied and supple but firmly structured, with fine-grained tannins lining the finish, it should age well for a couple of decades. Drink: 2025-2040. 95 points

    Dave Powell was the founding winemaker at Torbreck (1994), where he single-handedly built the brand into a major player before being ousted in a business dispute. The 2016s are the third vintage for him and his son Callum under the Powell & Son label. Many of the vineyard sources are similar to those he worked with previously, but there’s no doubt Callum has had an impact on the style of the wines, as they’re definitively not Torbreck. The changes are subtle, but there’s a finer eye on the oak and gentle extraction, all in pursuit of intricacy and detail in the finished wines. “It’s been crucial for me to have Callum come in and give another perspective,” said Powell. The stars of the lineup are the Steinert and Kraehe Shirazes, very different expressions from very different sites, but it is impossible to go wrong with any of the latest releases.”

    Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate (238)

    In Stock