Winery Wine Vintage Varietal Wine Region Sub Region Rating Drink By RRP Alcohol
Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard The Ridge 2014 Semillon Hunter Valley
94 2020 $45.00 12.2
Held back two years prior to release, and not in the very lean style you can see the development into lemon with the developed bottle aged lanolin and waxy aromas. The palate is poised walks between teens and twenties the acidity is youthful racy and vibrant with the ripe fruits wears fashionable clothes showing orange peel, green apricot, waxy lemon flavours. Drinking this suits poetry reading.
Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard Winemakers Selection 2015 Semillon Hunter Valley
91 2018 $28.00 11
The aromas here are a text book array of lemony fruits in all the forms juice with zest and preserved. The palate is a sprinter, light, lithe, racy, well judged regional acidity very pure lemony fruits with lemon wine gums almost confectionary to close. Seafood wine drink young to capture the racy brightness and lovely balance.
Barossa Valley Estate 2014 Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre Barossa Valley
96 2019 $26.99 14
This wine strikes a great balance, ripe while avoiding over-ripe. Aromas are liquorice, raspberry, thyme and savoury smoked meats, iodine seaside scents add a really classy complexity, resulting in reigned in ripeness rather than jam. Nicely chosen grenache, looking very fresh and modern. It is delicious in the mouth and the ripe grenache tannins are silky, sweetly round and generously mouth coating with fleshy middle palate flavour and equally proportioned tannin weight. A truly complex wine but really a definitive grenache despite the other varieties. The finish is cleaned by fine tannins with the grenache raspberry adding a final lingering perfume.
Bremerton Wines Racy Rosé 2015 Grenache Merlot Tempranillo Langhorne Creek
89 2016 $17.00 12.5
Strawberry jam and watermelon fruits into a generous palate with good length and fullness of rich red fruit with lingering tamarillo and watermelon. A great wine, well structured, great energy and flavoured dry to close.
Castagna Growers Selection 2014 Chardonnay Beechworth
91 2019 $45.00 13
Balance, intrigue and modernity. The aromas are savoury edged; wholemeal biscuits from oak, mineral from cloudy juice ferment decorate the pear varietal fruits. The palate has a creamy attack underlying firm acid drive, creamy up front and spare framed firm, long structured pear flavour.
Castagna Genesis 2013 Syrah Viognier Beechworth
95 2033 $75.00 13.5
Quality shiraz with graphite floral, dark berry, dark chocolate panaforte and white pepper glossed by a smidgeon of viognier. The palate is ripe, fleshy fruit, silky and long fine tannins that glide smoothly with excellent length of blue and dark berry and fine white pepper savoury to finish. Very complete, complex, fruit driven and savoury.
Castle Rock Estate Skywalk 2015 Riesling Great Southern
90 2020 $20.00 12.5
The delights of a young riesling here, in the varietal groove with freshness poised selection of florals, varietal spice with the vitality of a bouquet of roses and solid flavours of lemon and lime fruit salad served in a room full of freshly picked white roses. Food wine not cocktails.
Centennial Vineyards Reserve Single Vineyard 2014 Shiraz Orange
95 2019 $30.00 14.6
A bay leaf dark chocolate spice with floral aromas. The palate is medium bodied, red fruited with raspberry and red cherry. Good length, fabulous tannins, freshness and distinctive flavours. A youthful finish.
Chain of Ponds The Ledge 2013 Shiraz Adelaide Hills
91 2020 $38.00 13.5
The essential shiraz ripe berry fruits here in dark cherry, morello form and dark chocolate caramel toffee oak. The soft tannins and plump morello dark cherry fruits are finely structured floating across the tongue with fruit freshness tannin finish and a distinctive savoury smoked meats spice finish.
Cherubino Wines Nitty Gritty 2015 Pinot Grigio Western Australia Pemberton
90 2016 $21.00 13
Personality with pleasurable drinking and style. Pear and apple, good mouth feel, touch of funky middle palate weight, fresh and light lingering hot cross bun, cinnamon and burnt sugar spice. Freshness is a feature without coarseness.
Cockfighter’s Ghost Reserve 2015 Semillon Hunter Valley
90 2021 $38.00 10.5
In traditional style with lemon into sunlight soap in hot water, waxy fragrance. The palate is full and ripe for the style with good weight, appealing middle palate fruit and acid tension with complexity from tip to back carried by a precise acid is with white fruits, into preserved lemon lingering lemon zest. Drinks well on release and avoids the “challenging” acidity of some youngsters from this part of the world.
Coldstream Hills Reserve 2015 Chardonnay Yarra Valley
95 2025 $59.99 13
The colour is pure with the pear and apple fruit aroma showing restrained and classic funky notes. Minerality in the precision of the aroma showing beautiful barrel ferment aromas. Delicious refined palate with varietal pear and apple flavours cloaked in complexity and running linear pulled to together by a slight phenolic edge. The acid shepherds the middle palate defining the structure refining the complex white fruits and barrel ferment to define the finish.
Curlewis Winery 2013 Pinot Noir Geelong
92 2022 $45.00 13
‘Dried herbs, meaty and red berry fruits. In the mouth, layered red fruits, fine tannins and good lines of complexity with the fruit and tannins weaving together to build a tense chewy finish.
De Bortoli Villages 2015 Pinot Noir Yarra Valley
91 2017 $22.00 13
Very Yarra red cherry in personality, nicely judged balance, even intensity of flavour and structure from subtle stemmy notes of spiced oak and well centred red fruit flavours. Very complete in the middle palate and very good value for the price.
De Bortoli G.S 2015 Pinot Noir Yarra Valley
87 2017 $16.99 13.5
Appealing aromas showing Yarra red cherry raspberry fruits with gentle spices and a flicker of smoked meats. In the mouth it is ripe red cherry, medium bodied, a touch minty and astringent. The medium length tannic flavours finish firm. Needs food, offering decent value.
Devil’s Lair 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Western Australia Margaret River
93 2025 $49.99 14
There is a fresh sprig of mint that sits well with the cedar, cassis and dark chocolate character of this wine. The muscular tannins hit mid palate and provide structure and finesse. Drink it or keep it – it has the ability for both.
Evans and Tate Redbrook 2013 Chardonnay Margaret River
94 2017 $49.00 13.5
Complex and subtle funky flavours with wine maker skilled use of techniques with cashew, lees and wild ferment. The palate cranks up the Metricup road wine style and offers a creamy, rich, focused and harmonious palate, with the lees adding complexity. The overall effect is long, light footed and lithe with a clean, structured finish.
Ferngrove King 2013 Malbec Great Southern Frankland River
82 2016 $32.00 14
Intense and distinctive oak dominates the wines black fruits aromas. In the mouth, solid and a relatively thick textured concentrated wine with blue berry, butterscotch, oak and a warm finish.
Fletcher Wines The Minion 2014 Nebbiolo Victoria
94 2019 $35.00 14
Pyrenees, King Valley and Yarra Valley. Ripe rather than jammy, more about the complexity of different vineyard sources than over ripe fruitiness. Showing red fruits, red licorice, thyme and raspberry aromas. The palate is silky up front, ripe red plum fruits, good middle into black cherry back palate and then the hallmark dry tannin length. A very good wine.
Fox Creek 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon McLaren Vale
90 2017 $20.00 14.5
Herbal edges, lawn seed, leafy and ripe black fruits with a long smooth black currant wine gum fruit. Good drink now style with the cabernet refinement of length, over boldness typical of shiraz and finishing with a whisper of wine gums and black currant, smoked meats and savoury oak.
Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard 2014 Merlot Yarra Valley
92 2019 $45.00 14
Very pretty aromas of red fruits and well judged toasty oak adding charcuterie to help lift and season the raspberry fruits. In the mouth, juicy raspberry, silky tannins and a savoury note before the cedar oak builds and sustains the finish. Very good balance and fair complexity.
Grey Sands Byzantine 2013 Chardonnay Viognier Malvasia Bianca Tasmania
90 2017 $40.00
A complex barrel fermented white wine that shows little viognier aromatics. Creamed honey with gentle musk and dried flowers on the nose. Appealing structure, that is morish, fresh, long and medium bodied with complex flavours of honey, dried flowers and white fruits in fresh acidity.
Handpicked Collection 2013 Shiraz Heathcote
94 2020 $69.99 13.6
The dense fruits show strong regional personality with a liquorice, mineral, cordite core under the raspberry sarsaparilla aromas. In the mouth the linear qualities of great wine, long rimmed with acidity fine grained tannins that bridge the length of the palate with really complex dark fruits, citrus edged black berry fruits and fruit oak tannin.
Heemskerk Coal River Valley 2014 Chardonnay Tasmania
95 2021 $49.99 12.5
Aims to be a sophisticated and elegant style with gentle stone fruit and cashew oak weaving complexity to the aromas. The palate has a restrained elegance with intensity, length and Burgundian spectrum flavours with savoury mineral and drying tannin texture that needs time to develop the flavour length.
Hollick Estates 2014 Shiraz Wrattonbully
89 2018 $25.00 14.5
Super ripe black fruits wed to mocha oak with purity, freshness and simplicity. In the mouth, ripe perfumed red fruits, maraschino red cherry in the middle with the high alcohol pulling intense oak flavours and tannins to close. Very ripe and “true blue” authentic Australian in style.
Jasper Hill Georgia’s Paddock 2014 Nebbiolo Heathcote
92 2022 $64.00 14
The oak and tarry red fruit are balanced earthy dark notes with rancio and soya complexity. In the mouth, structure and subtle fruit presence, mineral length and harmony between wine maker and fruit handling, good tannins, ripe red licorice through oregano. The fruits are not over the top with well judged tannins and very long in even flavour and texture.
Jasper Hill Occam’s Razor 2014 Shiraz Heathcote
92 2022 $46.00 15.5
From the get go this has fruit presence; generous, ripe red cherry, maraschino and red plum fruit notes with vanilla oak in the back ground. This cuts a swathe through other wines with a very ripe long generous classic Heathcote red fruit flavours with exceptional flavour and tannin length, chalky finish thanks to the licorice tarry grape tannins.
Jasper Hill Emily’s Paddock 2014 Shiraz Cabernet Franc Heathcote
95 2027 $99.00 15
Very composed tight young red here with quality oak, red fruits, dried herbs, shiraz spices and mineral spice. The creamy quality oak notes support the fruit, very fine tannins, ripe fruits front palate, very drinkable now. This plump minerally ripe long wine has a fair dash of mocha and very fine tannins full of youthful vigour, a “Penfolds-like” tannin, quite bright fruited. Freshest most balanced of the 2014’s and very youthful in 2016.
Karrawatta Sophie’s Hill 2015 Pinot Grigio Adelaide Hills
88 2016 $26.00 12
Complex white fruit salad layered with gentle older oak aromas creates a wine with noticeable energy and aromatic interest. The palate is chardonnay statuesque, some vanilla to the creamy pears in yoghurt and the finish is slightly grippy. Full, flavoursome, food friendly style.
Katnook Founder’s Block 2014 Shiraz Coonawarra
86 2017 $20.00 13.5
Mirrepoix, celery and dark berry aromas. The flavours verge on stemmy and the ripe raspberry fruits sit front and middle with barely there tannins adding a parsnip edge to the finish.
Kay Brothers Basket Pressed 2014 Grenache McLaren Vale
91 2022 $25.00 14
Another ripper from this label. Shy red fruits and dried chicken spices are very focused here. In the mouth, very linear and lengthy, the soft tannins with medium intensity fruit possess a lovely minerality and gentle fruit power. Not the ripe powerhouse of 2012, but a charming fine boned savoury style to drink sooner. Finesse in grenache with a minerality.
Kay Brothers Amery Block 6 2013 Shiraz McLaren Vale
93 2028 $75.00 14.5
Deep, dark colour with plum and black berry into earthy dark fruits. To taste the silky tannins are very regional and frame the dark fruit complexity with savoury meat stock and mineral initially until the carpet unfolds into a very long red berry finish. A wine for contemplation and drinking slowly on a thoughtful day such as Anzac day. Quality McLaren Vale reds have tannins that are part of the flavour as is the case here.
Killerby Wines Premium Sauvignon Blanc 2015 Sauvignon Blanc Margaret River
90 2016 $26.00 13
Green bean, sage and thyme aromas quaffing wine intensity. The palate has ripe semillon, creamy length, slippery texture, drink young style with crunchy acidity. The semillon owning the length, custard, apple and sauvignon blanc tropical nettles on the top notes and close.
La Prova Aglianico Rosato 2015 Aglianico Adelaide Hills
89 2016 $25.00 12.5
Fresh and fruity enough for the Sunday BBQ set showing blood orange and watermelon aromas with fleshy citrus orange, pomegranate and raspberry fruits in the deep middle palate, don’t serve too cold.
Langmeil Orphan Bank 2013 Shiraz Barossa
93 2020 $50.00 14.5
For lovers of full bodied reds, a bouncing Barossa wine. Bright red plum fruit, bay leaf back stop; if this were a tennis ball it would bounce higher than any other. Nice oak touch, very thoughtful wine making with lovely balance overall. Ripe, fresh, fine tannin united by well judged oak firmness and lengthened with stewed plum.
Leeuwin Estate Siblings 2015 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Margaret River
86 2018 $23.00 13.5
Grapefruit, sausage meats and a touch of smoke leads to a taunt, medium long middle palate, citrus into funky tropical finish.
Leo Buring Leopold 2015 Riesling Tasmania
94 2023 $39.99 12.5
Tasmania is known for delicate riesling styles and this Leopold fits that description well. Ethereally perfumed with elderflower, lemon zest, lemon balm and white peach, there is plenty of pretty fruit. The linear acid leaves a slight firmness on the finish. A bottle of this with a plate of seafood sounds just right.
Lethbridge Mietta 2012 Pinot Noir Geelong
95 2022 $95.00 13
A savoury and taunt swirling mix of dark cherry, mineral stemmy herbal elements with an exquisite aromatic balance. The palate has classic pinot sweet fruits appealing glycerol and fruit ripeness wrapped in silky tannins creating a structured even full bodied wine of great length. A lovely mix of ripe fruit, stemmy spice and dark cherry fruits. A well grown,well made and matured wine that is exceptional after decanting for three hours.
Miles from Nowhere 2014 Shiraz Margaret River
89 2016 $15.00 14.4
Spicy edged sulphides give a sweaty, grapefruity edge to the dark fruits and butter malo aromas add dimension to the quality fruit. The tannins are soft, the raspberry middle palate is fresh and generous, medium bodied and lingering red cherry jam fruits. Some sulphuric notes close down the fruit flavours.
Moorilla Estate Praxis St Matthias Vineyard 2015 Sauvignon Blanc Tasmania
94 2018 $30.00 13.5
This is a pristine fresh wine with a white peach minerality and green passion fruit aromas. The palate has appealing qualities of restrained black currant sage flavours, silky textures and a long finish of passion fruit and lingering guava.
Mr Riggs Cold Chalk 2013 Chardonnay Adelaide Hills
90 2017 $30.00 12.5
The theme of subtle bottle age development is part of the current releases. Lees and honey figs lead to a round, even, medium long middle palate of pears, toffee and nougat on the finish.
Newbridge 2012 Shiraz Bendigo
90 2018 $25.00 14.5
Black, juicy, soft fleshy fruits with enticing licorice smells. Ripe and spicy up front, mouth filling, minty black berry fruits with tongue coating soft tannins and a generous intensity of fruit power that is followed by pepper and licorice spice.
Paracombe The Reuben 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Cabernet Franc Malbec, Shiraz Adelaide Hills
90 2020 $23.00 14.5
Dark fruits flowing from fresh raspberry, black currant, rhubarb and sour red cherry aromas. It has mid week drinking tannins with powerful fruit that will hold for a few years hence moderate development potential. In the mouth, juicy ripe black cherry and currants running rhubarb and green raspberries to finish.
Pepper Tree Elderslee Road 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Wrattonbully
91 2029 $42.00 14.2
Penfolds like Wrattonbully tannins for their house style reds. Here the wine is quietly maturing. Closed aromas with musk stick, grass seed, leafy hay and black fruit. The fruit power is long, ripe and even, dark fruits and the chalky tannins are chewy to close the finish.
PHI Lusatia Park Vineyard 2012 Chardonnay Yarra Valley
95 2023 $45.00 12.5
Subtle salty cashew oak aromas, lead to a silky, subtle long and refined wine with the fine wine conundrum of texture, length and lightness with the presumption of no added acids creating a juicy length. Very stylish and sophisticated.
Pikes Wines Traditionale 2015 Riesling Clare Valley
94 2019 $27.00 12
The pine lime juicy fruit aromas of great riesling with immediate pleasing flavour fullness. In the mouth, structure and a superior style to many 2015 with a full palate and fine acidity. Most of this is drunk in sea food restaurants and it will sing for your seafood with the fullness that Pikes have delivers reliably for years.
Pooles Rock Single Vineyard 2014 Semillon Hunter Valley
95 2020 $45.00 12
This is a very different style and is all the better for it, savoury edges into the nose wild ferment then lemon, flinty edged aromas. The palate has fullness and extends itself quickly showing how much room to move the variety has. A full hit, lovely texture, roundness through the middle of your mouth, great weight, a touch of funky earthy savoury flavours fine lemony finish matched to the crisp acid zip.
Richard Hamilton 2015 Sauvignon Blanc Adelaide Hills
90 2017 $20.00 12.5
Nice balance between the green pea, passion fruit and tropical fruit intensity. The palate is fresh, middle palate is well covered in passion fruit and pineapple fruit salad, finishing with a fresh acidity and a flick of green pea fruit freshness that adds interest.
Richard Hamilton The Hills 2015 Pinot Gris Adelaide Hills
89 2016 $20.00 12.5
Appealing balanced freshness and focused fruit at a tidy price. Fresh fig, pear and marzipan fruit aromas that is true to the variety with Adelaide Hills freshness. An intriguing palate with upfront flavours of fresh mandarin into orange before the familiar pear fruits fill the middle palate.
Riversdale Estate Wines 2013 Pinot Gris Tasmania Coal River Valley
92 2019 $19.00 13.5
This is a fresh pear, cooked apple gentle style of fruit aromas with lush complexities. Has cool juicy elegance and fresh pear poached stone fruit flavours in the middle palate with its subtle vibrant sherberty bright acids and a firm food friendly finish and freshness.
Rymill Maturation Release 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Coonawarra
95 2020 $45.00 14.5
Harmony, integration and good bottle development are evident with blue berry dark chocolate, a wine with an Armani suit of bottle age bring the dark and poised fruits with great style. In the mouth a deep fruit filled palate featuring ripe, long and nicely polished tannins with an understated oak tailoring the dark bramble black currant and black berry. A hint of mocha on the finish and the fine grained chalky tannins. Approaching full maturity and a joy to drink.
Sinapius Pipers Brook 2012 Chardonnay Tasmania
94 2023 $38.00 13
Aromas are very appealing; purity and freshness with lovely lemon pith, grapefruit and lemon zest. An elegant length while in the mouth, with mineral acids and pure citrus fruits up front that gradually build into savoury nutty elements with a youthful complex finish.
Soumah Wild Savagnin 2015 Savagnin Yarra Valley
91 2018 $32.00 13.2
Very modern style smelling savoury and funky waxy nutty oak while in the mouth the oak tannins add drive and wild ferment adds texture, structure, nice mouth feel with length and the style moves to more main course hipster firmness with medium long.
Stargazer 2014 Pinot Noir Tasmania Derwent Valley
95 2024 $50.00 13.5
From a year with half the normal crop and tiny berry size comes this flavourful pinot. Fresh varietal strawberry; cooked and preserved, and dark spiced oak in the background from the larger oak. The flavours are ripe strawberry and taunt raspberry with impeccable balance and deceptive concentration. Chalky finish.
Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz Wrattonbully
94 2018 $55.00 15.1
This has a regional aroma, choc mint edges before black currant and black berry in the core. In the mouth the fine grained tannins of cabernet, great density of structure, glossy from long oak aging, ripe black berry fruit, grape tannins and dark liqueur fruits with a touch of rancio development in the finish. Intensity, density and best to drink sooner rather than later.
TarraWarra Estate 2014 Pinot Noir Yarra Valley
92 2018 $28.00 13.2
Delightful ripe fresh fruits; a punnet of summer berries, raspberry and cranberry. The palate is morish with balanced oak contribution for drinking young and a stern line in the back ground from well judged subtle stalk tannin adding length and a subtle green strawberry snap to the finish.
TarraWarra Estate Reserve 2014 Chardonnay Yarra Valley
93 2024 $80.00 12.5
A stylish wine with a complex aroma balancing wine making with early picked fruit. Savoury notes of oak, oat meal, nougat, flint and cool citrus fruits. The palate has creamy weight and textural length, crisp Chablis like acidity and lingering pears and fine grained tannins to close. A keeper.
Tate Alexanders Vineyard 2014 Chardonnay Margaret River
91 2018 $24.00 13
Modern in the best way, with a fresh drive and line in the mouth the quality is in the harmony and regionality. High noted, complex, toasty wild honey and vanilla brulee notes. The palate is crisply assertive, needs food as a style concentrated complete and interrelated flavours with the aromas repeated.
Tim Adams The Fergus 2013 Grenache Tempranillo Malbec Clare Valley
93 2020 $24.00 14
Finetuned oak and fruit balance with a freshness showing a cool edge and minty herbal subtlety over ripe red berry. Ripe, lovely medium weight, complex and long; ideal for our climate as it is plush fruits up front, dusty tannins and dried herbs. Lovely older oak flavours and fine fruit tannins add structure that create a savoury length and tone the finish. Runs fruit past the slight herbal to finish alongside raspberry grenache.
Tomich Hill Rhyme & Reason 2014 Pinot Grigio Adelaide Hills
88 2016 $20.00 12.5
Varietal spiced pears, banana and blossom with floral lift leads to a middle weight lively acid and fresh fruit palate with pear and zest on the middle and medium long in flavour. Cocktail party wine.
Voyager Estate Project 95 2012 Chardonnay Margaret River
95 2023 $55.00 12.4
Single vineyard and single clone #95 and 120 dozen made. Flowery citrus sweet fruit and oak in a refined chardonnay style with gentle elegance through the fennel into white mushrooms. The palate has width and length, very middle palate rich with guava and kiwi fruit flavours into feijoa. Not big in weight but silky and flowing. Drink 2017 onwards.
Wolf Blass Gold Label 2015 Chardonnay Adelaide Hills
93 2018 $27.99 13.5
The focus is on fruit, riper this year than most by a degree, almost tropical, with generous barrel ferment vanilla almost brulee oak. The palate is rich, white fruit complex and long pears and apple, great structure, density and bright acidity defining the length while the finish is subtle, clean and complex. Offers balance and yet again a reliable go to style for Adelaide Hills
Yellowglen Perle Vintage 2012 Pinot Noir Pinot Meunier Chardonnay Adelaide Hills
93 2018 $24.99 12
Classic yeast notes, complex mature fruit aromas with yellow fruit tartin and smoky subtle cracked yeast pinot savoury notes. This is complex, in the mouth long and full bodied style with lime like chalky acidity from chardonnay driving the rich pinot fruit, pastry flavours on the middle to a yeasty toasty conclusion.
Thirst of May
Thirst of May
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