Grampians Blanc de Blanc. It's light on the fizz, the first thing that caught my eye. A little more energy and spark would have been good. The cork was awfully pedestrian in its exit and needed some persuasion only to be missing a 'pop' of any sort. It could be bottle variation?
Dense and concentrated, this Shiraz from the Hunter Valley's Parched Crow walks through the door with arms wide open ready to give an embrace.
Yalumba's flagship Shiraz. Long and moreish, this Octavius is best suited for those late night D&Ms. Sip slow and stay a while.
As the back label says, this is an 'Old world inspired traditional white blend'.
Primo Yalumba Cabernet from one of the sweet spots for the variety in Australia, Coonawarra. This is an excellent wine. I could sit in a corner and sip this all night and not feel guilty that I didn't share a drop. What a glamour!
Hold 'em back! Too many Australian Pinot Noirs are released too young. But isn't it great to see something hit the shelves with five years on it? What a precious gem this is. Boom!
What a find! I tasted this at the Coonawarra Roadshow and was instantly impressed. For $30, it is an insanely delicious Cabernet. Get around it.
Aged Semillon is a beautiful thing. It was great to see the 2016 and 2017 aged releases from De Iuliis side by side. I preferred this 2017 to the 2016.
Muse is 'the subtle and complex' so the label says. And this exemplifies that. A fabulous glass of fizz from Tasmania's Moorilla, I'd happily recommend this ahead of those imported Frenchies at the same price point.
This batch of Shiraz didn't fit the reserve range so it was kept on its own - smart move. Seeing 15% new oak for 18 months, it's a little bit different. But good different as some may say - it's like a Cherry Ripe in a glass.
These latest releases from Huntington Estate have to be consistently the best I've seen across the range for a number of years. Bravo! The top end reds are in some serious form. This Cabernet is a treat and will reward further cellaring but there is no reason why you can't rip in now.
A wine that grows on you, for a label I don't know much about I walk away suitably impressed. Very nicely done here.
One of those sip slow and embrace wines, I was infatuated with the depth on offer. Decant for now or let it reward with some cellaring, this is an impressive Beechworth Shiraz.
My first look at Rockbare for what seems eons. It's great to be back and check out this beauty. In short, it just feels great.
This is a fabulous Chardonnay. Great fruit, well-handled oak, and all up, it's wonderfully balanced. I'll have a large pour, please.
The sibling to the Optume Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, this is elegant, delicate and lacy. Silky and wonderfully balanced, it's an excellent Yarra Valley Shiraz.
Releasing a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Yarra Valley fetching $800 was always going to create some controversy and split opinion. And it is no surprise that this Levantine Hill Optume has done precisely just that.
Sourced from a couple of undisclosed vineyards, it's worth putting a few things in perspective... Roughly 60 dozen each of the Cabernet Sauvignon and its Shiraz sibling were produced. What winemaker Paul Bridgeman and the team at Levantine Hill have proven in the past is that no stone is left unturned in their quest to produce the best wines possible.
Gee the label is pretty schmick. A salute to pink pin strips on the inside of a suit. The 2016 was a cracker at 93pts - no pressure on this 2017...
Dense, twiggy, delicately spiced and autumnal, this is cool nights and deep chats with your love along with an optional side of duck. From the get-go I'm hooked. A superb Pinot Noir.
