Australia & NZ
These far-flung wine regions may be referred to ‘new’ when compared against the historic European wine regions, but they have a long winemaking history. Spared from Phylloxera, Australia in particular has world's highest concentration of venerable vines and legendary producers such as Penfolds, Henschke and Tyrell’s have been around for over 150 years. Though for many years piggybacking on Europe’s successes, branding their own wines as ‘Chablis’, ‘Hermitage’ etc., Australia now have created a real identity of their own, making inimitable styles like Coonawarra Cabernet or Hunter Valley Semillon.
New Zealand doesn’t quite have as an extensive history but has established itself in an astonishingly short amount of time as a reliable source of whistle clean, distinctive examples of varietals like Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc.
Australia & NZ
-
Matthew Jukes (19.5+)
I had to wait two hours for this wine to budge in the glass and reveal just a few chapters of its extraordinary flavour. Initially, this is a super-earthy, backward, and introverted Pinot, and if I were on a fly-by-style tasting, I would have marked it down as closed and incommunicative. It certainly needs time, but I am convinced that this is a genuine Grand Cru-level New Zealand Pinot, and I have not tasted many of these in my nearly four decades in wine. While the first taste was firm, unyielding and gruff, second and third visits revealed violets and plums, exotic hints, ravishing bitterness, and then, later, volleys of exquisite fruit and earthy. This is a desperately important wine for Escarpment, Martinborough, and New Zealand and will surely blow peoples’ minds. Just remember to be patient.Inc. VAT£383.15 -
Wine Advocate (94+)
Deep, dark and intense, there are 330 cases of the 2014 Heipipi The Terraces Malbec Merlot Cabernet Franc. Plummy and rich, it's full-bodied, with velvety tannins that give a sense of plushness in the mouth. Traces of oak remain, hinting at cedar and vanilla, but what impresses is the depth and power of the fruit, which is expressed without any sense of jamminess or surmaturité. Give it a couple of years in the cellar, and drink it over the next decade.Inc. VAT£533.98 -
(6x75cl) 2023Inc. VAT£238.40 -
(1x75cl) 2016Wine Advocate (92)
Unusually delicate red fruit notes mark the nose of the 2016 Pinot Noir. It's a mélange of strawberry, raspberry and cherry, with some herbal notes, cola and spice blended in. In the mouth, the wine is medium-bodied and supple, with a long, silky finish.Inc. VAT£123.20 -
Bob Campbell MW (95)
Delicately-scented pinot noir with appealing violet, red rose, dark cherry, anise and subtle smoky oak flavours. A supple wine with an ethereal, seamless texture. This entry-level pinot noir sets the bar high for the more illustrious labels.Inc. VAT£382.32 -
Vinous (92)
The 2020 Pinot Noir Bannockburn is welcoming as well as rich, savory and sinewy, delivering a plump cloud of both lifted and brooding fruit: a portion of whole-cluster fermentation has brought herbal and violet high notes alongside red and black cherry. There's excellent concentration despite this being the entry to the Felton Pinot range, and fine, lightly furry tannins on the medium-long finish. This could be approached now, but it’s better to wait a couple of years to let the components settle.Inc. VAT£540.35 -
(1x75cl) 2021Inc. VAT£110.00 -
Inc. VAT£356.75 -
(12x75cl) 2022Inc. VAT£496.87 -
Inc. VAT£359.15 -
Wine Advocate (93)
The 2023 Bannockburn Pinot Noir is vibrant and spicy, with real energy and pace on the palate. Cherry, cranberry, pomegranate and raspberry converge on a springy base of pliable tannin. The acidity, which is bright, is woven through all aspects of the fruit, and the wine feels exciting and fresh as a result. This is a great wine here. It has full flavor and resolved texture at a moderate alcohol level. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.Inc. VAT£244.32 -
(1x75cl) 2013Vinous (94)
(14% alcohol on the label): Dark, fresh red. Sexy aromas of raspberry and rose petal plus a touch of smoky minerality. Imploded, extract-rich wine with gripping flavors of crunchy berries and savory soil tones. Chewy, impeccably balanced Pinot Noir with terrific rising length and finesse. This should reward further aging. (Incidentally, Walter also opened a bottle of the 2012 Block 3, which offered sexy scents of red fruits and truffley underbrush and lovely sweetness to its lush flavors of strawberry and smoke. This wine from thick-skinned grapes and a cool summer has plenty of fat but is a bit burlier and seems more heavily extracted than the 2013 version. I rated it 93 points and recommend that it be consumed within the next four or five years.)Inc. VAT£159.86 -
(6x75cl) 2022Wine Advocate (94+)
The 2022 Block 3 Pinot Noir leads with licorice and exotic spice, clear red fruit and lashings of plump, mouth-filling tannins. This is a wine of ease, of effortless flow of tannin and acid as one. It's a beauty. Today, it's showing more of its exotic spice than its red fruit. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.Inc. VAT£710.99 -
Inc. VAT£100.13 -
Wine Advocate (93)
The 2018 Calvert Pinot Noir displays intertwined briary notes of red raspberries and resinous herbs. It's medium-bodied, with supple, slightly dusty tannins, but there's also a wiry backbone of acidity that further brightens the wine and imparts terrific length on the mocha-tinged finish.Inc. VAT£381.12 -
Decanter (97)
A harmonious wine, so generous and giving that you nearly overlook the firm spine of acidity and tannin that shows its pedigree. Very fragrant and complex, with fruit, florals and spice. Great flow across the palate and proper build to the long finish. Very complete and inviting now, it’ll be hard to keep your hands off this but it will age very nicely indeed. B Corp certified and biodynamic.Inc. VAT£295.55 -
(1x75cl) 2023James Suckling (96)
Lifted aromas of strawberries, cherries and orange peel. The palate is pure with finely integrated tannins and bright acidity, giving notes of raspberries, dried herbs, wet bark and cedar. Very tightly wound with a high tension that will unravel in years to come. Drink or hold. Screw cap.Inc. VAT£109.45 -
(1x75cl) 2015Wine Advocate (91)
Pale to medium ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Cornish Point Pinot Noir exudes notes of black cherries and black raspberries with hints of dried Provence herbs, lavender, tar and game. Medium-bodied with a beautifully elegant palate, it delivers a great intensity of black cherry and herbal flavors framed by silky tannins and lively acidity, finishing long.Inc. VAT£130.13 -
Inc. VAT£320.75 -
Inc. VAT£309.20 -
Wine Advocate (93)
The 2023 Cornish Point Pinot Noir is perfumed and intense, with dried garden roses, blood plum, redcurrant and licorice. In the mouth, the wine is elegant initially, and as the tannins gather momentum across the palate, it becomes an altogether more powerful experience. This is an impressive wine, as usual, shaped by a firm splay of tannin that feels supple, pliable and granular. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.Inc. VAT£102.25 -
Inc. VAT£365.98 -
Inc. VAT£354.80 -
(3x150cl) 2018Inc. VAT£529.24 -
Inc. VAT£215.09 -
Experience the rich heritage of Australian wine with the Fox Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 1998, an exquisite vintage crafted in the celebrated McLaren Vale region. The maestros at the award-winning Fox Creek Estates have meticulously cultivated this sumptuous varietal in the alluvial, nutrient-rich terrains, with emphasis on sustainable farming practices.
The Fox Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 exudes a harmonious blend of blackberry, capsicum and violet aromas, complimented by bewitching notes of mocha and French oak vanillin stemming from the laborious 22 month barrel ageing process. This medium-to-full-bodied wine is bewitching on the palate with its perfectly balanced flavour profile and well-integrated tannins.
Offering a remarkable cellaring potential, the Fox Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 captures the true essence of Australian winemaking, delivering an unwavering quality that has positioned it amongst the world's most sought-after wines.
Inc. VAT£573.01 -
(12x75cl) 2004Halliday Wine Companion (94)
Dense stygian colour; top example of a full-bodied McLaren Vale loaded with blackberry fruit and dark chocolate, yet not hot or heavy; good extract and oak.Inc. VAT£295.38 -
(6x75cl) 2021Wine Advocate (100)
Having tasted five bottles of this remarkable wine over the past year (most of them mine), I can confirm that it is evolving and changing with time in the bottle, but each time I taste it, I am amazed by its ability to highlight parts of the wine I may not have focused on the last time I tasted it. Twice this week, the 2021 Estate Vineyard Chardonnay has spoken first of its reduction and flint: it is bony and austere and taut, and I mean this in the best of ways. It speaks of its architecture currently, over its fruit. Yet it is propelled by the fruit. Giaconda manages focus and precision alongside its famous reduction, and this is what separates it from other producers in the country. It may be easy to can the reduction if it's not your preferred quality in Chardonnay, but the fruit and phenolic focus of the wine is untouchable. This is inimitable. I'm running out of bottles to taste, but I've loved every single one so far.Inc. VAT£1,717.24 -
(6x75cl) 2019Inc. VAT£586.40 -
(6x75cl) 2010Wine Advocate (94+)
Deep garnet-purple in color. the 2010 Warner Vineyard Shiraz presents a wonderfully fragrant and complex nose of warm blackberries, wild blueberries and black raspberries with hints of pepper, dried Provencal herbs, cloves, aniseed, char-grilled meat and loam. Medium-bodied, the palate is both elegantly constructed and intense. with loads of black and red fruit flavor layers and a pleasant earthy and herbal streak. It is all framed by medium to firm rounded tannins as well as crisp acid and finishes with great persistence. Drink it 2014 to 2024+.Inc. VAT£669.20
-
Matthew Jukes (19.5+)
I had to wait two hours for this wine to budge in the glass and reveal just a few chapters of its extraordinary flavour. Initially, this is a super-earthy, backward, and introverted Pinot, and if I were on a fly-by-style tasting, I would have marked it down as closed and incommunicative. It certainly needs time, but I am convinced that this is a genuine Grand Cru-level New Zealand Pinot, and I have not tasted many of these in my nearly four decades in wine. While the first taste was firm, unyielding and gruff, second and third visits revealed violets and plums, exotic hints, ravishing bitterness, and then, later, volleys of exquisite fruit and earthy. This is a desperately important wine for Escarpment, Martinborough, and New Zealand and will surely blow peoples’ minds. Just remember to be patient.In Bond£300.00 -
Wine Advocate (94+)
Deep, dark and intense, there are 330 cases of the 2014 Heipipi The Terraces Malbec Merlot Cabernet Franc. Plummy and rich, it's full-bodied, with velvety tannins that give a sense of plushness in the mouth. Traces of oak remain, hinting at cedar and vanilla, but what impresses is the depth and power of the fruit, which is expressed without any sense of jamminess or surmaturité. Give it a couple of years in the cellar, and drink it over the next decade.In Bond£425.00 -
(6x75cl) 2023In Bond£178.00 -
(1x75cl) 2016Wine Advocate (92)
Unusually delicate red fruit notes mark the nose of the 2016 Pinot Noir. It's a mélange of strawberry, raspberry and cherry, with some herbal notes, cola and spice blended in. In the mouth, the wine is medium-bodied and supple, with a long, silky finish.In Bond£100.00 -
Bob Campbell MW (95)
Delicately-scented pinot noir with appealing violet, red rose, dark cherry, anise and subtle smoky oak flavours. A supple wine with an ethereal, seamless texture. This entry-level pinot noir sets the bar high for the more illustrious labels.In Bond£300.00 -
Vinous (92)
The 2020 Pinot Noir Bannockburn is welcoming as well as rich, savory and sinewy, delivering a plump cloud of both lifted and brooding fruit: a portion of whole-cluster fermentation has brought herbal and violet high notes alongside red and black cherry. There's excellent concentration despite this being the entry to the Felton Pinot range, and fine, lightly furry tannins on the medium-long finish. This could be approached now, but it’s better to wait a couple of years to let the components settle.In Bond£431.00 -
(1x75cl) 2021In Bond£89.00 -
In Bond£278.00 -
(12x75cl) 2022In Bond£382.00 -
In Bond£280.00 -
Wine Advocate (93)
The 2023 Bannockburn Pinot Noir is vibrant and spicy, with real energy and pace on the palate. Cherry, cranberry, pomegranate and raspberry converge on a springy base of pliable tannin. The acidity, which is bright, is woven through all aspects of the fruit, and the wine feels exciting and fresh as a result. This is a great wine here. It has full flavor and resolved texture at a moderate alcohol level. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.In Bond£185.00 -
(1x75cl) 2013Vinous (94)
(14% alcohol on the label): Dark, fresh red. Sexy aromas of raspberry and rose petal plus a touch of smoky minerality. Imploded, extract-rich wine with gripping flavors of crunchy berries and savory soil tones. Chewy, impeccably balanced Pinot Noir with terrific rising length and finesse. This should reward further aging. (Incidentally, Walter also opened a bottle of the 2012 Block 3, which offered sexy scents of red fruits and truffley underbrush and lovely sweetness to its lush flavors of strawberry and smoke. This wine from thick-skinned grapes and a cool summer has plenty of fat but is a bit burlier and seems more heavily extracted than the 2013 version. I rated it 93 points and recommend that it be consumed within the next four or five years.)In Bond£130.00 -
(6x75cl) 2022Wine Advocate (94+)
The 2022 Block 3 Pinot Noir leads with licorice and exotic spice, clear red fruit and lashings of plump, mouth-filling tannins. This is a wine of ease, of effortless flow of tannin and acid as one. It's a beauty. Today, it's showing more of its exotic spice than its red fruit. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.In Bond£573.20 -
In Bond£80.00 -
Wine Advocate (93)
The 2018 Calvert Pinot Noir displays intertwined briary notes of red raspberries and resinous herbs. It's medium-bodied, with supple, slightly dusty tannins, but there's also a wiry backbone of acidity that further brightens the wine and imparts terrific length on the mocha-tinged finish.In Bond£299.00 -
Decanter (97)
A harmonious wine, so generous and giving that you nearly overlook the firm spine of acidity and tannin that shows its pedigree. Very fragrant and complex, with fruit, florals and spice. Great flow across the palate and proper build to the long finish. Very complete and inviting now, it’ll be hard to keep your hands off this but it will age very nicely indeed. B Corp certified and biodynamic.In Bond£227.00 -
(1x75cl) 2023James Suckling (96)
Lifted aromas of strawberries, cherries and orange peel. The palate is pure with finely integrated tannins and bright acidity, giving notes of raspberries, dried herbs, wet bark and cedar. Very tightly wound with a high tension that will unravel in years to come. Drink or hold. Screw cap.In Bond£88.00 -
(1x75cl) 2015Wine Advocate (91)
Pale to medium ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Cornish Point Pinot Noir exudes notes of black cherries and black raspberries with hints of dried Provence herbs, lavender, tar and game. Medium-bodied with a beautifully elegant palate, it delivers a great intensity of black cherry and herbal flavors framed by silky tannins and lively acidity, finishing long.In Bond£105.00 -
In Bond£248.00 -
In Bond£237.00 -
Wine Advocate (93)
The 2023 Cornish Point Pinot Noir is perfumed and intense, with dried garden roses, blood plum, redcurrant and licorice. In the mouth, the wine is elegant initially, and as the tannins gather momentum across the palate, it becomes an altogether more powerful experience. This is an impressive wine, as usual, shaped by a firm splay of tannin that feels supple, pliable and granular. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.In Bond£82.00 -
In Bond£285.00 -
In Bond£275.00 -
(3x150cl) 2018In Bond£425.00 -
In Bond£160.00 -
Experience the rich heritage of Australian wine with the Fox Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 1998, an exquisite vintage crafted in the celebrated McLaren Vale region. The maestros at the award-winning Fox Creek Estates have meticulously cultivated this sumptuous varietal in the alluvial, nutrient-rich terrains, with emphasis on sustainable farming practices.
The Fox Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 exudes a harmonious blend of blackberry, capsicum and violet aromas, complimented by bewitching notes of mocha and French oak vanillin stemming from the laborious 22 month barrel ageing process. This medium-to-full-bodied wine is bewitching on the palate with its perfectly balanced flavour profile and well-integrated tannins.
Offering a remarkable cellaring potential, the Fox Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 captures the true essence of Australian winemaking, delivering an unwavering quality that has positioned it amongst the world's most sought-after wines.
In Bond£437.00 -
(12x75cl) 2004Halliday Wine Companion (94)
Dense stygian colour; top example of a full-bodied McLaren Vale loaded with blackberry fruit and dark chocolate, yet not hot or heavy; good extract and oak.In Bond£206.19 -
(6x75cl) 2021Wine Advocate (100)
Having tasted five bottles of this remarkable wine over the past year (most of them mine), I can confirm that it is evolving and changing with time in the bottle, but each time I taste it, I am amazed by its ability to highlight parts of the wine I may not have focused on the last time I tasted it. Twice this week, the 2021 Estate Vineyard Chardonnay has spoken first of its reduction and flint: it is bony and austere and taut, and I mean this in the best of ways. It speaks of its architecture currently, over its fruit. Yet it is propelled by the fruit. Giaconda manages focus and precision alongside its famous reduction, and this is what separates it from other producers in the country. It may be easy to can the reduction if it's not your preferred quality in Chardonnay, but the fruit and phenolic focus of the wine is untouchable. This is inimitable. I'm running out of bottles to taste, but I've loved every single one so far.In Bond£1,415.00 -
(6x75cl) 2019In Bond£468.00 -
(6x75cl) 2010Wine Advocate (94+)
Deep garnet-purple in color. the 2010 Warner Vineyard Shiraz presents a wonderfully fragrant and complex nose of warm blackberries, wild blueberries and black raspberries with hints of pepper, dried Provencal herbs, cloves, aniseed, char-grilled meat and loam. Medium-bodied, the palate is both elegantly constructed and intense. with loads of black and red fruit flavor layers and a pleasant earthy and herbal streak. It is all framed by medium to firm rounded tannins as well as crisp acid and finishes with great persistence. Drink it 2014 to 2024+.In Bond£537.00

