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| Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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South Australia | 1 | 95 (DC) |
Inc. VAT
£528.29 |
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Decanter (95)Baby Grange gets its moniker as components of the blend are matured in the same barrels as the previous vintage of Grange. But with Cabernet Sauvignon the main player (53% in this vintage), it is more a Baby 707, especially as it always benefits from wine originally destined for that cuvée as well as Grange. A beauty of a beast, whose imposing tannin structure and abundantly ripe fruit need time. Powerful, inky blue and black berry fruits dominate the nose and palate, alongside bergamot freshness, earthy tapenade, exotic spices, iron filings and lots of black pepper. Coconut richness from 12 months in US oak hogsheads (37% new) and fine cocoa powder tannins add grip and linger long. Released at £71. |
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South Australia | 3 | 96 (HWC) |
Inc. VAT
£596.69 |
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Halliday Wine Companion (96)A multiregional wine matured in French (25% new) and American (12% new) oak for 12 months. It seems like cabernet sauvignon is uniformly very strong in this year's Penfolds releases. Here, Bin 407 shines – crimson in the glass with plush, varietally true characters of blackberry, mulberries and cassis with hints of fine spice, scattered herbs, tobacco leaf, dark chocolate, cigar box, licorice, bay leaf and cedar. Concentrated yet balanced and poised with a fine tannin framework and bright, energetic line finishing with grace and a sense of latent power. One for the long haul and a strong release. |
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South Australia | 1 | 97 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£1,849.24 |
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Wine Advocate (97)Sourced from McLaren Vale (41%), Coonawarra, Barossa Valley and Padthaway this vintage, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707 spent 18 months in 100% new American oak hogsheads prior to bottling. Scents of vanilla, cedar and celery seed seamlessly swirl around dark notions of cassis, plum, coffee and cocoa. There's a touch of mint, but it fits well within the context of the wine. Full-bodied, concentrated and rich, this wine looks to have at least two decades ahead of it. The finish is truly special, with beguiling hints of maple syrup balanced by a smooth, enveloping wash of softly dusty tannins. |
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South Australia | 2 | 99 (HWC) |
Inc. VAT
£2,659.24 |
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Halliday Wine Companion (99)Penfolds nailed the great 2016 vintage, making a wine that is perfect in every way. The blend of 97% shiraz and 3% cabernet sauvignon comes from the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley and Magill Estate in Adelaide, in that order, and as usual spent 18 months in new American hogsheads. Its detail is superb, with light and shade allowing blackberry and plum fruit pride of place, but there's also flashes of spice and licorice. It's as mouth-watering with the last taste as the first, and 7.3g/L of acidity leaves the mouth fresh. |
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South Australia | 1 | 20 (JR) |
Inc. VAT
£2,516.44 |
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Jancis Robinson (20)Delivers absolutely everything you want from Grange: the fruit is knee-weakeningly gorgeous, the oak fits in beautifully, and there's endless length that gives a thoughtful, engaging aftertaste. |
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South Australia | 1 | 96 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£766.84 |
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Wine Advocate (96)The 2016 Shiraz Magill Estate aged in 100% new oak (70% French and 30% American), which has left its cedary, vanilla mark on the wine, but in a balanced, harmonious way. It's a full-bodied wine, with big berry fruit and lavish oak, yet those components are wonderfully judged, coming together in a fine, elegant wine that showcases the brand's home estate in the Adelaide suburbs. With only 15 cases for the United States, it will be tough to track down. |
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South Australia | 3 | 97 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£489.64 |
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Wine Advocate (97)The 2018 St Henri Shiraz is a terrific effort, perhaps rivaling the top-flight wines under this label in 1976 and 1986. Remarkably fine and silky in texture yet simultaneously dense and concentrated, it showcases the amazing fruit harvested in 2018. Boysenberry, mulberry and mocha shadings all swirl together effortlessly in a whorl of full-bodied elegance, finishing long and effortless. Mainly Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, it includes smaller amounts of fruit from Port Lincoln, Robe, Padthaway, Clare Valley and the Adelaide Hills, all aged 12 months in large old wooden vats. |
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South Australia | 4 | 98 (HWC) |
Inc. VAT
£895.24 |
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Halliday Wine Companion (98)57/32/11% Tasmania/Tumbarumba/Adelaide Hills fruit. Matured 8 months in 55% new French oak barriques. The tension, endurance and sheer molecular detail of Yattarna propels it to the pinnacle of Australia’s pointy chardonnay pyramid, and 2019 follows confidently in the hallowed footsteps of the sublime 2018. This is a vintage that demands a great deal of time to unfurl. Tight, compact, focused and immensely determined, it leads out in its virile youth with the finest struck flint and gunpowder. A pinpoint singularity of white-fruit precision focuses a laser line of pure white acidity that projects from its core through a finish of astounding line, length and promise. Powder-fine, crystalline minerality surges long and strong. Another epic Yattarna. Vintage on vintage, has Yattarna now ascended to become Penfolds' greatest wine of all? |
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South Australia | 1 | 98 (JS) |
Inc. VAT
£154.93 |
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James Suckling (98)This has really transformed into a complex, bottle-matured riesling with lemon-rind, lemon-butter and toasty aromas. The palate is very smoothly arranged and the wine has taken on a glossy textural quality over the five years in bottle. The length and intensity here is so impressive. This is breathtakingly pure, yet complex and drinkable. Drink or hold. Screw cap. |
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South Australia | 1 | 98 (HWC) |
Inc. VAT
£261.64 |
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Halliday Wine Companion (98)A beautifully poised wine, balance and elegance inevitably part of the equation. There is a purity to the drive of the fruit that makes recitation of what are usual stages of vinification unnecessary. It's the quality of the fruit, the attention to detail and the cumulated decades of experience that make this wine so special. |
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South Australia | 2 | 98 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£540.13 |
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Wine Advocate (98)The 2020 The Schubert Theorem Shiraz was made with fruit from the Roennfeldt Road vineyard in Marananga, with 70% whole bunches in the ferment. This is the only cuvée in the collection that sees any inclusion of a different maturation vessel: the northeastern corner of the vineyard goes into concrete, because it retains the pure blue fruit characters that so define the wine. When one considers the dirt that is in this vineyard (and I ask you, without dirt, just where would we all be?), when one sees its black, shaley sparkle, one can get a sense of what to expect in the wine. It is always the black, brooding beast of the pack, but there is always—and I repeat, ALWAYS—a core of very pure fruit at its heart. This year is no different, and it is encased in fine but structuring tannin. It soars long across the palate, and yet within it, this wine is elegant and pliable. If the Lamella is the intriguing, pretty wine, and The Standish is the savory powerhouse, then The Relic is the iron fist–velvet glove... which makes this the enigma. I cannot overstate how attracted I am to the prowling, slinking nature of it. The tannins here—of all the wines—have a blueberry skin gravel to them; they are chalky and fine and a little bit gritty… excellent. This is a sensation, in every respect. A hot contender for best wine in the release this year. |
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South Australia | 8 | 98 (JS) |
Inc. VAT
£490.93 |
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James Suckling (98)Such concentrated blueberry and cherry aromas, as well as violets and fresh-earth aromas. This delivers an immediate sense of richness with chocolate in the mix, too. Very pure. The palate has a very resolved feel with deep, essence-like fruit flavors that hold a rich, plum and blackberry line that drives long and very even. This is really something. Drink over the next decade. |
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South Australia | 2 | 96 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£576.13 |
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Wine Advocate (96)The 2020 The Standish Shiraz was made with fruit from the Laycock family vineyard, in Greenock. The first vintage was 1999. This vintage saw 30% whole bunches in the ferment. It offers notes of red dirt, a bit of blood, salted heirloom tomato and satsuma plum. This is concentrated, compacted, plush, dense and muscular, with notes of ras el’hanout, allspice, torched cinnamon and salted Dutch licorice. This wine is like playing "Magic Eye." There’s a lot going on, but if you relax, a pattern emerges and the detail becomes obvious for all to see. Within the fine but plushly tannic frame, there is saltbush and bay leaf, exotic spice and cascading layers of berry fruits. The dirt in which the roots are entangled similarly shows its colors—and these are red, ochre, earth and dust. At first glance, the foolish and the rash will overlook this for being singularly muscular and full-bodied, but like all the best IYKYK (if you know, you know—wink wink) scenarios, there is far more than meets the palate here. Another blockbuster Standish. |
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South Australia | 1 | 99 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£530.53 |
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Wine Advocate (99)The 2020 The Relic Shiraz-Viognier is made with fruit from the Hongell family vineyard in Krondorf, with 15% to 20% whole bunches in the ferment and 1% Viognier skins co-fermented. This is the best I’ve seen it. There’s something about the combination of the hot year and the diminished yields—it has recoiled and recompressed the Viognier on top of and into the Shiraz and brought them into balance/harmony. Beneath its floral and stone fruit guiles is a pool of savory, muscular, red-dirt Shiraz. There is bacon fat and pure berry fruit and spice for days… I’ve recently looked at a previous vintage of this wine alongside an older but immaculate Chateau d’Ampuis, and while their origins were clear in the glass, the Relic proved an Australian perspective more than relevant. The balance between the varieties—and the classic push/pull of sweet and savory—is more harmonious this year than in any I can remember, and the only thing I am more excited about when I consider this wine is what I will say next year, through the lens of an excellent, cool and elegant year. What a fine pair they will make. |
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Hawke's Bay | 1 | 96 (WO) |
Inc. VAT
£372.04 |
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Wine Orbit (96)Revealing elegance and sophistication, the engaging bouquet shows Black Doris plum, dark cherry, warm spice and toasted nut characters with nuances of truffle and floral. The palate displays outstanding concentration and focus, while offering rich texture and expansive mouthfeel, superbly framed by loads of fine, polished tannins. Multi-layered and magnificently flowing to an impressively long silky finish. The wine is gloriously composed and expressed, promising to evolve gracefully. The wine exhibits classic Te Mata elegance, freshness and refinement within a perfectly formed structure. |
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Hawke's Bay | 2 | 95 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£157.24 |
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Vinous (95)Initially tight as a monkey's nuts, the very young 2020 Awatea needs time to open up and reveal its creamy, seductive personality. Tasted alongside the already impressive 2019 Awatea, the 2020 goes a step further in its substance, depth and ripeness. It has a rich mid-palate of sweet black currant, black olives and mint, but it's all tremendously creamy. Underneath the lush exterior, an abundance of fine yet structured powdery tannins combine with fine acidity to provide the architecture for this intense wine. Offering excellent persistence, structure and scent, the 2020 has knocked it out of the park. Best Awatea ever? You might be looking at it. |
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Hawke's Bay | 1 | 98 (BC) |
Inc. VAT
£442.84 |
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Bob Campbell MW (98)Bright, youthful blended red of cabernet sauvignon (52%), merlot (33%) and cabernet franc (15%). This is classic Coleraine with cassis, cedar, floral, blueberry, a suggestion of wood-smoke, anise and spicy oak flavours. Terrific depth and an exquisite balance between fruit sweetness and acid/tannin structure. It will be a long-distance runner. |
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Hawke's Bay | 1 | 100 (WO) |
Inc. VAT
£451.24 |
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Wine Orbit (100)Destined for a long life, this majestic offering shows cassis, dark plum, hint of tobacco, cedar and floral aromas on the nose. The palate is packed with rich fruit intensity combined with layers of silky texture and complex flavours, wonderfully supported by perfectly pitched chalky tannins, making it sturdy and structured with a seemingly endless finish. Flawless and spellbinding. A blend of 59 cabernet sauvignon, 37% merlot & 4% cabernet franc. At its best: 2029 to 2049. |
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South Australia | 1 | 96 (HWC) |
Inc. VAT
£174.04 |
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Halliday Wine Companion (96)A full-bodied shiraz that reflects cunning winemaking. Whole-berry fermentation has put a rich gloss on the palate without overloading the tannin structure. The predominantly black berry fruit is shot through with licorice, spice and an airbrush of dark chocolate. |
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South Australia | 1 | 97 (HWC) |
Inc. VAT
£211.24 |
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Halliday Wine Companion (97)The qualitative apogee when it comes to grenache, rivalled by few and equalled only by Yangarra. Even better than the superb 2021. Sourced from the highest, coolest site in the Vale, the venerable Smart vineyard. Ironstone imparts a ferrous bite to pithy sour cherry, cranberry, campfire, pomegranate, tamarind and sandalwood notes with a grind of white pepper across a lattice of pin bone tannins, curtailing sweetness while promoting stunning length. This is excellent. Superb! Transparent and brimming with a sense of pinoté, like a mini Rayas. A great wine of the present as much as the future. Among Australia's very greatest reds. I don't score above 97, but this could be worth a point higher. |
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Tasmania | 1 | 98 (HWC) |
Inc. VAT
£480.04 |
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Halliday Wine Companion (98)Hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed, fermented in French oak barrels with limited stirring. The bouquet and palate send the same message of perfectly captured white stone fruits, then apple and grapefruit. An irresistible wine with spectacular length |
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Tasmania | 1 | 98 (HWC) |
Inc. VAT
£493.24 |
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Halliday Wine Companion (98)A strikingly beautiful chardonnay with its flowery bouquet bearing witness to the sheer purity of the incredibly long palate, the full palette of chardonnay flavours on display. Nectarine, white peach and grapefruit zest are sewn together by an invisible silver thread of acidity. |
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Tasmania | 1 | 99 (JS) |
Inc. VAT
£458.44 |
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James Suckling (99)This really asserts itself at the top echelon of chardonnay, in a context that extends far beyond the shores of the tiny island state of Tasmania. Already in such a great place, with aromas of white peach, lemon, lemon curd and very precisely curated sulphides adding interest. There’s wet chalk, lemon peel and gentle hazelnutty oak in play as well. The palate has seamless, layered and fresh citrus and peach flavors, as well as a stream of pithy grapefruit and peach on offer. Acidity holds the finish long and true. This is one of the most elegant vintages of this wine, reminiscent of the 2014. Oak chimes in so subtly on the finish. Drink or hold. Screw cap. |
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Tasmania | 1 | 99 (DC) |
Inc. VAT
£438.04 |
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Decanter (99)Owned since 2011 by Michael Hill Smith MW and Martin Shaw of Shaw & Smith Wines in the Adelaide Hills, the 20ha northeast facing Tolpuddle vineyard occupies a prime position in Tasmania’s Coal River Valley. The pair saw the vineyard’s potential immediately, and have been producing exceptional single-vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir ever since. There was a particularly wet start to 2021 – one of the coolest on record – resulting in much smaller but more concentrated grapes. Harvested by hand, the grapes are whole-bunch pressed then aged in French oak for nine months. Vincenzo Arnese: The nose is fresh and ripe with incredible structure, showing quince, candied lemon peel, grapefruit juice and subtle oak. A lingering acidity completes the frame of this outstanding wine. Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW: A wonder of lightness and precision; a hedonistic mix of immediate restrained pleasure and long-term intellectual provocation. An amazingly subtle and complex finish. I adore this wine. Amanda Barnes: Aromas of gunflint, lavender, lemon peel and wet stones lead into a mouthfilling yet svelte wine with mouthwatering acidity and a long, savoury finish. Will cellar well for more than a decade. Nominated by Sarah Ahmed |
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Tasmania | 1 | 98 (TRR) |
Inc. VAT
£409.24 |
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The Real Review (98)Light bright yellow with a smoky, nutty, barrel fermented bouquet which also packs seaspray/oyster-shell, mixed spices and talcy aromas into the mix. In the mouth it's very intense and focused, tensioned and crisp, without strident acidity but lovely refreshing properties. A superb wine, quietly complex and penetrating, obviously barrel-fermented but not showing too-overt oak. The acidity is bright and refreshing and cleanses the aftertaste. Amazing length. Magical stuff. |
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Tasmania | 1 | 98 (TRR) |
Inc. VAT
£442.84 |
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The Real Review (98)Impressively deep, rich purple-red colour, unusual in Australian pinot noir. The bouquet is loaded with black cherry, blackberry and spice aromas, a hint of smoky oak adding charcuterie and fivespice nuances, while the palate is voluptuously full and rich, decadently flavoured, with luxurious flesh and fruit, abundant fine/soft tannins and terrific length. There are some whole-bunch nuances which are beautifully incorporated into the wide array of flavours. A totally convincing and thoroughly impressive Aussie pinot noir to compare with the best in the world |
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South Australia | 1 | 98 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£1,244.69 |
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Wine Advocate (98)Who would've thought that in the context of Barossa Shiraz, the 2015 RunRig would seem like a relative bargain? It's certainly much less expensive than Grange or Hill of Grace will be when they're released. It's also more approachable in its youth, with enormously appealing aromas of grilled fruit, savory complexities and rich, velvety tannins. Of course, it's full-bodied and concentrated, with the stuffing to age for up to a couple of decades, and it has a long, licorice-tinged finish. Winemaker Ian Hongell, who joined Torbreck from Peter Lehmann, may not have made this wine, but he deserves a lot of credit for the blending and finishing of this tour de force. |
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South Australia | 1 | 98 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£1,311.89 |
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Wine Advocate (98)As usual, the 2017 RunRig is approximately 2% Viognier. It spent almost 30 months in oak, 40% of which was new. Hints of peach or apricot appear on the nose, alongside notes of hickory smoke, cherries and baking spices. It's full-bodied and concentrated but supple and silky enough to seem lighter in the mouth, showing tremendous length and elegance on the finish, where it adds nuances of cinnamon and cocoa. |
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South Australia | 1 | 99 (DC) |
Inc. VAT
£1,163.09 |
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Decanter (99)The must-try wine Tightly wound yet with cashmere tannins, soft kid-glove oak and cut-finger minerality. The anise, clove and cinnamon-edged palate is unbelievably svelte, like melted chocolate. On day two, succulent, spicy cherry fruit emerges, with blackberry liqueur, roses and violets. Savoury cep undertones, graphite and cedar follow through on an endless finish. A stunning blend of six old vineyards, one planted in the 1850s. |
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South Australia | 2 | 98 (JS) |
Inc. VAT
£805.49 |
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James Suckling (98)A pristine nose of ripe and intense blackberries, blueberries and redcurrants, as well as some sanguine, rust-like notes. This is an excellent edition of The Factor. I like the power and focus this wine delivers and, in 2018, it is a wine of great length and presence. Abundant ripe blackberries bathe the palate. Try from 2025. |
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| Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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South Australia | 1 | 95 (DC) |
In Bond
£421.00 |
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Decanter (95)Baby Grange gets its moniker as components of the blend are matured in the same barrels as the previous vintage of Grange. But with Cabernet Sauvignon the main player (53% in this vintage), it is more a Baby 707, especially as it always benefits from wine originally destined for that cuvée as well as Grange. A beauty of a beast, whose imposing tannin structure and abundantly ripe fruit need time. Powerful, inky blue and black berry fruits dominate the nose and palate, alongside bergamot freshness, earthy tapenade, exotic spices, iron filings and lots of black pepper. Coconut richness from 12 months in US oak hogsheads (37% new) and fine cocoa powder tannins add grip and linger long. Released at £71. |
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South Australia | 3 | 96 (HWC) |
In Bond
£478.00 |
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Halliday Wine Companion (96)A multiregional wine matured in French (25% new) and American (12% new) oak for 12 months. It seems like cabernet sauvignon is uniformly very strong in this year's Penfolds releases. Here, Bin 407 shines – crimson in the glass with plush, varietally true characters of blackberry, mulberries and cassis with hints of fine spice, scattered herbs, tobacco leaf, dark chocolate, cigar box, licorice, bay leaf and cedar. Concentrated yet balanced and poised with a fine tannin framework and bright, energetic line finishing with grace and a sense of latent power. One for the long haul and a strong release. |
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South Australia | 1 | 97 (WA) |
In Bond
£1,525.00 |
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Wine Advocate (97)Sourced from McLaren Vale (41%), Coonawarra, Barossa Valley and Padthaway this vintage, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707 spent 18 months in 100% new American oak hogsheads prior to bottling. Scents of vanilla, cedar and celery seed seamlessly swirl around dark notions of cassis, plum, coffee and cocoa. There's a touch of mint, but it fits well within the context of the wine. Full-bodied, concentrated and rich, this wine looks to have at least two decades ahead of it. The finish is truly special, with beguiling hints of maple syrup balanced by a smooth, enveloping wash of softly dusty tannins. |
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South Australia | 2 | 99 (HWC) |
In Bond
£2,200.00 |
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Halliday Wine Companion (99)Penfolds nailed the great 2016 vintage, making a wine that is perfect in every way. The blend of 97% shiraz and 3% cabernet sauvignon comes from the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley and Magill Estate in Adelaide, in that order, and as usual spent 18 months in new American hogsheads. Its detail is superb, with light and shade allowing blackberry and plum fruit pride of place, but there's also flashes of spice and licorice. It's as mouth-watering with the last taste as the first, and 7.3g/L of acidity leaves the mouth fresh. |
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South Australia | 1 | 20 (JR) |
In Bond
£2,081.00 |
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Jancis Robinson (20)Delivers absolutely everything you want from Grange: the fruit is knee-weakeningly gorgeous, the oak fits in beautifully, and there's endless length that gives a thoughtful, engaging aftertaste. |
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South Australia | 1 | 96 (WA) |
In Bond
£623.00 |
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Wine Advocate (96)The 2016 Shiraz Magill Estate aged in 100% new oak (70% French and 30% American), which has left its cedary, vanilla mark on the wine, but in a balanced, harmonious way. It's a full-bodied wine, with big berry fruit and lavish oak, yet those components are wonderfully judged, coming together in a fine, elegant wine that showcases the brand's home estate in the Adelaide suburbs. With only 15 cases for the United States, it will be tough to track down. |
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South Australia | 3 | 97 (WA) |
In Bond
£392.00 |
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Wine Advocate (97)The 2018 St Henri Shiraz is a terrific effort, perhaps rivaling the top-flight wines under this label in 1976 and 1986. Remarkably fine and silky in texture yet simultaneously dense and concentrated, it showcases the amazing fruit harvested in 2018. Boysenberry, mulberry and mocha shadings all swirl together effortlessly in a whorl of full-bodied elegance, finishing long and effortless. Mainly Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, it includes smaller amounts of fruit from Port Lincoln, Robe, Padthaway, Clare Valley and the Adelaide Hills, all aged 12 months in large old wooden vats. |
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South Australia | 4 | 98 (HWC) |
In Bond
£730.00 |
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Halliday Wine Companion (98)57/32/11% Tasmania/Tumbarumba/Adelaide Hills fruit. Matured 8 months in 55% new French oak barriques. The tension, endurance and sheer molecular detail of Yattarna propels it to the pinnacle of Australia’s pointy chardonnay pyramid, and 2019 follows confidently in the hallowed footsteps of the sublime 2018. This is a vintage that demands a great deal of time to unfurl. Tight, compact, focused and immensely determined, it leads out in its virile youth with the finest struck flint and gunpowder. A pinpoint singularity of white-fruit precision focuses a laser line of pure white acidity that projects from its core through a finish of astounding line, length and promise. Powder-fine, crystalline minerality surges long and strong. Another epic Yattarna. Vintage on vintage, has Yattarna now ascended to become Penfolds' greatest wine of all? |
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South Australia | 1 | 98 (JS) |
In Bond
£115.00 |
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James Suckling (98)This has really transformed into a complex, bottle-matured riesling with lemon-rind, lemon-butter and toasty aromas. The palate is very smoothly arranged and the wine has taken on a glossy textural quality over the five years in bottle. The length and intensity here is so impressive. This is breathtakingly pure, yet complex and drinkable. Drink or hold. Screw cap. |
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South Australia | 1 | 98 (HWC) |
In Bond
£202.00 |
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Halliday Wine Companion (98)A beautifully poised wine, balance and elegance inevitably part of the equation. There is a purity to the drive of the fruit that makes recitation of what are usual stages of vinification unnecessary. It's the quality of the fruit, the attention to detail and the cumulated decades of experience that make this wine so special. |
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South Australia | 2 | 98 (WA) |
In Bond
£431.00 |
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Wine Advocate (98)The 2020 The Schubert Theorem Shiraz was made with fruit from the Roennfeldt Road vineyard in Marananga, with 70% whole bunches in the ferment. This is the only cuvée in the collection that sees any inclusion of a different maturation vessel: the northeastern corner of the vineyard goes into concrete, because it retains the pure blue fruit characters that so define the wine. When one considers the dirt that is in this vineyard (and I ask you, without dirt, just where would we all be?), when one sees its black, shaley sparkle, one can get a sense of what to expect in the wine. It is always the black, brooding beast of the pack, but there is always—and I repeat, ALWAYS—a core of very pure fruit at its heart. This year is no different, and it is encased in fine but structuring tannin. It soars long across the palate, and yet within it, this wine is elegant and pliable. If the Lamella is the intriguing, pretty wine, and The Standish is the savory powerhouse, then The Relic is the iron fist–velvet glove... which makes this the enigma. I cannot overstate how attracted I am to the prowling, slinking nature of it. The tannins here—of all the wines—have a blueberry skin gravel to them; they are chalky and fine and a little bit gritty… excellent. This is a sensation, in every respect. A hot contender for best wine in the release this year. |
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South Australia | 8 | 98 (JS) |
In Bond
£390.00 |
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James Suckling (98)Such concentrated blueberry and cherry aromas, as well as violets and fresh-earth aromas. This delivers an immediate sense of richness with chocolate in the mix, too. Very pure. The palate has a very resolved feel with deep, essence-like fruit flavors that hold a rich, plum and blackberry line that drives long and very even. This is really something. Drink over the next decade. |
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South Australia | 2 | 96 (WA) |
In Bond
£461.00 |
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Wine Advocate (96)The 2020 The Standish Shiraz was made with fruit from the Laycock family vineyard, in Greenock. The first vintage was 1999. This vintage saw 30% whole bunches in the ferment. It offers notes of red dirt, a bit of blood, salted heirloom tomato and satsuma plum. This is concentrated, compacted, plush, dense and muscular, with notes of ras el’hanout, allspice, torched cinnamon and salted Dutch licorice. This wine is like playing "Magic Eye." There’s a lot going on, but if you relax, a pattern emerges and the detail becomes obvious for all to see. Within the fine but plushly tannic frame, there is saltbush and bay leaf, exotic spice and cascading layers of berry fruits. The dirt in which the roots are entangled similarly shows its colors—and these are red, ochre, earth and dust. At first glance, the foolish and the rash will overlook this for being singularly muscular and full-bodied, but like all the best IYKYK (if you know, you know—wink wink) scenarios, there is far more than meets the palate here. Another blockbuster Standish. |
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South Australia | 1 | 99 (WA) |
In Bond
£423.00 |
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Wine Advocate (99)The 2020 The Relic Shiraz-Viognier is made with fruit from the Hongell family vineyard in Krondorf, with 15% to 20% whole bunches in the ferment and 1% Viognier skins co-fermented. This is the best I’ve seen it. There’s something about the combination of the hot year and the diminished yields—it has recoiled and recompressed the Viognier on top of and into the Shiraz and brought them into balance/harmony. Beneath its floral and stone fruit guiles is a pool of savory, muscular, red-dirt Shiraz. There is bacon fat and pure berry fruit and spice for days… I’ve recently looked at a previous vintage of this wine alongside an older but immaculate Chateau d’Ampuis, and while their origins were clear in the glass, the Relic proved an Australian perspective more than relevant. The balance between the varieties—and the classic push/pull of sweet and savory—is more harmonious this year than in any I can remember, and the only thing I am more excited about when I consider this wine is what I will say next year, through the lens of an excellent, cool and elegant year. What a fine pair they will make. |
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Hawke's Bay | 1 | 96 (WO) |
In Bond
£294.00 |
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Wine Orbit (96)Revealing elegance and sophistication, the engaging bouquet shows Black Doris plum, dark cherry, warm spice and toasted nut characters with nuances of truffle and floral. The palate displays outstanding concentration and focus, while offering rich texture and expansive mouthfeel, superbly framed by loads of fine, polished tannins. Multi-layered and magnificently flowing to an impressively long silky finish. The wine is gloriously composed and expressed, promising to evolve gracefully. The wine exhibits classic Te Mata elegance, freshness and refinement within a perfectly formed structure. |
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Hawke's Bay | 2 | 95 (VN) |
In Bond
£115.00 |
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Vinous (95)Initially tight as a monkey's nuts, the very young 2020 Awatea needs time to open up and reveal its creamy, seductive personality. Tasted alongside the already impressive 2019 Awatea, the 2020 goes a step further in its substance, depth and ripeness. It has a rich mid-palate of sweet black currant, black olives and mint, but it's all tremendously creamy. Underneath the lush exterior, an abundance of fine yet structured powdery tannins combine with fine acidity to provide the architecture for this intense wine. Offering excellent persistence, structure and scent, the 2020 has knocked it out of the park. Best Awatea ever? You might be looking at it. |
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Hawke's Bay | 1 | 98 (BC) |
In Bond
£353.00 |
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Bob Campbell MW (98)Bright, youthful blended red of cabernet sauvignon (52%), merlot (33%) and cabernet franc (15%). This is classic Coleraine with cassis, cedar, floral, blueberry, a suggestion of wood-smoke, anise and spicy oak flavours. Terrific depth and an exquisite balance between fruit sweetness and acid/tannin structure. It will be a long-distance runner. |
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Hawke's Bay | 1 | 100 (WO) |
In Bond
£360.00 |
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Wine Orbit (100)Destined for a long life, this majestic offering shows cassis, dark plum, hint of tobacco, cedar and floral aromas on the nose. The palate is packed with rich fruit intensity combined with layers of silky texture and complex flavours, wonderfully supported by perfectly pitched chalky tannins, making it sturdy and structured with a seemingly endless finish. Flawless and spellbinding. A blend of 59 cabernet sauvignon, 37% merlot & 4% cabernet franc. At its best: 2029 to 2049. |
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South Australia | 1 | 96 (HWC) |
In Bond
£129.00 |
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Halliday Wine Companion (96)A full-bodied shiraz that reflects cunning winemaking. Whole-berry fermentation has put a rich gloss on the palate without overloading the tannin structure. The predominantly black berry fruit is shot through with licorice, spice and an airbrush of dark chocolate. |
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South Australia | 1 | 97 (HWC) |
In Bond
£160.00 |
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Halliday Wine Companion (97)The qualitative apogee when it comes to grenache, rivalled by few and equalled only by Yangarra. Even better than the superb 2021. Sourced from the highest, coolest site in the Vale, the venerable Smart vineyard. Ironstone imparts a ferrous bite to pithy sour cherry, cranberry, campfire, pomegranate, tamarind and sandalwood notes with a grind of white pepper across a lattice of pin bone tannins, curtailing sweetness while promoting stunning length. This is excellent. Superb! Transparent and brimming with a sense of pinoté, like a mini Rayas. A great wine of the present as much as the future. Among Australia's very greatest reds. I don't score above 97, but this could be worth a point higher. |
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Tasmania | 1 | 98 (HWC) |
In Bond
£384.00 |
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Halliday Wine Companion (98)Hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed, fermented in French oak barrels with limited stirring. The bouquet and palate send the same message of perfectly captured white stone fruits, then apple and grapefruit. An irresistible wine with spectacular length |
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Tasmania | 1 | 98 (HWC) |
In Bond
£395.00 |
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Halliday Wine Companion (98)A strikingly beautiful chardonnay with its flowery bouquet bearing witness to the sheer purity of the incredibly long palate, the full palette of chardonnay flavours on display. Nectarine, white peach and grapefruit zest are sewn together by an invisible silver thread of acidity. |
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Tasmania | 1 | 99 (JS) |
In Bond
£366.00 |
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James Suckling (99)This really asserts itself at the top echelon of chardonnay, in a context that extends far beyond the shores of the tiny island state of Tasmania. Already in such a great place, with aromas of white peach, lemon, lemon curd and very precisely curated sulphides adding interest. There’s wet chalk, lemon peel and gentle hazelnutty oak in play as well. The palate has seamless, layered and fresh citrus and peach flavors, as well as a stream of pithy grapefruit and peach on offer. Acidity holds the finish long and true. This is one of the most elegant vintages of this wine, reminiscent of the 2014. Oak chimes in so subtly on the finish. Drink or hold. Screw cap. |
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Tasmania | 1 | 99 (DC) |
In Bond
£349.00 |
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Decanter (99)Owned since 2011 by Michael Hill Smith MW and Martin Shaw of Shaw & Smith Wines in the Adelaide Hills, the 20ha northeast facing Tolpuddle vineyard occupies a prime position in Tasmania’s Coal River Valley. The pair saw the vineyard’s potential immediately, and have been producing exceptional single-vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir ever since. There was a particularly wet start to 2021 – one of the coolest on record – resulting in much smaller but more concentrated grapes. Harvested by hand, the grapes are whole-bunch pressed then aged in French oak for nine months. Vincenzo Arnese: The nose is fresh and ripe with incredible structure, showing quince, candied lemon peel, grapefruit juice and subtle oak. A lingering acidity completes the frame of this outstanding wine. Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW: A wonder of lightness and precision; a hedonistic mix of immediate restrained pleasure and long-term intellectual provocation. An amazingly subtle and complex finish. I adore this wine. Amanda Barnes: Aromas of gunflint, lavender, lemon peel and wet stones lead into a mouthfilling yet svelte wine with mouthwatering acidity and a long, savoury finish. Will cellar well for more than a decade. Nominated by Sarah Ahmed |
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Tasmania | 1 | 98 (TRR) |
In Bond
£325.00 |
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The Real Review (98)Light bright yellow with a smoky, nutty, barrel fermented bouquet which also packs seaspray/oyster-shell, mixed spices and talcy aromas into the mix. In the mouth it's very intense and focused, tensioned and crisp, without strident acidity but lovely refreshing properties. A superb wine, quietly complex and penetrating, obviously barrel-fermented but not showing too-overt oak. The acidity is bright and refreshing and cleanses the aftertaste. Amazing length. Magical stuff. |
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Tasmania | 1 | 98 (TRR) |
In Bond
£353.00 |
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The Real Review (98)Impressively deep, rich purple-red colour, unusual in Australian pinot noir. The bouquet is loaded with black cherry, blackberry and spice aromas, a hint of smoky oak adding charcuterie and fivespice nuances, while the palate is voluptuously full and rich, decadently flavoured, with luxurious flesh and fruit, abundant fine/soft tannins and terrific length. There are some whole-bunch nuances which are beautifully incorporated into the wide array of flavours. A totally convincing and thoroughly impressive Aussie pinot noir to compare with the best in the world |
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South Australia | 1 | 98 (WA) |
In Bond
£1,018.00 |
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Wine Advocate (98)Who would've thought that in the context of Barossa Shiraz, the 2015 RunRig would seem like a relative bargain? It's certainly much less expensive than Grange or Hill of Grace will be when they're released. It's also more approachable in its youth, with enormously appealing aromas of grilled fruit, savory complexities and rich, velvety tannins. Of course, it's full-bodied and concentrated, with the stuffing to age for up to a couple of decades, and it has a long, licorice-tinged finish. Winemaker Ian Hongell, who joined Torbreck from Peter Lehmann, may not have made this wine, but he deserves a lot of credit for the blending and finishing of this tour de force. |
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South Australia | 1 | 98 (WA) |
In Bond
£1,074.00 |
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Wine Advocate (98)As usual, the 2017 RunRig is approximately 2% Viognier. It spent almost 30 months in oak, 40% of which was new. Hints of peach or apricot appear on the nose, alongside notes of hickory smoke, cherries and baking spices. It's full-bodied and concentrated but supple and silky enough to seem lighter in the mouth, showing tremendous length and elegance on the finish, where it adds nuances of cinnamon and cocoa. |
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South Australia | 1 | 99 (DC) |
In Bond
£950.00 |
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Decanter (99)The must-try wine Tightly wound yet with cashmere tannins, soft kid-glove oak and cut-finger minerality. The anise, clove and cinnamon-edged palate is unbelievably svelte, like melted chocolate. On day two, succulent, spicy cherry fruit emerges, with blackberry liqueur, roses and violets. Savoury cep undertones, graphite and cedar follow through on an endless finish. A stunning blend of six old vineyards, one planted in the 1850s. |
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South Australia | 2 | 98 (JS) |
In Bond
£652.00 |
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James Suckling (98)A pristine nose of ripe and intense blackberries, blueberries and redcurrants, as well as some sanguine, rust-like notes. This is an excellent edition of The Factor. I like the power and focus this wine delivers and, in 2018, it is a wine of great length and presence. Abundant ripe blackberries bathe the palate. Try from 2025. |
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