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Vinous (98)
The 2016 Shiraz Mount Edelstone offers robust layers of blackberry and sandy earth with warming alcohol. It is a bold and muscular expression of site, with impressive fruit power, minerality and tannin density. The finish is strong, tannic and beautifully composed. This will be fabulous in time.Inc. VAT£629.98 -
Wine Advocate (97)
Notes of mint, sage and bay leaf accent bold aromas of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries on the nose of Hobbs's 2018 1905 Shiraz. Picked later than the Gregor but not dried prior to fermentation, it's a well-behaved 14.7% alcohol wine that would be at home on the table alongside a tomahawk ribeye, roast lamb or any long-cooked stew. Full-bodied and intense, it not only shows tremendous complexity—mixing red and dark berries with various herbal nuances and hints of licorice, coffee beans and seared meat—but also boasts a rich, velvety mouthfeel combined with notable drinkability. It's a terrific contrast in style with the Gregor, showing more elegance but not nearly as much power.Inc. VAT£727.51 -
Wine Advocate (98)
The 2018 Gregor Shiraz was partially dried prior to crushing and fermentation, so it packs considerable concentration and power, weighing in at 15.8% alcohol on the label. It's a blockbuster in every sense of the word, from its huge aromas of mint, blueberries and plums to the mind-bending intensity on the full-bodied palate. Although not as raisined or alcoholic as Dal Forno's Amarone, there are similarities in size and structure, with waves of velvety, super ripe fruit and dark chocolate bolstered by softly dusty tannins and mouthwatering acidity on a finish that must be tasted to be believed. Wow!Inc. VAT£548.12 -
(12x75cl) 2020Ray Jordan (95)
Beautiful vibrant primary fruit characters here. Smooth, integrated and seamless. There is a juicy character but it's quite tight and controlled with a precise and detailed finish. Shiraz has gone through a remarkable reincarnation after being pulled out in 1980 in favour of sauvignon blanc. Thankfully it's now part of a renewed focus. This one is spicy and highly perfumed with a vibrant high energy palate. Lovely primary fruit flavours well supported with excellent large format oak influence.Inc. VAT£441.84 -
James Suckling (94)
Lots of flint and stone aromas with lemons and green apples. Medium-bodied with a tight and linear palate and a long, flavorful finish. Very intense. Drink now. Screw cap.Inc. VAT£233.15 -
James Suckling (97)
A perfumed nose of cherries, raspberries, dark chocolate, earth, orange rind, violets and sweet spices. Full body with lively acidity. Rather chewy tannins. Bright and crunchy with a fleshy texture. Balanced and layered with a long, precise finish. Better after 2023. Screw capInc. VAT£373.92 -
James Suckling (96)
Lots of ripe strawberries with some citrus and cream. Some meat, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with round, ripe tannins and a delicious, juicy finish. Drink or hold. Screw cap.Inc. VAT£353.15 -
Wine Advocate (100)
A new addition to the Penfolds lineup, the 2016 Bin 111A Shiraz is a blend of Clare (51%) and Barossa (49%) fruit from vineyards that have previously contributed to Grange. Aged in 100% new French oak, it's a rich, luxuriously textured wine that's packed with ripe fruit and finely textured tannins. Hints of grilled meat and exotic dried spices accent red raspberries and redcurrants in this full-bodied but exceptionally silky and elegant red that meets the high expectations for such a pricey bottling.Inc. VAT£2,086.78 -
James Suckling (98)
The regional stamp is embedded deeply here. Redcurrant, blackcurrant, mint and leafy aromas with a core of very fine, lithe tannins that really chisel the palate into shape. The florals are here in red and violet shades, together with purple-olive tapenade, sweeter red berries and an almost raspberry-like core. The palate is bright, long and powerful with an elegant core of fine, assertive tannins in play. The warm wave of spicy oak into the finish is delivered with class and finesse. Long and regal. This is superb cabernet sauvignon and the shining star of this year's collection. Drink from 2022 and for two decades at least.Inc. VAT£1,289.98 -
Wine Advocate (92)
The 2021 Bin 28 Shiraz hails from five regions: McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Padthaway, Wrattonbully and Clare Valley. The wine matured for 12 months in American oak (7% new), and this really amplifies the sweet fruit characters in the mouth. It's already nicely integrated aromatically, despite being poured and opened in the same instance (i.e., no preparation prior to tasting), and is redolent with red and purple berry fruit. Spicy, full throttle and loads of tannin in the mouth. Nicely chewy. The first vintage of this wine was in 1959. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.Inc. VAT£185.98 -
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.Inc. VAT£428.38 -
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.Inc. VAT£460.78 -
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.Inc. VAT£1,497.58 -
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.Inc. VAT£1,858.78 -
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.Inc. VAT£1,805.98 -
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.Inc. VAT£974.38 -
(6x75cl) 2018Wine Advocate (98)
Sourced only from the Barossa Valley, RWT is aged exclusively in French oak, giving it two major points of difference from the rest of the Penfolds range. Always a sexy, voluptuous wine (and admittedly a personal favorite), the 2018 RWT Shiraz ratchets that up to new heights in a great Barossa vintage, boasting layers of berry-like fruit, refined vanilla shadings and baking-spice notes, plus more exotic elements like star anise and cocoa powder. It's full-bodied and plush without being unstructured in any way, with a lingering, complex finish and the concentration to age two decades or more.Inc. VAT£586.78 -
The Real Review (99)
Very deep, dense purple/red colour. Fabulous nose of concentrated blueberry and blackberry aromas. Enormous fruit sweetness and decadent, lush fruit and texture. Totally seductive. Great power and persistence. An astonishing wine of monumental depth and power, but also fabulous texture and harmony. A very great wine in the making.Inc. VAT£804.00 -
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.Inc. VAT£493.18 -
Halliday Wine Companion (99)
72% Tasmania (predominantly Central Highlands and Coal River Valley, with a little Derwent Valley), 22% Tumbarumba (for minerality and linearity), 6% Adelaide Hills (for richness); matured eight months in 60% new French oak barriques. An ultra-cool climate blend of Tasmania, Tumbarumba and Adelaide Hills fruit wastes no time in setting the terms of engagement with a wine of infinite class. The flinty/smoky aromas introducing an almost painful intensity on the mercurial palate, a celebration of white-fleshed stone fruits. It has made light work of 8 months in 100% new French oak. Struts its stuff without a care in the world.Inc. VAT£605.89 -
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?Inc. VAT£782.66 -
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.Inc. VAT£163.67 -
(6x75cl) 2018Halliday 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.Inc. VAT£263.89 -
James Suckling (99)
Unbelievable! Another insane wine. The length of this is endless. The blue fruits and Asian spices are mind-blowing. It’s medium- to full-bodied with a mouth full of polished and refined, creamy tannins. It goes on for minutes. Endless. Seamless and gorgeous. Leave this for years ahead if you can keep your hands off it. Better after 2025.Inc. VAT£496.24 -
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.Inc. VAT£492.64 -
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.Inc. VAT£496.24 -
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.Inc. VAT£498.64 -
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.Inc. VAT£284.75 -
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.Inc. VAT£382.32 -
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.Inc. VAT£436.32
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Vinous (98)
The 2016 Shiraz Mount Edelstone offers robust layers of blackberry and sandy earth with warming alcohol. It is a bold and muscular expression of site, with impressive fruit power, minerality and tannin density. The finish is strong, tannic and beautifully composed. This will be fabulous in time.In Bond£505.00 -
Wine Advocate (97)
Notes of mint, sage and bay leaf accent bold aromas of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries on the nose of Hobbs's 2018 1905 Shiraz. Picked later than the Gregor but not dried prior to fermentation, it's a well-behaved 14.7% alcohol wine that would be at home on the table alongside a tomahawk ribeye, roast lamb or any long-cooked stew. Full-bodied and intense, it not only shows tremendous complexity—mixing red and dark berries with various herbal nuances and hints of licorice, coffee beans and seared meat—but also boasts a rich, velvety mouthfeel combined with notable drinkability. It's a terrific contrast in style with the Gregor, showing more elegance but not nearly as much power.In Bond£586.00 -
Wine Advocate (98)
The 2018 Gregor Shiraz was partially dried prior to crushing and fermentation, so it packs considerable concentration and power, weighing in at 15.8% alcohol on the label. It's a blockbuster in every sense of the word, from its huge aromas of mint, blueberries and plums to the mind-bending intensity on the full-bodied palate. Although not as raisined or alcoholic as Dal Forno's Amarone, there are similarities in size and structure, with waves of velvety, super ripe fruit and dark chocolate bolstered by softly dusty tannins and mouthwatering acidity on a finish that must be tasted to be believed. Wow!In Bond£435.00 -
(12x75cl) 2020
Ray Jordan (95)
Beautiful vibrant primary fruit characters here. Smooth, integrated and seamless. There is a juicy character but it's quite tight and controlled with a precise and detailed finish. Shiraz has gone through a remarkable reincarnation after being pulled out in 1980 in favour of sauvignon blanc. Thankfully it's now part of a renewed focus. This one is spicy and highly perfumed with a vibrant high energy palate. Lovely primary fruit flavours well supported with excellent large format oak influence.In Bond£331.00 -
James Suckling (94)
Lots of flint and stone aromas with lemons and green apples. Medium-bodied with a tight and linear palate and a long, flavorful finish. Very intense. Drink now. Screw cap.In Bond£175.00 -
James Suckling (97)
A perfumed nose of cherries, raspberries, dark chocolate, earth, orange rind, violets and sweet spices. Full body with lively acidity. Rather chewy tannins. Bright and crunchy with a fleshy texture. Balanced and layered with a long, precise finish. Better after 2023. Screw capIn Bond£293.00 -
James Suckling (96)
Lots of ripe strawberries with some citrus and cream. Some meat, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with round, ripe tannins and a delicious, juicy finish. Drink or hold. Screw cap.In Bond£275.00 -
Wine Advocate (100)
A new addition to the Penfolds lineup, the 2016 Bin 111A Shiraz is a blend of Clare (51%) and Barossa (49%) fruit from vineyards that have previously contributed to Grange. Aged in 100% new French oak, it's a rich, luxuriously textured wine that's packed with ripe fruit and finely textured tannins. Hints of grilled meat and exotic dried spices accent red raspberries and redcurrants in this full-bodied but exceptionally silky and elegant red that meets the high expectations for such a pricey bottling.In Bond£1,719.00 -
James Suckling (98)
The regional stamp is embedded deeply here. Redcurrant, blackcurrant, mint and leafy aromas with a core of very fine, lithe tannins that really chisel the palate into shape. The florals are here in red and violet shades, together with purple-olive tapenade, sweeter red berries and an almost raspberry-like core. The palate is bright, long and powerful with an elegant core of fine, assertive tannins in play. The warm wave of spicy oak into the finish is delivered with class and finesse. Long and regal. This is superb cabernet sauvignon and the shining star of this year's collection. Drink from 2022 and for two decades at least.In Bond£1,055.00 -
Wine Advocate (92)
The 2021 Bin 28 Shiraz hails from five regions: McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Padthaway, Wrattonbully and Clare Valley. The wine matured for 12 months in American oak (7% new), and this really amplifies the sweet fruit characters in the mouth. It's already nicely integrated aromatically, despite being poured and opened in the same instance (i.e., no preparation prior to tasting), and is redolent with red and purple berry fruit. Spicy, full throttle and loads of tannin in the mouth. Nicely chewy. The first vintage of this wine was in 1959. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.In Bond£135.00 -
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.In Bond£337.00 -
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.In Bond£364.00 -
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.In Bond£1,228.00 -
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.In Bond£1,529.00 -
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.In Bond£1,485.00 -
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.In Bond£792.00 -
(6x75cl) 2018
Wine Advocate (98)
Sourced only from the Barossa Valley, RWT is aged exclusively in French oak, giving it two major points of difference from the rest of the Penfolds range. Always a sexy, voluptuous wine (and admittedly a personal favorite), the 2018 RWT Shiraz ratchets that up to new heights in a great Barossa vintage, boasting layers of berry-like fruit, refined vanilla shadings and baking-spice notes, plus more exotic elements like star anise and cocoa powder. It's full-bodied and plush without being unstructured in any way, with a lingering, complex finish and the concentration to age two decades or more.In Bond£469.00 -
The Real Review (99)
Very deep, dense purple/red colour. Fabulous nose of concentrated blueberry and blackberry aromas. Enormous fruit sweetness and decadent, lush fruit and texture. Totally seductive. Great power and persistence. An astonishing wine of monumental depth and power, but also fabulous texture and harmony. A very great wine in the making.Inc. VAT£804.00 -
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.In Bond£391.00 -
Halliday Wine Companion (99)
72% Tasmania (predominantly Central Highlands and Coal River Valley, with a little Derwent Valley), 22% Tumbarumba (for minerality and linearity), 6% Adelaide Hills (for richness); matured eight months in 60% new French oak barriques. An ultra-cool climate blend of Tasmania, Tumbarumba and Adelaide Hills fruit wastes no time in setting the terms of engagement with a wine of infinite class. The flinty/smoky aromas introducing an almost painful intensity on the mercurial palate, a celebration of white-fleshed stone fruits. It has made light work of 8 months in 100% new French oak. Struts its stuff without a care in the world.In Bond£487.00 -
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?In Bond£635.00 -
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.In Bond£121.23 -
(6x75cl) 2018
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.In Bond£202.00 -
James Suckling (99)
Unbelievable! Another insane wine. The length of this is endless. The blue fruits and Asian spices are mind-blowing. It’s medium- to full-bodied with a mouth full of polished and refined, creamy tannins. It goes on for minutes. Endless. Seamless and gorgeous. Leave this for years ahead if you can keep your hands off it. Better after 2025.In Bond£393.00 -
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.In Bond£390.00 -
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.In Bond£393.00 -
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.In Bond£395.00 -
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.In Bond£218.00 -
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.In Bond£300.00 -
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.In Bond£345.00
