Mottura Primitivo Salento 2022

Oil and hazelnut wood vibe here.

Milk chocolate and strawberry - it's a curious mix of flavours, mid-bodied but slightly jarring and off-putting. 85

Tasted on: Friday 8th December
Source: Sample
Price: $35
Alcohol: 13%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.singlevineyards.com/

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earthworks Barossa Shiraz 2022

Hill-Smith Family Estate label sold through Coles brand liquor stores and some listings.

Bramd update has reflected a greater emphasis on connections to the growers that supply the fruit, connection tot hose that - pardon the creative license - work the earth.

Plum, mulberry, Char and charred meat.

Slickness across the palate, a glide and ease through the middle. Slight drying quality, on a good length. Quaffable. Mid-week barbecue, minute steaks and a tray of Cumberland snags. 89

Tasted on: Thursday 18th July
Source: Sample
Price: $12-20
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap


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The Little Wine Co Vermentino 2023

Snow pea, confected citrus, suggestion of estery character in the mix.

Minerally edge, balanced with fine acids and texture. Good all-rounder. 90

Tasted on: Wednesday 13th December
Source: Sample
Price: $30
Alcohol: 11.8%
Closure: Screwcap
Sample Courtesy of: https://www.singlevineyards.com/

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Yalumba The Signature Cabernet Shiraz 2021

Fifty years of this magnificent red blend - here celebrating Yalumba’s Packaging & Development Manager Chris Gerhardy and 51 magnificent years of service!

Deep plum notes, cedary oak. The palate is layered, detailed - cascading blackcurrant, silken chocolate and almost reminding of cherry ripe vibes. Fine kiss of vanilla oak, veins of minerally graphite.

Give it up to ten years - Superb. 94

Tasted on: Monday 15th July
Source: Sample
Price: $70
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Cork

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Tapanappa Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2023

Melon, a harder edge of Stonefruit kernel, fig and spice.

Initial entry is gentle and textural, leading to an expansive mid-palate through the finish. Burst of energetic tangy-lime acidity closes the wine out.

It's cool year credentials and moderate 12.5% acidity self-evident in an excellent package. 93

Tasted on: Thursday 9th May
Source: Sample
Price: $60
Alcohol: 12.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://tapanappa.com.au/

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Feudo Arancio Rosso Riserva 2019

Rich, chocolatey; whiffs of smoke over plum sauce.

Slick and glossy entry: plum fruit, bright prime and central to the theme of the wine. Falls off a bit through the final third, not quite matching the bright promise of the early primacy of fruit.

That said, still a fair throw of length here. 91

Tasted on: Sunday 28th July
Source: Sample
Price: $40
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Cork
Sample Courtesy of: https://www.singlevineyards.com/

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d'Arenberg The Broken Fishplate Sauvignon Blanc 2023

A cool vintage shows with a modest 11% stated alcohol.

Pink grapefruit, atop a touch of savoury oak nuttiness from a small percentage fermented in barrel, for additional width and body.

Lively and fresh, a good swagger of citrus carousing across the palate. Green capsicum and a jalapeno pickle note here too. Well worked and made, the cooler and longer vintage has benefited here. 92

Tasted on: Thursday 23rd May
Source: Sample
Price: $22
Alcohol: 11%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.darenberg.com.au/

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Mayfield Vineyard Mrs Crawford Pinot Noir 2023

A new wine for the Estate range, this Mayfield Vineyard Mrs Crawford Pinot Noir is a nod to Margaret Crawford who owned the property for 65. Hand-picked fruit, 30% whole bunch, French oak for nine months (20% new).

Generousity on offer here, a succulent red and black fruit mix. Even with minimal air time it starts to open up, offering alternative vistas into the wine's charms.

Cassis, passionfruit, glimpses of citrus oil. It's succulent, fleshy, juicy. Some woodsy and earthy mushroom hints too, set against a fine grain of tannin - the two aspects working in tandem to offer a package where the sum is greater than the individual parts. 93

Tasted on: Wednesday 1st May
Source: Sample
Price: $37
Alcohol: TBC
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.mayfieldvineyard.com.au/

Sample Courtesy of: https://definewine.com.au/   

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Forrest Chardonnay 2022

Creamy, nutty, nougat oak on offer. Immediately familiar, inviting - yellow nectarine and fine spice hints.

The palate shows a little toast, married to ripe fruit. A lovely balance of fruit and oak in unison here.

There's palate weight, width and length - gives an all round package bound to have broad appeal. Grows in stature through the finish. 92

Tasted on: Monday 11th December
Source: Sample
Price: $40
Alcohol: 14%
Closure: Screwcap
Sample Courtesy of: https://www.singlevineyards.com/

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d'Arenberg d'Arry's Original 2021

Classic Grenache/ Shiraz blend from McLaren Vale's d'Arenberg.

It's seen some moderate price rises over the years but still great value at $22 - especially for a wine that's shown impressive cellar-worthy pedigree beyond its price-point.

Leads with the Grenache earthiness over subtle baked raspberry. A modicum of chocolate in the frame too.

There's an initial sweetness to the wine, prominent in entry - it settles into itself with some air and time. 90

Tasted on: Sunday 18th August
Source: Sample
Price: $22
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.darenberg.com.au/

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Nuiton-Beaunoy Bourgogne Haute-Côtes de Beaune 2022

Honeyed, pale straw - in colour and appeal - citrus.

Sterner, steelier edge to the palate: softened with Boxwood honey, Jasmine and honeysuckle.

Subtle dribble of peach juice and oak spice. Broadens in profile through the finish. 91

Tasted on: Wednesday 14th August
Source: Sample
Price: $55
Alcohol: 12.5%
Closure: DIAM
Sample Courtesy of: https://www.singlevineyards.com/

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Huntington Estate Reserve Semillon 2022

Meyer lemon, quince, a little waxy lanolin.

Lovely vibrant acidity, bursting forth on the immediate palate. Lemon sherbet, tangy, latterly lemon balm and browning lime.

That acid will serve this wine well over time, expecting to see it broaden in profile with time. 92

Tasted on: Friday 16th August
Source: Sample
Price: $35
Alcohol: 10.98%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://huntingtonestate.com.au/

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Terre à Terres Crayères Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2022

Cabernet Franc, with a dollop of Shiraz (9%) for good measure.

Lovely medium bodied wine, the spine displaying an exquisite line of acidity.

Aromatically it's a darker mix of fruit: blackcurrant and plum, with some black tea vibes. Love shape and feel through the middle, rougher tea-like tannin bolstering its proposition. Superb all-round package. 94

Tasted on: Thursday 25th July
Source: Sample
Price: $35
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://terreaterre.com.au/

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Domaine Nicolas Potel Petit Chablis 2022

Briny hints, Beurre bosc pear, Meyer lemon skin. There's a lovely freshness and appeal, leading to a palate that feels tight, clean.

Chalk and sea-shell lead-in across the length of the palate. Subtle honeyed-meets fresh green herb bent, Tarragon perhaps. Appropriately I paired this with creamy chicken Tarragon - a good match or auto-suggestion? 91

Tasted on: Monday 12th August
Source: Sample
Price: $70
Alcohol: 12.5%
Closure: DIAM
Sample Courtesy of: https://www.singlevineyards.com/

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