Dinner Wines

• 95/100

  5/5

  

  

  Tyrrell's Single Vineyard Stevens Semillon 2016

  #3 of 43 2016 Sémillon from Lower Hunter

  Top Value AU

  Medium straw in the glass, youthful green tinges. Lovely lifted aromas of lemon pith, lemon curd, buttered toast and nougat. The palate is nutty, creamy, lemony, tangy and long. The acidity is bright and crunchy, but has a roundness and generosity to it. Drinking beautifully now and with plenty of years ahead of it.

  95/100

  5/5

  Drink 2022–2032 Jun 2022 Aaron Brasher
  AUD 45 Buy Direct
• 95/100

  5/5

  

  Knappstein Wines Ackland Vineyard Riesling 2021

  #11 of 68 2021 Riesling from Clare Valley

  Top Value AU

  Very youthful and bright in the glass. Pure and lifted aromas of citrus blossom, lemon pith, bath salts and white flowers. A fine and focused palate, citrus drive, mouthwatering acidity and a little minerally phenolic grip at the end for texture and mouth-feel. All the classic Watervale riesling traits here

  95/100

  5/5

  Drink 2021–2036 Oct 2021 Aaron Brasher
  AUD 30 Buy Direct
• 95/100

  5/5

  

  Tahbilk Marsanne 2015

  Medium to full yellow colour. The bouquet is fully mature and toasty-resiny with lots of lemon curd, lemon juice and lemon zest aromas, some herbal nuances, and really it’s quite a complex aged dry white wine. A hint of lime cordial. The palate has good intensity and is very dry, long and balanced. A very smart mature wine. Those who love mature Hunter semillon would also enjoy this.

  95/100

  5/5

  Drink 2021–2025 Dec 2021 Huon Hooke
  AUD 26 Buy Direct
• 95/100

  5/5

  

  Handpicked Wines Wombat Creek Chardonnay 2018

  #17 of 87 2018 Chardonnay from Yarra Valley

  Top Value AU

  Complex, layered and lifted aromas of struck-match, grapefruit pith, oyster-shell, melon skin, nectarine and marzipan. Textured and mouth-filling, white peach, citrus, honeydew melon, nutty, mealy, with plenty of tangy acidity and drive. A smart wine and just hitting its straps

  95/100

  5/5

  Drink 2022–2029 Mar 2022 Aaron Brasher
  AUD 70 Buy Direct
• 98/100

  5/5

  

  By Farr GC Côte Vineyard Chardonnay 2017

  #1 of 17 2017 Chardonnay from Geelong

  Top Value AU

  Light straw-yellow hue, with a smoky, lightly-toasty bouquet that displays some low-level sulfides and subtle nutty barrel-derived nuances. It's intense and medium to full-bodied, rich and powerful, with tremendous grapefruity intensity and lingering length. It's holding more in store, suggesting it will be even more rewarding in another year or so. An absolutely superb chardonnay.

  98/100

  5/5

  Drink 2019–2028 Jul 2019 Huon Hooke
  AUD 119 Buy Direct
• 96/100

  5/5

  

  

  Head Ancestor Vine Grenache 2020

  #1 of 49 2020 Grenache from Barossa

  Top Value AU

  Deep and bright red with purple tinges, smoky and ironstone aromas overlying sweet black fruits and a hint of tar; the palate is medium-full bodied, fleshy and rounded, with richness as well as elegance, the flavour of dark cherries and bitter herbs, nicely balanced throughout. The silken texture is a highlight. A delicious grenache. (Grapes from the 1858-planted Stonegarden vineyard)

  96/100

  5/5

  Drink 2022–2034 Jun 2022 Huon Hooke
  AUD 109 Buy Direct
• 95/100

  5/5

  

  Soumah Equilibrio Syrah 2019

  #3 of 23 2019 Shiraz from Yarra Valley

  Top Value AU

  Very deep, concentrated red/purple colour. Smoky, spicy and savoury to sniff, the palate soft and fleshy with a core of sweet fruit in the centre, intertwined with a vegetal—possibly whole bunch ferment—character. There's an almost syrupy lusciousness in the middle. A good and somewhat quirky style, delicious and dare I say Rhône-like.

  95/100

  5/5

  Drink 2022–2034 Mar 2022 Huon Hooke
  AUD 80 Buy Direct
• 96/100

  5/5

  

  Hungerford Hill Epic Shiraz 2019

  #7 of 72 2019 Shiraz from Lower Hunter

  Top Value AU

  Deep purple to look at, this Hunter shiraz is still in the first flush of youth, raw and unevolved. Berry fruit, rhubarb compote, violets, ironstone and smoky, toasty oak already provide plenty of aromatic interest, and a mouthful has a silky, seamless quality, very long, complex flavour and lip-smacking juicy balance. The tannins are perfectly modulated and the whole thing offers intensity and impact without any hard edges or toughness.

  96/100

  5/5

  Drink 2022–2037 Mar 2022 Ralph Kyte-Powell
  AUD 150 Buy Direct
• 95/100

  5/5

  

  Greenock Creek Alice's Shiraz 2019

  #11 of 145 2019 Shiraz from Barossa Valley

  Top Value AU

  Very youthful, inky, opaque in appearance. Dark fruit aromas: plum, mulberry, sweet oak, ironstone and spice. Plush dark-fruit flavours of plum, dark cherry, bitter chocolate, coffee grounds and cola. The tannins are firm and give plenty of structure and teamed with the bright acidity, both counter the luscious fruit admirably and provide savouriness, length and mouth-feel.

  95/100

  5/5

  Drink 2021–2036 Oct 2021 Aaron Brasher
  AUD 45 Buy Direct
• 95/100

  5/5

  

  Taylors The Visionary Exceptional Parcel Release Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

  #4 of 20 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon from Clare Valley

  Top Value AU

  Deep, rich crimson colour with a good tint of purple. The bouquet shows blackberry and various dark fruits with a patina of tobacco and toasty development and a very subtle lacing of mint. The wine is quite sweet in the centre from very ripe fruit, while the overall flavour is showing development and the beginnings of mellowness. The tannins add a savoury feel and a clean, drying finish. A very solid wine.

  95/100

  5/5

  Drink 2021–2041 Mar 2021 Huon Hooke
  AUD 275 Buy Direct
• 95/100

  5/5

  

  Brown Brothers Patricia Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

  #10 of 66 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon from Victoria

  Top Value AU

  A deep, dense wine showing a little development but potential for a lot more. Jammy black fruits, savoury threads of dry forest leaves, seamlessly intergrated dusty oak, dabs of vanilla and spice make for a complex nose. It's quite full-bodied, yet there's an elegance to it that carries through the long finish, supported by plenty of ripe tannin influence. Excellent

  95/100

  5/5

  Drink 2021–2036 Apr 2021 Ralph Kyte-Powell
  AUD 62 Buy Direct
• 97/100

  5/5

  

  Yalumba The Signature 2018

  #1 of 17 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon blends from Barossa

  Top Value AU

  Deep red with good purple in the meniscus; it smells fresh and bright, dark fruits and spices with touches of new leather and tapenade, and the oak is not overt, a major improvement in this wine over the years. The wine is concentrated and powerful, with great depth of flavour and ample ripe tannins backing up. Long, long carry; fruit-sweet core. A smashing glass of red, with a long and rosy future—although I can also enjoy it right now. (Nick Waterman blend)

  97/100

  5/5

  Drink 2022–2045 May 2022 Huon Hooke
  AUD 65 Buy Direct