Recognition

This wine is a knockout punch for Oz chardonnay that gets little respect on the world stage. Tiers Vineyard was the first vineyard planted in the Adelaide Hills since the 19th and marks the centre of the Piccadilly Valley. The …

The Cab Shiraz is available in slightly higher volumes, with around 1400 cases produced. As well as 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Shiraz, there is a further 10% of Cabernet Franc completing the blend, all cropped very low at 2.5 …

A powerful wine, with great structure and length, but very slightly grippy on the finish. 18 Points…

an unusually hot year this has a toasty nose and an expansive, generous palate with the dusty eucalypt character I recall from the 2006 tasting and dark rich, chocolate-edged fruit. Big ripe tannins complete the heady picture; like the gout …

Brian Croser is the man who founded pioneering winery, Petaluma, the first in the Adelaide Hills. He is known as Australia’s original ?terroirist? for his unrelenting pursuit of his countryman, Dr AC Kelly’s vision of 1867 that ?in the great …

Perfectly ripened fruit highlights the deficiencies of the majority of Australian Merlots; bright small red berry fruits, a faint nuance of snow pea and fine, persistent, ripe tannins.…

A single vineyard wine of great aspiration?its structure and polish are A-class. Fine, elegant, curranty fruit flavours, velvety tannins, hay-like, sawdusty French oak and a sweet jubey finish. They don?t come much classier.…

A slick, modern and decidedly cedary oak enhanced style, heading into classic Bordeaux inspired territory, some plums and mulberry too. Lovely sweet tannins carrying fruit in three dimensions, more of the same ripe fruits here; length and class.…

? a polished technique and innate fruit potential. Oak is applied with Bordeaux like charm, across cassis and dark cherry fruits, mint and chocolate. Handsomely integrated, its well crafted tannins fan out evenly across the palate, delivering plenty of berry …

Finely assembled by Brian Croser, this is an expressive Merlot with loads of rich black fruits, savoury spice and hints of fruit cake. The palate is tight and full bodied, supported by dark chocolate oak and fine long tannins.…

How many great Australian merlots are there? Not many, but this wine points the way. From one of the first dedicated merlot vineyards in Australia, planted in 1974 at Wrattonbully on South Australia’s Limestone Coast, it opens with a subtle, …

Is this Australia’s Merlot of the Year?… Our vote this year went unanimously to this desparately distinguished Merlot. The detail and build quality of this wine require serious inspection. Tight, but expressive, this is a wine that should not be …

The quality of black currant, cherry and plum fruit showcased in this wine makes it one of the best releases under this label to date. Vanillin oak supports its rich fruit and fine supple tannins.…

Finely constructed, with bright fruits supported by classy oak; full bodied with ample levels of black fruits and superfine tannins, yielding a supple and surprisingly approachable young wine. May surprise with its longevity.…

With Croser, Lynches-Bages and Bollinger interests behind this wine, it is no suprise that it has some serious intent. Whiffs of currants, mulberries and oak are appealing but the structure is really impressive.…

Brian Croser (ex-Petaluma), among Australia’s most accomplished winemakers, and Bordeaux Legend Jean-Michel Cazes established this Wrattonbully (SA) winery in 2003. Densley coloured with a dusty/earthy nose, this has a stylish, restrained and elegant palate.…

The vineyard from which this wine comes was planted in 1974, and until recently was known as Koppamurra. I think it has already proven to be one of Australia’s great sites, and this wine reinforces my view. There are many …

The fruit component of this wine is probably as good as it gets for merlot in Australia at the moment. There’s a depth and complexity that goes way beyond the common plum and spice descriptors. There it is, merlot in …

The 2005 Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Merlot has scored a spot in Matthew Jukes coveted top 100 wines of 2008.

Commenting on the 2008 selection, Matthew Jukes said, ?Quentin and I always start off this process with a blank piece of …

This continues the strong impression made by the 2004 version of this. This is reserved but big, chocked with dusty, curranty, cedary fruit flavour and then sweet and jubey through the finish. I tasted this six months ago and it …

Unashamedly fusing Australian fruit and a Bordelaise approach, this has precise distinctive fruit aromas, swanky oak influence, some mint and milk chocolate. The dominant cabernet sauvignon has integrated completely with its minority partners, shiraz and cabernet franc; this has an …

Notably sweet, smooth texture. Just the merest hint of coffee and spice (perhaps because of the Vosges oak used? ? new and old). Good acidity but texture is really is its strong suit, from vines planted in 1979. Some creamy …

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