Recognition

2008 Tapanappa Tiers Chardonnay

Brian Croser lives alongside the superb Tiers vineyard in the Adelaide Hills and coaxes one of the country’s finest chardonnays from its 30-year-old vines. This has restraint and fruit purity, wonderful texture and bright, refreshing acidity.…

Most drinkers regard merlot as a simple, light quafer with hints of plum and raspberry but the best merlots offer intensity, depth of flavour, firm tannin structure and serious length. Merlot works best blended with cabernet and other Bordeaux varieties, …

As polished and swish as you’d expect from the experienced Croser-Cazes team leading this project. Plenty of toasty oak, and deeply ripe, juicy plum/berry fruit presence – a convincing wine. The palate is swathed in supple, even tannin and finishes …

Good Wine Guide 2011 Merlot of the Year

Another merlot that speaks first of its oak – quite cedary and gently smoky – then mulberry, dried plums and spice. The palate’s laid out on sweetly ripe tannins, delivering plum flavour …

TAPANAPPA is an Australian-French consortium founded by Brian Croser (ex-Petaluma), Bordeaux-born Jean-Michel Cazes and Champagne Bolinger. The international nature of the partnership is echoed in this tasty wine. It takes the very Australian blend of cabernet sauvignon and shiraz (with …

Excellent crimson hue; potent merlot red fruits and hints of savoury herb on the way through the palate meeting firm, slightly dry, tannins on the back-palate and finish. Needs patience. Cork.

13.5% alc. Rating 94 Drink 2020 $71.50 Date Tasted …

Good hue; a 60/30/10 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz/Merlot with a very obvious infusion of French oak on bouquet and palate; has excellent texture and structure, and none of the tannin challenges of the Merlot. Cork.

14% alc. Rating 94 Drink …

Last year’s ’06 Merlot sold out in the blink of an eye and so this year I have given the nod to the imperial Whalebone Cab/Shiraz. Fiendishly difficult to pin down, the flavour and aroma of this wine shapeshifts in …

Saw that there was a note for this 2006 Tapanappa Cabernet Shiraz in last year’s Big Red Wine Book (well in advance of its release) and – noting the 91 point score – wondered whether we?d been a bit harsh. …

I notice that this review was in last year’s edition of the Big Red Wine Book – but didn?t make it to the site. An oversight. Not sure who wrote this one – Mr Walsh or myself. In any case …

Perhaps the best of this line. It has an abundance of savoury, mellowed complexities from time in barrel and bottle. It’s soft and elegant, with fine tannins and supple texture, superb balance and length. 15+ years.…

Very dark/black fruited nose which has a synergistic blend of both varieties and oak. Shows just a hint of the green notes sometimes associated with the region, leading into a smooth and satisfying palate with a rather approachable lick of …

he first of Tapanappa’s Wrattonbully wines tasted here, this merlot displays a wonderful vibrant lift to its somewhat minty/herbal edged red plum and boysenberry notes, with oak integration looking pretty good right now. It displays great freshness to its aroma. …

Legendary winemaker Brian Croser who created the Petaluma label, established Tapanappa at Wrattonbully on SA’s Limestone Coast, in 2002. This has a rich mouth-feel with great concentration and depth to the black fruit flavours. Whalebone vineyard is 32 years old …

The nose shows attractive red berry-spice aromas, and very fine tannins persist with the fruit on a medium-weight palate.…

One of a very limited number of single vineyard Cabernet Shiraz blends, this savoury, firm and rather old world inspired red blend is extremely classy but also desperately in need of time.

With a bright, yet dusty, red/black fruit & …

Apparently the Whalebone vineyard turns 35 this year, with Brian first sighting it back in the early 80’s when he was working with Geoff Weaver (who was producing Cabernet from it). The vineyard shares the same celebrated soil structure as …

Elegant and harmonious, this is silky in texture, with lovely blueberry, currant, plum and spice flavors playing out with refinement and style, finishing with a meaty, savory note. Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2020. 1,400 cases …

Polished, elegant and harmonious, this is silky, with lovely blueberry, currant, plum and spice flavours playing out with refinement and style, finishing with a meaty, savoury note. Drink now through 2020. 93 points.…

The two new red releases from the Whalebone Vineyard are of definite 100 Best standard. We have chosen to lead with the Merlot ahead of the Cabernet / Shiraz blend, it being the much more challenging wine to make. Stunningly …

Nothing soft and slurpable here ? this is a serious merlot?.it’s overall quality is superb. It’s ripped with tannin, deep, plum-shot flavour, cedary oak and more general earthen, smoky notes. Forget the descriptors: it’s grippy and bold and quite beautiful.…

Gravel, blackcurrant, dried herbs and toasty, tarry flavours characterise it, and it has good length. The oak has settled beautifully into the wine, and it sure is balanced?…

Bright, lemon-green; lovely line and focused fruit with complex cashews and fine citrus fruits on the long, generous finish; great texture and very supple.…

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