Recognition

John Fordham compiled his top 100 wines to coincide with Highlife magazine’s 100th issue, and Tapanappa managed to sneak not one, but two onto the list.

Both in ther under $60 category, the 2010 Foggy Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir and …

Ripeness, earth spice and oak punch segue to an impossibly medium bodied, elegant palate – has complexity of bay leaf, bergamot tannins and a layered savouriness, but drinkability is the import. Impressive for architecture

95/100

Mid garnet; a subtle reflection of red fruits, sage, licorice and leather; the medium bodied palate is finely textured, with ample fine-grained tannins complementing the subtle red fruit and earthy tones of the finish; a long, fine and elegant example.…

Whalebone Vineyard, named for a fossilied whale skeleton in the limestone beneath it, was planted by John Greenshields in 1974 and bought by Tapanappa, a joint venture led by Brian Croser; in 2002. This is the first release of  a …

Petaluma founder Brian Croser made this world-class red from a vineyard on Coonawarra’s edge. Cabernet franc is unfashionable yet plays a vital role in many great Bordeaux reds. Croser launched this next to a $1400 Bordeaux and is compared well.…

Whopping price on this first-release merlot-cabernet franc blend from Tapanappa’s Whalebone Vineyard. But the wine quality is excellent.

Elegant, finely structured, ripe but not sweet. It walks the talk of modern Australian red wine. It tastes of pencil and fresh …

BRIAN Croser believes he’s discovered Australia’s true home for growing cabernet franc.

Holding court at Sydney’s Quarter Twenty One, Croser proudly presented his latest super-premium Tapanappa red – 2007 Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc ($85) – and he used the …

Sourced from one of the hottest vintages ever for the Tapanappa Wrattonbully vintage and it shows here – not even the high quality oak and astute winemaking can hide it.

Dusty, stewed blackberry, cedar and slightly caramelised red fruit nose. …

Fragrant red fruits, sage and cedary oak combine on the bouquet; the palate is medium-bodied, with ample polished and rounded tannins, providing texture to the gentle fruit and spice on offer.

91 points / 4½ goblets – Drink by: 2016…

Here’s the new range from Brian Croser’s ‘Wines of Terroir’ series, showing how Cabernet and Shiraz from Wrattonbully are a force to be reckoned with. This is a sibling to the Whalebone, from the Joanna vineyard where grapes grow on …

After Lion-Nathan’s acquisition of Brian Croser’s much-loved Petaluma Wine, Croser established Tapanappa with Jean-Michel Cazes of Chateau Lynch-Bages, Bordeaux, and Societe Jacques Bollinger, the parent company of Champagne Bollinger. In 2003 Tapanappa acquired Koppamurra Vineyard (established in 1974 by John …

2007 Wrattonbully Cabernet Shiraz

Here’s a red with pedigree; a nephew of one of Australia’s all-time great reds, the famous 79 Petaluma Coonawarra. This one from nearby Wrattonbully is not a blockbuster but a wine of complete but not excessive …

Burgundy, France, is the epicenter of the Chardonnay grape’s world, but the world itself has taken on this white grape as it’s own. Chardonnay is one the most widely grown grape varieties in the world and can be found pretty …

Chef Emma Reeves gathers friends and family for a relaxed festive feast at Lady Bay Beach.

Shaved summer salad with raspberry vinaigrette, served with 2007 Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills.…

The only stuggler in this lineup (though it is the cheapest), maligned by the perils of this ridiculously hard vintage. Day old roast beef nose with some curious, gumbooty overtones, it smells sweaty, horsey and dried out, leading to a …

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 …

sweet red cherry nose with 5 spice which flavours follow through on the palate. A touch muddy, despite quite present tannins ? perhaps young (4 year old) vines yet to find their voice?…

Pinot noir at it’s purest and most seductive, with plum and cherry aromas, a hint of oriental spice, the silkiest of textures and an underpinning of delicate acidity and supple tannins. Brian Croser says that the next vintage of this …

First-class chardonnay from the Piccadilly Valley in South Australia ? as good a demonstration as there is of the quality being achieved in some of the vineyards in Australia chosen for their combination of cool climate and suitable soils. This …

Australia sells more wine than any other country in the influential UK wine market. But that doesn?t mean that it enjoys the best reputation ? its wines are frequently dismissed as being over-ripe, over-alcoholic and over-exposed.

And although Australia itself …

Bright pale green-straw; as expected, an immaculately proportioned and balanced wine with great drive and impeccable line; all the vineyard and winemaker inputs are seamlessly welded, making flavour descriptors unnecessary.…

Brian Croser, partnered by the Cazes family of Lynch-Bages , and Champagne Bollinger, is behind this pure, precise wine, the star of my Chardonnay tasting at May’s Decanter New World Fine Wine Encounter.…

Very youthful and gangly, but an excellent chardonnay in the waiting. It’s spicy and floral, with a waxy presence of melon and grapefruit, apple and pear, with undertones of stonefruit, fig and creamy vanilla oak. Long and chalky, it’s austere …

Plenty of vinous cherry fruit aroma and some briary forest characters here, earthy, the oak is spicy and sits up in the mix, strong anise, some clove too. Fine gentle tannins and ripe soft fruits, liquorice and flighty cherry fruit …