Recognition

A cooler vintage that shows a wealth of brambly forest characters, spiced charcuterie,clean and bright violet-like dried flowers and graphite. The palate is very plush with some deeper nuances and mushroom, too. Refined, fresh, lively and supple brambly cherries as …

A cooler than average year with some plums and spiced tea cake, hints of tobacco and some leafy nuances. There is also a gently biscuity edge and very silky tannins. Supple and dense with a wealth of dark plums and …

A trio of reviews from Jancis Robinson

Tapanappa, Whalebone Vineyard 2009 Wrattonbully, 16.5+

“Mid blackish ruby. Firm and meaty on the nose. Actually it does not taste dominated by Cabernet. Subtle and appetising. Still with tannins in evidence but very

Tapanappa is a venture between Brian Croser, Bollinger and Chateau Lynch Bages in Bordeaux. Six hundred and eighty dozen of this 84/16 blend of cabernet sauvignon and shiraz were made. It drinks beautifully now, with layered flavours of cassis, violets,

2008 Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz

I opened this alongside the 2009 version, just to have another look to see if I had changed my mind about vintage preferences. I haven’t, as this still looks the less defined (and delicious) wine

The cooler vintage means that the 2009 doesn’t have the plush, vibrant immediacy of 2008 and will need time before its finer qualities are fully obvious. It is restrained with graphite minerality and briary complexities on the nose and palate.

This is the perfect gift for the wine-loving relative. A classic Australian blend of cabernet sauvignon and shiraz, generous in flavour and proportion. THis pedigreed single-vineyard wine is sure to impress.

 

An 84/16% blend aged for 22 months in 70% new French oak. Blackcurrant fruit is the main driver, albeit backed up on the mid-palate by more fleshy shiraz; it is medium-bodied, perfectly balanced, the tannins silky, the oak not at

If dad enjoys red wines, the this beautiful drink from Brian Croser’s private vineyard at Wrattonbully might fit the bill. From a cool vintage, this is an elegant Limestone Coast red that has spent 21 months in 70 per cent

From this month’s National Liquor News

Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc 2009

Ripe and sumptuous yet moderated by the silky texture, spicy flavours and fine-grained tannin impression of the Cabernet Franc.

Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz 2009

Lovely black

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (84%) and Shiraz (16%), the fruit is dazzling, framed up by some exquisite oak treatment.

It’s fairly loaded up with cassis, plum, and beyond that to underlying cedary notes, hints of violet. Multi-faceted, the fruit

2009 Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc Brian Croser, CEO and winemaker for Tapanappa, has been a much-respected friend of Winewise since our very early days. His great contribution to Australian wine via Petaluma and other avenues is part of …

The 2008 vintage was tagged by all as terrific, this one will achieve even higher acclaim. Dark chocolate, coffee and spiced plum infused across a great red.

Food: Peking duck
Rating: 96/100 …

My advice is to move fast to secure a bottle or three of this limited new fine wine release from South Aussie winemaker Brian Croser. A striking shiraz that will stand tall for years to come.

Food: Smoked duck
Rating: …

It’s testament to the underlying quality here, that the wine was both approachable now, yet also imparted a sense of where it may well be over its life.

Opens with a plummy mix, supported by an oak framework that provides …

he Whalebone Vineyard reds are always swathed in oak. Unashamedly so. They’re built for the long haul. Still, there’s a rare degree of refinement about them that sets them apart. The vineyard and the fruit is still clearly visible. It’s …

Apart from a short heat wave at the end of January, 2009 was a cooler vintage in Wrattonbully. The coolest since 2005. It’s made for an even better rendition of the Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc than the terrific …

Medium red-purple; an elegant, complex wine bringing spice, mint and quality oak aromas and flavours into line with the ripe mulberry/plum fruit of the medium-bodied palate, the tannins soft and balanced.

Rating: 94 points / 5 goblets

Drink by: 2024

Brian Croser is the man behind the iconic Australian winery Petaluma – now part of the Lion Nathan Group. He moved on to create Tapanappa with the Bizot Family of Bollinger fame and the Cazes family from Chateau Lynch-Bages. Croser …

This happened a while ago but we forgot to put it upon the site (my bad, S).

Our 2009 Foggy Hill Pinot Noir was rated equal top Australian Pinot, in the Five Nations Wine Challenge, just being notched out …

Brian Croser, one of Australia’s most respected winemakers, has been on a mission to find the perfect spot to grow pinot noir in Australia. He settled on the Fleurieu Peninsula on the tip of Sotuh Australia, and the result, while …

Brian Croser raised a few eyebrows with his inaugural 2007 Foggy Hill, sourced from a region barely associated with top shelf Australian wine, let alone pinot noir. Then, with his follow up from 2008, Croser showed the capabilities of his …

Good medium-depth colour; a very savoury briary style, with texture and structure its strengths; needs time to show whether there is enough pinosity (a Croser word) at its heart.

91 points / 4.5 glasses

Drink by 2015…

Not surprisingly, Kiwi’s aren’t the only ones producing silky smooth wines Down Under. For an absolute corker, try Tapanappa, Foggy Hill Pinot Noir 2009, Adelaide Hills [Ed: Fleurieu Peninsula], South Australia. The colour of morello cherries, it’s produced by one …