Recognition

A ripe, rounded, fleshy red with accents of sweet-vanilla and coconut. Juicy, supple and warming. Decant well before serving to
harmonise the elements.

89 points

Deep, rich red with a tinge of brick-red in the colour, the bouquet strong on eucalyptus with menthol and linament notes. It’s full-
bodied and rich, fleshy and almost opulent in the mouth, the palate delivering intense Campari-like bitter- herb

Perenially exemplary Australian take on a classic right-bank (Bordeaux) blend.

Quite sullen, sitting there under a heavy oak shroud. There are lighter elements of spice and toast in that oak frame, slowly lifting to reveal glimpses of blackberry, tobacco, more

A delicious, well-made wine with ripe, vibrant fruit. What sets this wine apart from others is the extreme depth of flavour. I enjoy the energy of the mulberry and plummy fruit, as well as the gentle chocolatey richness. Only 320

Some quite assertive oak influence here with cassis and a dark berry and cherry core, as well as chocolate and violets. The palate delivers a supple, smooth and quite concentrated impression with a very ripe, dense and slightly jammy finish. …

There’s a fresh core of red fruit here with some riper, plum-compote notes and plenty of sweet oak spice. The palate has a smooth array of deep-set dark berries with red plum-pip notes at the finish. A blend of 69% …

Still very fresh with an array of sweet elkather, chocolate and darker plums. Some light peppery nuances, too. There are meaty notes on the nose such as beef stock and bouillon. Very nicely developed. The palate is softened off, showing …

This a very fluid, plush and deep-set yet elegant wine with has deep flavors, sweet fruits. The mulberries meets blackberries. Shows similar plushness and a fine and very evenly paced style here. It has an effortless presence. Terrific. Drink now …

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 cooler vintage and low-cropping. Very rich and plush with terrific depth and plushness. It holds floral notes on the nose with freshly tilled earthy nuances and aromas of spiced forest. The palate is fleshy with deep-set plum flavors, delivering …

Our 2013 Whalebone Vineyard has collected Gold at the 2017 Global Cabernet Sauvignon Masters.

Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc 2012

66/34%, matured for 21 months in French oak (70% new). Spent close on 3 years making its way into bottle, an especially long time for a blend such as this, but it clearly needed

The Whalebone Vineyard was planted in 1974 and is, by all reports, a terrific site.
Cellarable? I definitely think so. It’s bold, tannic, thick with tar and plum flavours, and has integrated its smoky/cedary oak quite perfectly. Nothing sticks out;

Merlot-dominant blend – but don’t let that put you off.
It’s both fresh and substantial, oaked but brimful of fruit. It’s carved with tannin but the momentum of flavours charges through regardless. It tastes of boysenberry and black cherry, blackcurrant,

2015 Tiers Vineyard 1.5m Chardonnay

A new member of the Tapanappa chardonnay family, from the 2003 Tiers plantings at 1.5m spacing, producing an earlier ripening, softer and more generous style. The result is delightfully fragrant, packed with white peach and

This is a strongly built wine destined for the long haul. The bouquet has rasp- berry, herb and mint, while the palate is deep, firm and has an ironstone-like character. Its abundant tannin will help it live and develop long-term.

A 66/34% blend, matured for 21 months in French oak (70%new). Still has excellent crimson-purple colour; spent close on 3 years making its way into bottle, an especially long time for a blend such as this, but it clearly needed

“This excellent red has little of the minty signature of the region, but is more a matter of violets, earth, forest-floor and dried flowers. There’s a trace of Vegemite, possibly from oak and/or lees contact.
In the mouth, it’s full-bodied

This is a super wine based on the Right Bank Bordeaux blend. Silky smooth and so elegantly structured, it features a lovely balance of fruit and fine-grained oak, with superb fine tannins. Nice touch of cedar on the nose. Will

This has “fine wine” written all over it – from complex scents of attractive, mahogany oak, to the seductive richness of dark and blue fruit layered through the wine. The powerful, fuller figured feel is shaped with powdery tannins, bayleaf

Deeply coloured. Dense choc mint, cedar, cassis and earthy fruits plus toasty oak. Dry, full and structural with slightly firm chewy tannins well balanced – a firm, robust and masculine style that needs time to settle but the quality is

Bright colour. Delicious blackberry, cedar and black pepper fruit – plus prominent oak. Dry and full bodied blackberry, plum compote, mint chocolate flavours with excellent concentration and length with plenty of tannins. Lovely now but with structure to age.

93

WINEMAKER Brian Croser packs a punch of flavours into his wines and here is another mouthful of moreish blackcurrants and spice. Excellent wine.

95/100

Wines like this don’t come our way very often. Not only is it complex and fragrant, showing red fruits and dusty tobacco leaf aromas, it wraps its compelling flavours in the finest of tannins. Definitely one of the wines of