A creamy generosity, febrile energy and kaleidoscopic complexity all in one. | 96 points | Halliday Wine Companion – Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard 1.5M Chardonnay 2022
An incredibly intense chardonnay, mid-weighted and tightly furled. The edges are as chewy as they are sleek, with a parry of freshness melding with a thrust of oak, effortlessly subsumed by the sheer palate-staining extract. White peach, nectarine, peat and …
It is among the country’s great | 97 points | Ned Goodwin MW | Halliday Wine Companion – Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2022
While the 1.5m Chardonnay sibling is arguably more impressive on release, this is resinous and latent with multitudinous layers of flavour compressed by classy oak and juicy acidity. I like the way the fruit is subdued in a quasi-burgundian fashion, …
The Adelaide Hills is home to more than 50 cellar doors and over 90 wine labels. Less than half an hour from the CBD, the region is the ultimate weekend escape or long lunch destination. Take a cellar door tour …
Elegance and detail go hand in hand here. | 95 points | Halliday Wine Companion – Tapanappa Foggy Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir 2020
Some (15%) whole bunches placed on bottom of fermentation tub, topped with destemmed, crushed must. Inoculated, 16-day fermentation followed by 5 days on skins. Matured 10 months in French barrique. 220 dozen made. The 2020 vintage was cooler than average, …
Croser to showcase cool-climate credentials of the Adelaide Hills
The wine industry in Australia can be a parochial business, so kudos to an event in Victoria that is to put a spotlight on the wines of the Adelaide Hills.
For the first time, the International Cool Climate Wine Show …
Legendary Australian winemaker Brian Croser explains his Chardonnay through a Riesling lens
What would Brian Croser say to his younger self? “Be patient, and trust the vineyard. The mistakes I’ve made in winemaking, which are legion, are because I’ve …
Tremendous line and length promise great things in time. | 95 points | Tyson Stelzer | Wine Business Magazine – Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2022
The inherent power and confidence of Tiers is intricately toned by the tension and grace of this cool season, defining a linear and taut style of tremendous endurance and promise. The richness of this place rumbles away in the background …
Delicate and pure | Peter Forrestal | Money Magazine – Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2022
While the quality of Australian Chardonnay is improving exponentially, Brian Croser’s Tiers remains among the finest as it glides into its fifth decade. Consecutive, near perfect and slightly cooler vintages in the Piccadilly Valley in the Adelaide Hills have once …
From the Shining Rock vineyard, which has a history of turning out impressive and detailed Shiraz, this is a charming, mid-weight style with a pretty array of fruits, from fruit pastilles and dark cherry to gentle touches of spice and …
Needs a few years to see its full potential | 94 points | Andrew Graham – Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2022
As ever with Tiers, this needs a few years to see its full potential (as this vertical showed). And this 2022 release feels achingly young. Too young for now. On the first pass against the rest of the wines in …
A seriously fine modern Chardonnay | 94 points | Andrew Graham – Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard 1.5M Chardonnay 2022
There is little difference quality-wise to the M3 & the Tiers 1.5m, and separating them was just hair-splitting. This is even more linear and coiled than the M3, and I suspect it will be longer lived. Doesn’t feel as open, …
Food would make this wine really stand up | 94 points | The Real Review – Tapanappa Eden Valley Riesling 2022
Intense and singular lemon juice aroma, traces of tropical flowers, all delicate and restrained, a tickle of sweetness before a cleansing firmness helps dry the finish. A punchy style with a little hardness but good intensity, and food would make …
Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard 2018 Merlot Cabernet Franc
Vintage Notes
2018 was the second warmest vintage on record after 2016. Despite being warm at 1799C days versus the average of 1464C days there were no heat waves and fewer than normal days above 35C. The rainfall post veraison …
2018 was the second warmest vintage on record after 2016. Despite being warm at 1799C days versus the average of 1464C days there were no heat waves and fewer than normal days above 35C. The rainfall post veraison …
The 2021 vintage was the second consecutive cooler than average vintage after a sequence dominated by above average temperature vintages from 2006 to 2019.
At Foggy Hill, 2021 was cooler than average with a growing season heat summation …
2020 vintage was a rare cooler than average vintage in an increasing frequency of above average temperature vintages. Meanwhile theaverage moves inexorably upward.
At Foggy Hill 2020 was cooler than average with a growing season heat summation …
Tapanappa Foggy Hill Vineyard 2019 Definitus Pinot Noir
Vintage Notes
The centre of the Foggy Hill north-western slope planted in 2003 to Dijon Pinot Noir clones 115 and 777, ripens grapes to a greater fruit intensity and deeper colour than the rest of the vineyard. The centre of …
The 2022 vintage in the Piccadilly was marginally warmer than average at 1176ºC days versus the average of 1098ºC days. 1176ºC days is a cool year compared to the hot vintages in the decade prior to 2020. 2020, …
The Tiers Vineyard was planted in 1979, the first vineyard in the Piccadilly Valley since the 19th century. The vineyard is close-spaced and vertical canopy, the first of this quality focussed design in Australia. The clone of Chardonnay in “old” …
In 2003 the Croser family removed 1.3 hectares of the original Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay, planted in 1979 in the Piccadilly Valley as the first Adelaide Hills vineyard. The area was replanted with the French Bernard clones 76 and 95 …
I have described the 2021 vintage in the Piccadilly Valley as “near perfect”. Like 2020, the 2021 vintage wasmarginally warmer than average. What a relief to have two successive cooler vintages, (indeed 3 as I observethe …
I have described the 2021 vintage in the Piccadilly Valley as “near perfect”. Like 2020, the 2021 vintage wasmarginally warmer than average. What a relief to have two successive cooler vintages, (indeed 3 as I observethe …
I have described the 2021 vintage in the Piccadilly Valley as “near perfect”. Like 2020, the 2021 vintage wasmarginally warmer than average. What a relief to have two successive cooler vintages, (indeed 3 as I observethe …
Richness and concentration Well trimmed on the palate in beautiful crafted tannins | 93 points | Halliday Wine Companion- Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Blend 2020
52/24/24% cabernet sauvignon/merlot/cabernet franc, each fermented separately. Matured for 20 months in new French barriques before blending; 420 dozen made. Poor flowering and fruit set in 2020 resulted in a Whalebone Vineyard crop of just 1t/ha. It was decided to …
An intensely flavoured and tensile Riesling | 93 points | Halliday Wine Companion – Tapanappa Eden Valley Riesling 2022
An intensely flavoured and tensile Riesling, fidelitous to region and hand. The quotient of lime, orange blossom, ginger crystal and spiced Granny Smith apple portioned nicely in the name of poise, approachability and yet, real potential for the cellar. I …
A pretty pinot with a cherry and plum duo | 95 points | James Halliday – Tapanappa Foggy Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021
Dijon clones; aged in French barriques (30% new). A pretty pinot with a cherry and plum duo that provide the heart of both bouquet and palate. It’s a base for the spices and rose petals that will appear over the …
A delicious Chardonnay | 93 points | Halliday Wine Companion – Tapanappa Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2022
Sourced from a troika of cool-climate sites, this is a delicious chardonnay: mid-weighted and tense with glazed quince, tangerine and stone fruit allusions curled across some honeycomb oak (33% new) and a chord of acid vibrato. Almond meal and toasted …
The length is super | 17/20 | Andrew Graham – Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz 2018
Ultimately, this Tapanappa Whalebone Merlot Cabernet Franc 2018 is too firm and ripe to be great. But maybe, just maybe, it’s too young by half and I’m going to look like an idiot when it’s a blinder next decade. Try …
Finishes claret firm with leafy notes | 94 point | Andrew Caillard MW – Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc 2018
Medium deep crimson. Chinotto, plum vanilla, roasted chestnut aromas with herb garden notes. Evolved dark plum, mulberry flavours, fine loose knit grainy, hint leafy tannins well-balanced mocha roasted chestnut marzipan oak notes and well balanced fresh acidity. Finishes claret firm …
Very good balance, density and torque | 95 points | Andrew Caillard MW – Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz 2018
Medium deep crimson. Lovely intense blackcurrant, blackberry, hint chinotto aromas with vanilla, marzipan, roasted chestnut notes. Grainy textured and velvety with lovely inky blackcurrant, mulberry fruits, cedary textures and underlying vanilla/ marzipan notes. Finishes slinky firm and minerally. Very good …
Delicious and distinctive | Tony Love – Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2022
From Brian Croser’s pioneer Piccadilly Valley vineyard, this is an all-enveloping Chardonnay experience, captivatingly ripe in its aromatic and flavour profile, white peach/nectarine with grapefruit inserts, a sense of creaminess, vanilla shortbreads and a faint spicy oak backdrop, which comes …
Anbeguiling and impressive wine of great style and sophistication | 98 points | Tony Love – Tapanappa Foggy Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir 2020
From Brian Croser’s Parawa vineyard at the southern corner of the Fleurieu Peninsula, air and sea-conditioned by the energized Southern Ocean and especially so during the cooler than average 2020 growing season, which has brought to this wine a delightfully …
Delicious purity of fruit | 91 points | Angus Hughson – Tapanappa Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2022
Pale colour. Fresh lifted pear drop, white peach, lemon curd, grilled nut aromas. Well concentrated and Pale colour. Very attractive grapefruit lemon curd, tonic water aromas with marzipan, vanilla notes. Classical, beautifully balanced and multi-layered wine with grapefruit, lemon curd,
Super wine and great value | 94 points | Angus Hushson – Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard 1.5M Chardonnay 2022
This is a Chardonnay that is screaming for the cellar, and at least three or four years thanks to its current state which is wound up tight as a spring. It is bursting with embryonic aromas – grapefruit and tonic …
Every element in its perfect place | 96 points | Angus Hughson – Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2022
This is an immaculate Chardonnay and one of best Tiers vintages yet with every element in its perfect place. It opens with beautifully precise and detailed aromas of grapefruit, honeydew melon and chalky minerality topped by fine new oak all …
A good five years would be welcome | 18/20 | Andrew Graham – Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz 2018
Too much. That’s the challenge with both the latest Tapanappa Whalebone reds. This is a bit easier than the Merlot Cab, but still heavy-going, despite the obvious quality.From a warm, dry Wrattonbully vintage (Heat summation of 1799 degree days vs …
Deep, dark and inky in the glass. Lifted aromas of mulberry, blackcurrant, bramble, tobacco, menthol and oak. Rich, dark fruit and oaky on the palate, there’s a lush core of brooding mulberry fruit, plum, cola and firm granular tannins. Powerful, …
Such a delicious Chardonnay | 9.7/10 | Max Crus – Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2022
Tapanappa Piccadilly Valley Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2022, $110. It is almost impossible to get the double consonants correct with this wine, but that is irrelevant, it is such a delicious chardonnay it is almost sacrilege to put it in the
Something not that far from the top | 9.5/10 | Mac Crus – Tapanappa Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2022
Tapanappa Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay, 2022, $49. This is one of the cheapest in a range of what is likely Australia’s finest chardonnay stable, and if you’re looking for somewhere to start you’re rewarded with something not that far from the …
Brian Croser of Tapanappa provides the sequel to his report on the nerve-wracking 2023 harvest. Above, the vines at Tapanappa are finally free of the netting that kept the berries safe from the birds.
Utterly seamless and impeccably balance | 97 points | Ken Gargett – Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2022
One of Australia’s most famous Chardonnays, though I fear it got a bit lost for some with the division of Petaluma and the emergence of Tapanappa. For me, this latest Tiers from the Tapanappa team must surely sit with the
A refined, elegant chardonnay | 95 points | Ken Gargett – Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard 1.5M Chardonnay 2022
From the legendary Tiers Vineyard, planted alongside the Old Block vines, these are close-planted, as the title implies, and tend to ripen a little earlier. As much as I enjoyed the Piccadilly Chardonnay, for me this is a real step …
An impressive chardonnay | 92 points | Ken Gargett – Tapanappa Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2022
This, the third tier if you’ll excuse the pun, of the Tapanappa Chardies, is sourced from the Piccadilly Valley, more specifically an equal divide between the Mount Bonython and Pat and Ted’s vineyards. 2022 was another cooler vintage. The fruit …
Bright light yellow with a discreet wheaty, Weetbix, faintly malty bouquet, with excellent concentration of fruit flavour that’s focused and tensioned, with a clean dry finish replete with refreshing acidity. The finish lingers long and the aftertaste is satisfying and …
A very attractive wine | 92 points | Huon Hooke – Tapanappa Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2022
Light, bright yellow hue with a creamy, nutty, cashew and creamy lees bouquet, a hint of Weetbix, straightforward and youthful, the palate intense and long, refined and subtle. Very attractive wine and the price is right.
A superb chardonnay with a bright future | 97 points | Huon Hooke – Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2022
Very light yellow hue, a restrained style of chardonnay with a fresh, fruit-driven bouquet of lemon, nut and nougat aromas, while the palate is intense and piercing, deep, concentrated and powerful, with biscuity overtones and brightly refreshing and quite penetrating …
Classical, beautifully balanced and multi-layered | 96 points | Andrew Caillard MW – Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2022
Pale colour. Very attractive grapefruit lemon curd, tonic water aromas with marzipan, vanilla notes. Classical, beautifully balanced and multi-layered wine with grapefruit, lemon curd, tonic water flavours, grilled nut, marzipan notes, chalky hint grippy textures and pure crisp acidity. Very …
Well concentrated and minerally wine | 94 points | Andrew Caillard MW – Tapanappa Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2022
Pale colour. Fresh lifted pear drop, white peach, lemon curd, grilled nut aromas. Well concentrated and minerally wine with ample stone fruit, tonic water, grilled nut flavours, fine chalky, touch al dente textures, very good mid -palate volume/ viscosity and …
Here’s a mature wine – ready to enjoy right now – that is also a current release from Brian Croser’s excellent Tapanappa stable of wines. Fresh and juicy, but also stylish and sophisticated, it is a blend of Australia’s two …
I looked at this over the course of 48 hours, by accident rather than by design, and I much preferred it with a bit of air in it. It’s driven by limey acidity and while its quality is clear from …
Wrattonbully, in South Australia’s Limestone Coast region, is home to two powerhouse wine families from opposite sides of the world now entwined by marriage. Sarah Ahmed chats with Australian wine legend Brian Croser and his son-in-law Xavier Bizot of the
A top Pinot Noir | 93 points | James Suckling – Tapanappa Foggy Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021
Sweet plum and strawberry aromas with dried citrus-peel undertones. Medium body with firm tannins and a linear and crisp finish. Lots of lemon-rind undertones. A little lean at the end. Drink now.
Elegant and Sophisticated | 93 points | James Suckling – Tapanappa Foggy Hill Vineyard “Definitus” Pinot Noir 2018
A juicy red with dried flowers, ripe strawberries and cedar. Some leather and tobacco, too. It’s medium-bodied with fine tannins and a tangy and fresh finish. Drink now or hold.
An excellent example of Australia’s own red blend | 93 points | James Suckling – Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz 2018
Aromas of red and black currants, black cherries, rosemary stem and thyme. Medium- to full-bodied with silky, chewy tannins. Nicely defined red and black fruit on the palate. Fresh and articulate with a juicy finish. Drink or hold.
Likely the best merlot and best “value” $90 wine around | 9.7/10 | Max Crus – Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc 2018
Bright and youthful in the glass. Complex aromas of cedar, tobacco, blackcurrant, dark cherry, bramble aA whale-sized price-tag, but given energy inflation, in time it will be less than a KW of electricity. At any time it is positively lovely …
Minerally, structured and needs some time to develop | 92 points | Andrew Caillard MW – Tapanappa Foggy Hills Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021
Medium crimson. Red cherry pastille, hint bush garrigue with touches of vanilla. Round and supple with red cherry, red liquorice flavours, fine chalky / lacy textures and attractive mineral length. Minerally, structured and needs some time to develop. Drink now …
Lovely precision and mineral length | 96 points | Andrew Caillard MW – Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard 1.5m Chardonnay 2021
Pale colour. Intense vanilla, marzipan, lime cordial aromas with tonic water notes. Richly flavoured lime cordial, vanilla, grapefruit flavours, fine lacy/chalky textures and long fresh acidity. Lovely precision and mineral length. Drink now – 2034
Finishes mineral and long | 93 points | Andrew Caillard MW – Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2021
Pale colour. Lovely, developed honey, grapefruit, lime aromas with hints of SO2. Restrained, almost backward wine with grapefruit, lime, apple fruits, fine al dente chewy textures, some underlying nutty oak. Finishes minerally and long. Very tight. Drink 2024 – 2034 …
There’s a lot going on here | Tony Love – Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard 1.5m Chardonnay 2021
From Brian Croser’s prized Piccadilly Valley vineyard, there’s a lot going on here in terms of white stone fruit, chalky palate feels, and subtle spice notes. All class, and maybe hard to track down – must be something about Hills …
TOP 20 Chardonnay of 2022 – Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2021
We are very excited to announce the Tiers Vineyard 2021 Chardonnay was listed in the Drinks Business TOP 20 Chardonnays of 2022 after winning GOLD MEDAL at the 2022 Drinks Business Global Chardonnay Masters in December!
And it was all yellow… and green and orange and red and purple
SAM (Southern Annular Modulation) is determined to go south again as the Australian spring arrives. In southeastern Australia that means another summer of cool south-easterly winds, generated deep in the Great Southern Ocean, that arrive …
Built for the long haul | 95 points | The Real Review – Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc 2018
Bright and youthful in the glass. Complex aromas of cedar, tobacco, blackcurrant, dark cherry, bramble and spice. Lovely, pure and precise on the palate, mid to full-bodied, long, layered and complex. Plenty of red and dark fruits, textured tannins, cedar …
Layered with concentrated Chardonnay flavor | 94 points | Robert Parker Wine Advocate – Tapanappa Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2021
The Tapanappa 2021 Chardonnay is layered with concentrated Chardonnay flavor: curry leaf, yellow peach, salted preserved lemons and pink grapefruit, even. The phenolics in the mouth are grippy and attractive, and the wine fairly streams over the tongue and spools …
What a pleasure | 95 points | Robert Parker Wine Advocate – Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard 1.5m Chardonnay 2021
This 2021 Chardonnay Tiers Vineyard 1.5m is really delicious. The phenolics that curve in on every angle of the mouth are grippy and chalky and get a firm grasp onto the preserved lemon and salted peach flavors that blossom in …
A sensational wine | 97+ points | Robert Parker Wine Advocate – Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2021
This 2021 Chardonnay Tiers Vineyard is a sensational wine. Let me tell you about the vineyard, and then we’ll come back to the glass. The Tiers vineyard was planted in the Picadilly Valley in the Adelaide Hills by the Croser …
A lush texture and an impressive finish | Peter Bourne – Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2021
Brian Croser is a chardonnay maestro. The wine was aged in one-third new oak with seven months on yeast lees. Intensity is the key, with peach and honeydew melon flavours, a lush texture and an impressive finish.
Will definitely offer plently more in the coming years | 92 Points | Angus Hughson – Foggy Hill Vineyard “DEFINITUS” Pinot Noir 2019
The 2019 vintage of Definitus is a highly seductive release bursting with fruit flavour, particularly in the dark fruit spectrum. There is a delicious and powerful blend of dark cherry and fruits of the forest that offer quite a forceful
A decadent yet complex Merlot blend | 93 points | Angus Hughson – Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc 2018
Deep coloured, this is a decadent yet complex Merlot blend with lashings of rich blackberry, chocolate, cedar, black olive and earthy aromas wrapped up in a blanket of high quality French oak. It’s bold too, with impressive impact of sweet …