Recognition

Tapanappa News, Articles & Reviews

“A very high definition release of the special Definitus parcel of the Foggy Hill vineyard” – Wine Worth Writing About

Author:
Source: Wine Worth Writing About
Date: Sep 2026

Clear, bloody ruby, with a slowly unfurling nose of red berries, black cherry, strawberry tops, amaro herbals, mahlab, five spice, plum sauce and sweet rooibos tea. In the mouth, you’re met with a core of high-toned red fruit and cherries, slightly bitter plum, blood orange zest, rose and cedar that’s been charged by cool, focused acidity and gripped with fine tannins.

 » Read more about: “A very high definition release of the special Definitus parcel of the Foggy Hill vineyard” – Wine Worth Writing About  »

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“Delicious purity of Pinot Noir refinement and grace” – 97 Points | Jeni Port | Wine Pilot

Author: Jeni Port
Source: Wine Pilot
Date: Sep 2026

In a word, linear. In two or more words: fine, firm, purity of expression. The ’23 vintage was a cool one, it shows. Less florals than usual, more dried herbals to the fore; less black fruits more red, and then there is the striking composure and overall complexity. All is set for a big, bright future.

 » Read more about: “Delicious purity of Pinot Noir refinement and grace” – 97 Points | Jeni Port | Wine Pilot  »

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“This young Pinot Noir truly shines and should do so for more time to come.” – 96 Points | Jeni Port | Wine Pilot

Author: Jeni Port
Source: Wine Pilot
Date: Sep 2026

One of the warmest, earliest and dried vintages in living memory and just look at the result – amazing! Winemaker versus nature is always a delicate battle, but it looks like in ’25, the winemaker won the day, or that’s how it tastes. How else do you describe the full, expressive nature of the ’25 Pinot matched to a fine-edged,

 » Read more about: “This young Pinot Noir truly shines and should do so for more time to come.” – 96 Points | Jeni Port | Wine Pilot  »

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“Tannins have presence and power, ensuring it has drive, focus, and ample length” – 94 Points | Stuart Knox | The Real Review

Author: Stuart Knox
Source: The Real Review
Date: Aug 2026

Medium ruby red colour. Raspberry, cherry, and dried porcini aromatics. It has density and power on entry and throughout the palate, with black and red cherry fruit at its core, then notes of dried mushroom, a lift of clove and cinnamon spice, and a dusty earth undertone into the long finish. Tannins have presence and power,  » Read more about: “Tannins have presence and power, ensuring it has drive, focus, and ample length” – 94 Points | Stuart Knox | The Real Review  »

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“A delightful wine that will offer more over time” – 96 Points | Stuart Knox | The Real Review

Author: Stuart Knox
Source: The Real Review
Date: Aug 2026

Medium ruby red colour. Very fragrant and lifted, with dark cherry, cinnamon, clove, and a touch of cedar on the nose. The palate is fine and detailed, with black cherry fruit as the base, then layers of black spices, jamón ibérico, and fennel notes as it runs across the palate. It is incredibly long, the tannins so well integrated and carrying it seemingly without any effort at all.

 » Read more about: “A delightful wine that will offer more over time” – 96 Points | Stuart Knox | The Real Review  »

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“Some lovely tension between crunchy fruit and tight, minerally acidity” – 94+ Points | Dave Brookes | Halliday Wine Companion

Author: Dave Brookes
Source: Halliday Wine Companion
Date: Aug 2026

Pale with a flash of green and bright aromas of freshly squeezed lime juice, Granny Smith apple and grapefruit, hints of clover blossom, jasmine, crushed stone, makrut lime, lemongrass and lime zest. Taut and wonderfully limey with a slide of Bickford’s lime cordial, a touch of grapefruit pith and some lovely tension between crunchy fruit and tight,

 » Read more about: “Some lovely tension between crunchy fruit and tight, minerally acidity” – 94+ Points | Dave Brookes | Halliday Wine Companion  »

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“Clarity and singularity” – 94 Points | Erin Larkin | Wine Advocate

Author: Erin Larkin
Source: Wine Advocate
Date: Jul 2026

This is the first time I have tasted the 2023 Definitus Pinot Noir Foggy Hill, and it leads with the clarity and singularity of the 2023 Pinot Noir Foggy Hill Vineyard. Here, the wine has more depth and layers to it, but it has the same freshness and character. This is excellent. 13.6% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

 » Read more about: “Clarity and singularity” – 94 Points | Erin Larkin | Wine Advocate  »

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“It’s al dente and good” – 93 Points | Erin Larkin | Wine Advocate

Author: Erin Larkin
Source: Wine Advocate
Date: Jul 2026

The 2025 Pinot Noir Foggy Hill Vineyard is floral and fresh, spicy and textural. I like the middle palate here; although the fruit has ripeness, the encasement of tannin provides freshness and space here, and the fruit feels quite verdant. It’s al dente and good. 14.2% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. The grapes were harvested on February 27,

 » Read more about: “It’s al dente and good” – 93 Points | Erin Larkin | Wine Advocate  »

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“Spiced strawberry and orange peel finish of good length” – 93+ Points | Gary Walsh | Wine Front

Author: Gary Walsh
Source: Wine Front
Date: Jul 2026

Strawberry, raspberry, a spicy cinnamon and nutty top note, cedar and mint, porcini mushroom. It’s medium-bodied, quite sappy and earthy, a fine ‘mineral’ feel to acidity, sweet red fruit, a light dusty grip to tannin carries on a spiced strawberry and orange peel finish of good length.

93+ points.

 » Read more about: “Spiced strawberry and orange peel finish of good length” – 93+ Points | Gary Walsh | Wine Front  »

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“Kudos for making a vin de garde style” 93+ Points | Mike Bennie | Wine Front

Author: Mike Bennie
Source: Wine Front
Date: Jul 2026

Very trim and taut, racy in a way, lean in its fruit personality, grippy in tannin and shy in perfume. Red cherry, tart cranberry drink, truffle, toasted almonds, some bitter herbs and a crunch of likewise bitter, peppery caraway seeds that finish the wine. Minerality, a general mix of stony qualities and quartz-y things, sits under,

 » Read more about: “Kudos for making a vin de garde style” 93+ Points | Mike Bennie | Wine Front  »

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“This is structured and very serious Pinot Noir” 93+ Points | Mike Bennie | Wine Front

Author: Mike Bennie
Source: Wine Front
Date: Jul 2026

This is structured and Very Serious Pinot Noir. Tannin quality is paramount, granitic, mineral-charred, firm and fruit hangs in sheets off it – blueberry, violet florals, dark cherry, red currants. There’s mint and sage leaf, salt bush and caraway seed also in play here and lending complexity to the wine. It’s compact, energetic, trim. There’s a sense that the wine is reluctant right now,

 » Read more about: “This is structured and very serious Pinot Noir” 93+ Points | Mike Bennie | Wine Front  »

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“It is impeccably balanced and very, very long, finishing with silky tannins and a flicker of good acidity” 97 Points | Ken Gargett | Wine Pilot

Author: Ken Gargett
Source: Wine Pilot
Date: Jul 2026

If one may begin with the bottom line, this is the best Definitus Pinot Noir I have seen. Indeed, I’m not sure I can recall seeing a better Pinot made by Brian Croser. Given what he has achieved over what has already become a legendary career, that would certainly be saying something. Loved the 2022,

 » Read more about: “It is impeccably balanced and very, very long, finishing with silky tannins and a flicker of good acidity” 97 Points | Ken Gargett | Wine Pilot  »

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“A lovely lingering finish and the wine should continue to provide pleasure for the next six to ten years” 94 Points | Ken Gargett | Wine Pilot

Author: Ken Gargett
Source: Wine Pilot
Date: Jul 2026

2025 was a warmer vintage on the Fleurieu Peninsula, though for Pinot Noir, that is something which is not always to the advantage of the variety. Fortunately, it seems to have overcome that potential handicap. A vintage, perhaps, where generosity trumps elegance. 2,300 dozen made. Winemaker, Brian Croser, notes this vintage as “the driest, warmest and earliest” of his 56-year winemaking career.

 » Read more about: “A lovely lingering finish and the wine should continue to provide pleasure for the next six to ten years” 94 Points | Ken Gargett | Wine Pilot  »

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“A wine of structure, poise and considerable cellaring potential” 96 Points | Ray Jordan | Wine Pilot

Author: Ray Jordan
Source: Wine Pilot
Date: Jul 2026

Love the brilliant colour of this wine from a very cool vintage. Aromas reveal dark cherry, a touch of liqueur chocolate and an intriguing black olive nuance. The palate is deeply textured with tremendous power and length. Chalky tannins offset the plush fruit beautifully, carrying the medium-bodied palate through to a long, sustained finish. A wine of structure,

 » Read more about: “A wine of structure, poise and considerable cellaring potential” 96 Points | Ray Jordan | Wine Pilot  »

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“A wine of shape, focus and impressive refinement” 95 Points | Ray Jordan | Wine Pilot

Author: Ray Jordan
Source: Wine Pilot
Date: Jul 2026

The 2025 vintage was notably warm, yet this wine displays remarkable elegance and restraint, more in keeping with a cooler season. Bright crimson with subtle purple hues, it opens with musky red berries, delicate floral notes and a hint of mushroom complexity. The palate is bright, finely textured and quietly powerful, with precise acidity carrying effortlessly through to a long finish.

 » Read more about: “A wine of shape, focus and impressive refinement” 95 Points | Ray Jordan | Wine Pilot  »

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“Burgeoning savoury tannins that steer and deliver the bright red fruit” 96 Points | Katrina Butler | Halliday Wine Companion

Author: Katrina Butler
Source: Halliday Wine Companion
Date: Jul 2026

A release defined by its very cool vintage and its subsequent minuscule yields. It’s light on its feet, with burgeoning savoury tannins that steer and deliver the bright red fruit – cranberry, wild strawberry, underripe red plum and raspberry – through the long finish. A purity here, a cleansing quality, in part thanks to the beautiful acids,

 » Read more about: “Burgeoning savoury tannins that steer and deliver the bright red fruit” 96 Points | Katrina Butler | Halliday Wine Companion  »

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“Lively yet perfectly balanced acidity with a long, flinty-edged finish” 96 Points | Nick’s Wine Merchants

Author:
Source: Nick's Wine Merchants
Date: Jul 2026

In 2003, the Croser family removed 1.3 hectares of the original Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay that was 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 on rootstocks, on very close 1.5 metre row spacing with the fruiting wire at only 0.5 metres above the ground.

 » Read more about: “Lively yet perfectly balanced acidity with a long, flinty-edged finish” 96 Points | Nick’s Wine Merchants  »

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“The palate is finely detailed with pear and nectarine fruits” 96 Points | Nick’s Wine Merchants

Author:
Source: Nick's Wine Merchants
Date: Jul 2026

Located in the Piccadilly Valley within the Adelaide Hills region, Brian Croser’s Tiers vineyard was planted in 1979, making it the first in the region. It is perfectly suited to Chardonnay, being a closely matched homo-clime of Burgundy, especially the southern end of the Cotes de Beaune, where the great wines of Montrachet and Meursault are grown.

 » Read more about: “The palate is finely detailed with pear and nectarine fruits” 96 Points | Nick’s Wine Merchants  »

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“The complexity and depth here echoes through the long finish” 97 Points | Erin Larkin | Wine Advocate

Author: Erin Larkin
Source: Wine Advocate
Date: Jul 2026

The 2025 Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay, like the 1.5 Tiers before it, is savoury, spicy, a little reductive and very open already. The complexity and depth here echoes through the long finish, and the warmth of the season appears to have made all of the layers and facets of this wine available for assessment early. I love the savoury direction,

 » Read more about: “The complexity and depth here echoes through the long finish” 97 Points | Erin Larkin | Wine Advocate  »

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“Recognisable still and true to its Tiers DNA… I like it very, very much” 96+ Points | Erin Larkin | Wine Advocate

Author: Erin Larkin
Source: Wine Advocate
Date: Jul 2026

The 2025 Chardonnay Tiers Vineyard 1.5m leads with toasty spices and a hint of freshly picked curry leaf. The fruit here leads with concentrated and phenolic grip, both attributes that I appreciate. This is a more savoury expression of this vineyard—recognisable still and true to its Tiers DNA, but certainly more savoury. I like it very,

 » Read more about: “Recognisable still and true to its Tiers DNA… I like it very, very much” 96+ Points | Erin Larkin | Wine Advocate  »

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“The overall impact is one of texture, youth and concentration” 94 Points | Erin Larkin | Wine Advocate

Author: Erin Larkin
Source: Wine Advocate
Date: Jul 2026

The 2025 Chardonnay hails from Pat and Ted’s vineyard (Brian Croser’s parents), and interestingly, this vineyard houses the OF clone, the clone that Brian originally planted in the Tiers vineyard. Aromatically, the wine is fleshy and open, fresh and fulsome. The fruit is open-weave and bright, the acidity saline, and the overall impact is one of texture,

 » Read more about: “The overall impact is one of texture, youth and concentration” 94 Points | Erin Larkin | Wine Advocate  »

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“The fruit flavours feel ripe, there’s complexity aplenty” 96 Points | Campbell Mattison | Wine Front

Author: Campbell Mattinson
Source: Wine Front
Date: Jun 2026

The fruit flavours feel ripe, there’s complexity aplenty, flint notes make the nose feel especially lively and the push of fruit through the finish has plenty of extras. This is an excellent chardonnay at the least; if not outstanding. It tastes of nectarine, grapefruit, sweet citrus, flint and nougat and from start to finish it really sings.

 » Read more about: “The fruit flavours feel ripe, there’s complexity aplenty” 96 Points | Campbell Mattison | Wine Front  »

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“Serious white wine territory” 95 points | Mike Bennie | Halliday Wine Companion

Author: Mike Bennie
Source: Halliday Wine Companion
Date: May 2026

Quite the potency to this chardonnay, so too a distinct saline minerality. Scents and flavours of toffee apple, lemongrass, preserved lemon and green apple juice with dashes of sugared almond and flinty, stony notes. Lots going on here and, while concentrated and somewhat power-packed, this has a levity and finesse that helps the wine glide along confidently.

 » Read more about: “Serious white wine territory” 95 points | Mike Bennie | Halliday Wine Companion  »

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“A lot going on in this larger-than-life wine” 96 points | Mike Bennie | Halliday Wine Companion

Author: Mike Bennie
Source: Halliday Wine Companion
Date: May 2026

This is upper-class stuff. This has a silky, rich texture but sits at medium weight, a sheen of saline minerality, a light pucker of chalk and pumice stone, green apple, light brioche notes, faint candied citrus characters and a very lengthy trail of sweet spice and a dash of coconut bun happening, too. Through all of this,

 » Read more about: “A lot going on in this larger-than-life wine” 96 points | Mike Bennie | Halliday Wine Companion  »

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