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This 2021 Definitus special bottling of Foggy Hill Pinot Noir has a translucent, medium intensity cerise colour.
The aroma is immediately of rose florals and wild strawberries. There is an underlying more complex aroma of ripe blackberries and Chinese 5 spice definitive of the Foggy Hill terroir.
The flavours are fresh and intense. Because of the very moderate alcohol (12.3%) the wine is lilting in the mouth but with a significant texture to compliment the characteristic Foggy Hill earthy, spicey complexity. The tannins are fine but pervasive and the cool year 2021 Definitus will benefit from a decade or longer of bottle age.
2014 Tapanappa Foggy Hill Pinot Noir is the product of a slightly warmer than average vintage from the very cool Foggy Hill Parawa site.
2014 vintage was defined by the poor fruit set and low yields in an otherwise perfect growing season for Pinot Noir.
The colour is dense by Pinot Noir standards reflecting the sunny vintage effect on berry pigmentation and the effect of plucking the leaves from around bunches before veraison.
The fruit aroma is of spicy, sappy, ripe cherries with the floral notes that contribute to Pinot’s “peacock’s tail”. 2014 has contributed one of the most aromatic Foggy Hill Pinot Noirs yet.
The palate similarly has intense fruit flavours that persist reflecting the aromas but with very definite tannin structure that provides a savoury finish.
2014 Tapanappa Foggy Hill Pinot Noir is “a pure expression of the unique Parawa, Fleurieu Peninsula terroir”.
2022 Foggy Hill Pinot Noir is a low crop, cool vintage expression of the Foggy Hill terroir.
The wine colour is medium intensity and cerise purple hue.
The aroma is fresh and delicately rose floral with notes of macerated mixed berries and an underlying spice complexity. The Foggy Hill ripe plum terroir expression is discernible. The aroma effect is brooding and indicates long ageing potential.
The flavours are subtle, fresh, intense and complex with a core of sweet fruit and long finish.
The tannins are significant but are soft round and refined.
This Foggy Hill Pinot Noir is the reflection of the perfectly ripe cool climate fruit from which it was made and is a “typical expression of the unique Foggy Hill terroir.”
Tapanappa 2012 Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc is absolutely typical of this unique blend and reflects its synergy with the special terroir of the Whalebone Vineyard.
The wine is translucent and vibrant in colour and the aromas are floral and of fine leather, cedar and spice. This is an elegant wine of great fruit and tannin finesse contributed by the Cabernet Franc built around a dense core of sweet fruit from the Merlot.
2010 was a wonderful warm and dry vintage, perfect conditions for the Whalebone Vineyard terroir to elicit the very best from the old Merlot and Cabernet Franc vines.
The warm vintage Merlot from Whalebone Vineyard had very ripe plum and spice with the big blocky tannin structure that is only apparent when Merlot is grown in a highly suited terroir and a warm vintage.
The Cabernet Franc was much more floral and delicate with a whisp of the leafiness for which this noble variety is renowned. The tannin structure of the Cabernet Franc was silky and fine grained.
The combination of the Merlot and Cabernet Franc has a synergy for which the wines of the “right bank” of Bordeaux have long been famed. In a rare departure from the normal the Cabernet Franc is the dominant part of the blend, 58% and also dominates the aroma, flavour and tannin structure of the 2010 Tapanappa Merlot- Cabernet Franc. The foundation of this wine is solidly Merlot and the superstructure ethereally Cabernet Franc.
2018 Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay is a ripe fruit expression of the unique Piccadilly Valley terroir from a warm vintage.
Pale lemon in colour, 2018 Tapanappa Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay has a ripe peach and fig aroma and flavours to match. The subtle complexity of marzipan and vanilla oak
complements the fresh fruit.
The hallmark Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay texture is followed by a long after taste with a slight savoury quince finish. The Piccadilly Valley has clearly confirmed its status as
home to “distinguished sites” and the 2018 Tapanappa Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay “is an exquisite expression of a unique Australian terroir.”
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Intense carmine colour typical of Shiraz but still vaguely translucent. The aroma is of blackberry and spiced plums, some anise with hints of fine leather. This is a big wine in structure and flavour with determined tannins to backup the sumptuous sweet fruit middle.
This 2017 Shiraz is a wine for the ages, worthy of decades in the cellar.
It is the pure expression of the unique Shining Rock Vineyard terroir.
2020 Foggy Hill Pinot Noir is a low-crop, cool vintage expression of the Foggy Hill terroir.
The wine is translucent with a purple-red hue. The aroma is floral with dark plum and blueberry fruits and the faint spice of stalks.There is an exotic Chinse 5 spice aroma and the oak provides a complexing char note and all of this is reflected in the flavour of the wine. The flavours are rich and complex and the tannins noticeable but refined.
2020 Tapanappa Foggy Hill Pinot Noir is the reflection of the perfectly ripe fruit from which it was made and is a “typical expression of the unique Foggy Hill terroir.”
This 2018 Definitus special bottling of Foggy Hill Pinot Noir has intense cerise colour. The aroma is of complex, ripe dark fruits, black and blueberries, faint cassis and hints of floral notes. The flavours are rich, ripe and dense with plum to compliment the characteristic Foggy Hill earthy, spicey complexity. The tannins are fine but pervasive and the warm year 2018 Foggy Hill “Definitus” will benefit from a decade or longer of bottle age.
The Whalebone Vineyard terroir exerts its strength in the Cabernet Shiraz blend as a combination of smokey Eucalypt, anise and fresh earth aromas and flavours.
The Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard 2006 Cabernet Shiraz has the fruit sweet core of ripe mulberry and blackberry provided by Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz in the slightly warmer than average 2006 vintage. The Cabernet Franc provides a floral aroma note and silky tannin texture and has much greater influence than the 10% component suggests. The 2006 vintage is notable for its definite but fine-grained tannins.
Dishes based on spring lamb lightly roasted with thyme or rare pigeon breast naturally balance and amplify the structure and flavour of Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard 2006 Cabernet Shiraz.
Even in the warmest vintages, Foggy Hill produces moderate sugar grapes at full maturity.
The 2017 DEFINITUS is no exception and at 13.5% alcohol the flavours and aromas are evidently supported by water not alcohol.
The 2017 DEFINITUS is of moderate colour intensity and crimson hue. The aromas and flavours are delicate and ethereal with violet ad roses floral, ripe strawberries and dark fruits and an earthy terroir nuance.
The palate structure sets DEFINITUS apart. The texture is silky and creamy but the finishing tannins are firm and sandy.
DEFINITUS is a pure expression of a unique terroir and will benefit from a decade or longer of bottle age.
Tapanappa 2014 Cabernet Shiraz is an intense cool year wine with vibrant Cabernet cassis fruit and refined but determined tannins. It is a juicy wine with loads of primary varietal fruit.
The colour is medium density, purple edged and very bright, the aroma is of cedar and spicy Cabernet and the dusty terroir nuances of the Whalebone Vineyard. The Shiraz plays a role in filling out the middle palate. The core of the wine is sweet but the finish is of gentle savoury tannin. 2014 Tapanappa Cabernet Shiraz is a keeper!
The colour of the 2022 Tapanappa Eden Valley Riesling is pale green-yellow. Typical of Eden Valley Riesling, the 2022 Tapanappa Riesling is jasmine floral with a hint of anise. The bath-powder aroma also has an edge of delicate tea rose.
The palate weight is fine and delicate and despite the late picking, almost austere, with a slight talcum dryness and a mouth-watering acid finish.
Tapanappa 2022 Eden Valley Riesling is reflection of the Riesling variety grown in a perfectly suited terroir of a “distinguished site” vineyard.
Tapanappa 2012 Cabernet Shiraz is a big ripe wine reflecting the small crop, warm and early 2012 vintage.
The colour is deep and purple edged, the aroma is an amalgam of black currant Cabernet, spicy anise Shiraz and the earthy, smokey terroir character of the Whalebone Vineyard. The core of the wine is sweet but the finish is of gentle savoury tannin.
This wine is a pure expression of the unique Whalebone Vineyard terroir.
2017 Tiers 1.5m Chardonnay is a pristine and exquisite expression of the Tiers unique terroir from a great vintage.
Pale green gold in colour, 2017 Tiers 1.5m Chardonnay has fresh ripe stone fruit aromas and flavours. The subtle complexity of yeast lees and oak complements the fresh fruit.
The hallmark Tiers Chardonnay texture is followed by a long after taste with a slight savoury quince finish.
The 14 year-old Tiers 1.5m Vineyard has clearly confirmed its status as a “distinguished site” and the 2017 Tapanappa Tiers 1.5M Chardonnay “is a pure expression of a unique Australian terroir.”
Of the past three wonderful vintages in Tiers Vineyard, 2022 was the coolest.
The colour is pale lemon green. The aroma is of perfectly ripe Chardonnay fruit, ripe nectarine with a hint of flint smoke, yeast cashew and oak spice. The flavour is intense and fresh with fruit sweetness and a substantial texture.
The edge of acid and the slight astringency and bitterness of the grapefruit finish, perfectly offset the fruit sweetness and texture that are the hallmarks of Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay.
2022 Tiers 1.5M Chardonnay stands alongside its older sibling, the 2022 Tiers Old Block, as an equal but with the subtle differences of its close spaced, French clone, earlier ripening habit. Both wines are truly outstanding vintage examples of the Tiers special terroir.
The 2022 Tiers 1.5M is a buttercup green-yellow colour, very similar to its older vine sibling. The aroma is more of white peach than nectarine and with the slight brioche and cinnamon-vanilla complexity of the yeast and oak. The flavour is intense and very fruit ripe and fresh. The aroma is dominated by the intensity of the Chardonnay fruit. The flavour is intense reflecting the aroma with exceptional length of flavour. The trade-mark Tiers fruit sweetness and texture is offset by the acid and grapefruit finishing cut of the Tiers Vineyard.
The late ripening of a small crop in cool, dry and sunny conditions, has defined a “near perfect” expression of Chardonnay from the unique and distinguished Tiers 1.5M Vineyard terroir.
2022 Tiers 1.5M Chardonnay is “a very special vintage of a unique wine defined by the truly distinguished Tiers Vineyard terroir”.
2018 Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Merlot-Cabernet Franc has an intense dark garnet colour with a purple edge. The aromas are leafy and floral from the Cabernet Franc and rich plum pudding from the Merlot. The slight mint and fresh earth of the Whalebone terroir is melded with the cedar of the oak and the olive aroma of the tannin.
The flavours reflect the aroma and the fruit is immediately sweet and ripe, graduating to a refined tannin and balanced acid finish.
This is a ripe complex wine, with intensity as well as strength and is a “true expression of the unique Whalebone Vineyard terroir” from a warm vintage.
2018 Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet-Shiraz has an intense dark garnet colour with a purple edge. The aromas are mulberry and cassis ripe fruit from the Cabernet Sauvignon and slight anise and leather from the Shiraz. The mint and fresh earth of the Whalebone terroir is melded with the cedar of the oak and the olive aroma of the tannin.
The flavours reflect the aroma and the fruit flavour is immediately sweet and ripe, graduating to a refined tannin and balanced acid finish.
This is a ripe complex wine, with intensity and strength and is a “true expression of the unique Whalebone Vineyard terroir” from a warm vintage.
Although 2016 Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Franc-Merlot is from the warmest vintage at Wrattonbully, it is fresh, elegant and ethereal. The aroma is dominated by the floral and spice of Cabernet Franc, red berries and only a hint of Merlot’s plum pudding richness.
The varietal complexity is underpinned by an earthy, smoky Eucalypt bouquet typical of the Whalebone terroir. The flavours are fresh and lively with an underlying varietal complexity.
Despite the warmth of the 2016 vintage the Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Franc-Merlot has the elegance and finesse expected of this right bank varietal blend. The tannins are fine and grainy providing a savoury and long finish.
The late ripening of a small crop in perfect cool, dry and sunny conditions, has again defined a very special Chardonnay, equally from Pat and Ted’s and Mount Bonython Shed Block vineyards in the distinguished Piccadilly Valley terroir. The 2022 Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay has distinctive apple, nectarine and floral aromas and the flavours are intense and the texture significant.
The colour is lemon with a green sheen. The aroma is very fresh and delicate, and the flavours are of sweet fruit balanced against a significant acid and grapefruit finish.
This is a very special wine, the product of a cool late vintage.
2014 Tapanappa Foggy Hill Pinot Noir is the product of a slightly warmer than average vintage from the very cool Foggy Hill Parawa site.
2014 vintage was defined by the poor fruit set and low yields in an otherwise perfect growing season for Pinot Noir.
The colour is dense by Pinot Noir standards reflecting the sunny vintage effect on berry pigmentation and the effect of plucking the leaves from around bunches before veraison.
The fruit aroma is of spicy, sappy, ripe cherries with the floral notes that contribute to Pinot’s “peacock’s tail”. 2014 has contributed one of the most aromatic Foggy Hill Pinot Noirs yet.
The palate similarly has intense fruit flavours that persist reflecting the aromas but with very definite tannin structure that provides a savoury finish.
2014 Tapanappa Foggy Hill Pinot Noir is “a pure expression of the unique Parawa, Fleurieu Peninsula terroir”.
1 x 2013 TIERS VINEYARD Chardonnay
1 x 2015 TIERS VINEYARD Chardonnay
1 x 2015 TIERS VINEYARD 1.5M Chardonnay
1 x 2017 TIERS VINEYARD Chardonnay
1 x 2017 TIERS VINEYARD 1.5M Chardonnay
1 x 2019 TIERS VINEARD 1.5M Chardonnay
2019 Definitus Foggy Hill Pinot Noir is an “intense expression of the unique Definitus Foggy Hill vineyard site”.
The wine is translucent with a deep carmine hue. The aroma is of ripe plums and blue berry fruits with the faint spice of stalks. The oak provides a complexing but muted Chinese 5 spice bouquet and all of this is reflected in the flavour of the wine. At a modest alcohol of 13.0%, the flavours are expressed without the interference of alcohol. The flavours are rich, ripe and lively and the tannins firm but rounded.
2019 Tapanappa Definitus Pinot Noir is the reflection of the perfectly ripe fruit from which it was made and is a “typical expression of the unique Foggy Hill terroir.”
2016 Tapanappa Tiers 1.5M Chardonnay ripened early and fully because of the very warm growing season and the unique early ripening effect of the Dijon Chardonnay clones on de-vigorating rootstocks on close spacing and close proximity to the warm ground at night.
Riper honey and fig characters complement the typical Tiers Vineyard peach flavour and aroma and significant texture. The Tiers 1.5M Chardonnay is softer and richer than the old Tiers Chardonnay from across the road. The wine finishes with a grapefruit and quince nuance again typical of The Tiers 1.5M Vineyard terroir expression.
The 13 year-old Tiers 1.5M Vineyard has clearly confirmed its status as a “distinguished site” and the 2016 Tapanappa Tiers 1.5M Chardonnay “is a pure expression of a unique Australian terroir.”
Tapanappa 2009 Foggy Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir is of medium colour intensity and is cerise in hue. The aromas are initially delicate and ethereal hinting at roses and their freshly cut stalks. More complex aromas emerge of dark chocolate and mocha and preserved cherries with a hint of anise. The flavours are sweet spicy and delicate and are poised against the tannin and acid in a savoury and linear structure. The alcohol remains unnoticed against the delicate but exotic water born flavours, the significant tannins and acid, beyond which the flavours are persistent.
This the third exciting wine of the new Pinot Noir terroir at Maylands Farm at Parawa at the apex of the Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia. The style of the 2009 Foggy Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir is a more natural reflection of the terroir in a cooler year compared to the opulent 2008.
The Whalebone Vineyard terroir exerts its strength in the Cabernet Shiraz blend as a combination of smoky Eucalyptus, anise and fresh earth aromas and flavours. The Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard 2005 Cabernet Shiraz has the fruit sweet core of ripe mulberry and blackberry provided by Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz in the warm 2005 vintage. The Cabernet Franc provides a floral aroma note and silky tannin texture and has a much greater influence than the 10% component suggests.
Dishes based on spring lamb lightly roasted with thyme or rare pigeon breast naturally balance and amplify the structure and flavour of Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard 2005 Cabernet Shiraz.
2020 Tapanappa Shining Rock Shiraz is a true expression of the cool climate of Shiraz.
Powerfully fresh and vibrant, the aroma is of blackberry puree edged with exotic Chinese spices, a unique varietal expression. Subtle star anise and polished leather add complexity to the aroma.
The flavour is instantly of fresh berry fruit with a sweet core but a savoury finish and a determined tannin.
These are the aromas and flavours of Shiraz grown in a cool and highly suited terroir.
2016 Tapanappa Foggy Hill Pinot Noir is defined by the cool maritime site at Parawa and by the extraordinary warmth of the 2016 vintage.
The colour is deep and the hue purple red. The wine is intense and brooding, the latent liveliness and freshness overshadowed by the ripe complex black fruit aroma and flavour of the warm ripe vintage.
The wine has a significant tannin profile; they are ripe elegant tannins that will serve the wine well through bottle age. No ephemeral, lightly aromatic, soft tannin wine here, Tapanappa 2016 Foggy Hill Pinot Noir stamps its foot and says “savour me over time.”
Most importantly, 2016 Tapanappa Foggy Hill Pinot Noir is a “pure expression of the unique Parawa, Fleurieu Peninsula terroir.”
2007 Tapanappa Wrattonbully Cabernet Shiraz has the very ripe fruit flavours and texture of this exceptionally small and early vintage. Despite the ripeness the alcohol is in balance and the silky ripe tannins meld with the ripe fruit flavours.
The 2007 Tapanappa Cabernet Shiraz retains the elegant structure and the earthy, anise and Eucalypt smoke flavours of the Joanna, Wrattonbully terroir.
2007 Tapanappa Wrattonbully Cabernet-Shiraz is “a pure expression of the unique Joanna Wrattonbully terroir”.
Tapanappa 2015 Tiers 1.5m Chardonnay is unmistakably a reflection of the unique terroir of The Tiers distinguished site. It has the ripe stone-fruit aroma and flavour and the significant texture of Tiers Chardonnay. Because of the precocious Bernard clones and the reflected ground warmth of the low slung 1.5m vineyard, Tiers 1.5m Chardonnay ripens earlier and more completely than the older vine Tiers Chardonnay. The texture is rich even though the natural acid provides tautness and the flavours are of luxuriant ripe Chardonnay with a slight quince finish.
First and foremost the 2004 Tapanappa Cabernet Shiraz is the taste of the Whalebone Vineyard. The terroir delivers complexity involving the aroma and taste of dusty earth and Eucalypt smoke.
A glass of Tapanappa Cabernet Shiraz is translucent and a vibrant cerise colour. The aroma is built in layers with a core of Cabernet Sauvignon mulberry and clove surrounded by the blackberry and liquorice of Shiraz.
A central sweet fruit flavour follows on with dry dusty tannins turning creamy as the persistence of the fruit, earth and smoke creates length. 2004 Tapanappa Cabernet Shiraz is from a cool dry sunny year and is much longer than it is wide.
Spring lamb lightly roasted with thyme and rosemary is the natural dish to amplify the flavours and structure of the wine.
Intense carmine colour typical of Shiraz but still vaguely translucent. The aroma is of blackberry and spiced plums, some anise with hints of fine leather. This is a big wine in structure and flavour with determined tannins to backup the sumptuous sweet fruit middle.
This 2017 Shiraz is a wine for the ages, worthy of decades in the cellar.
It is the pure expression of the unique Shining Rock Vineyard terroir.
The late ripening of a small crop in perfect cool, dry and sunny conditions, has defined a very special Chardonnay from the unique and distinguished Tiers Vineyard terroir.
The colour is pale lemon green. The aroma is shy but intensely fresh, mainly of Chardonnay fruit, ripe nectarine with a hint of yeast cashew and oak spice. The aroma compels the need to taste, which amplifies the intensity and freshness but with refined fruit sweetness and texture. Finally, the cutting edge of acid and slight grapefruit finish of a wine that may not yet have the power of the 2020 Tiers but has a finesse that is remarkable.
Because of the small crop, 2019 Tiers 1.5M Chardonnay is exquisitely concentrated. Pale green/lemon in colour, the aroma is of white peach, canteloupe and the faint cinnamon and vanilla of Fench oak.
Typical of Tiers, the wine has a significant texture and is a riper and more advanced expression of the vineyard because of the earlier ripening Dijon clones..
Mellow and ripe the wine still has the finishing acid of the very cool climate Tiers Vineyard Again a light grape fruit bitterness lends a suitable end to the sweet fruit core of the wine.
2019 Tapanappa Tiers 1.5M Chardonnay is “a very age worthy expression of this unique Australian terroir”.
Tapanappa 2015 Tiers 1.5m Chardonnay is unmistakably a reflection of the unique terroir of The Tiers distinguished site. It has the ripe stone-fruit aroma and flavour and the significant texture of Tiers Chardonnay. Because of the precocious Bernard clones and the reflected ground warmth of the low slung 1.5m vineyard, Tiers 1.5m Chardonnay ripens earlier and more completely than the older vine Tiers Chardonnay. The texture is rich even though the natural acid provides tautness and the flavours are of luxuriant ripe Chardonnay with a slight quince finish.
2021 Foggy Hill Pinot Noir is an above average crop, cool vintage expression of the Foggy Hill terroir.
The wine is translucent with a light purple-red hue. The aroma is floral and fresh with raspberry and strawberry fruit notes layered over the complex Foggy Hill ripe plum terroir expression. The aroma effect is ethereal.The flavours are lilting and fresh but intense, allowed to express fully by the very moderate alcohol. The tannins are forceful for such a delicate wine,but they are refined.
2021 Tapanappa Foggy Hill Pinot Noir is the reflection of the perfectly ripe fruit from which it was made and is a “typical expression of the unique Foggy Hill terroir.”
This 2018 Definitus special bottling of Foggy Hill Pinot Noir has intense cerise colour.
The aroma is of complex, ripe dark fruits, black and blueberries, faint cassis and hints of floral notes. The flavours are rich, ripe and dense with plum to compliment the characteristic Foggy Hill earthy, spicey complexity.
The tannins are fine but pervasive and the warm year 2018 Foggy Hill “Definitus” will benefit from a decade or longer of bottle age.
2017 Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz has a dark garnet colour with a purple edge.
The aromas are rich cassis and slight nettle from the Cabernet Sauvignon and complex fine leather and anise from the Shiraz. The slight mint and fresh earth of the Whalebone terroir is melded with the cedar of the oak and tannin. The whole is at once complex, powerful and ripe.
The flavours reflect the aroma, and the fruit is immediately sweet and ripe, graduating to a refined tannin and balanced acid finish.
This is an intense complex wine, with finesse as well as strength and is a “true expression of the unique Whalebone Vineyard terroir” from an exceptional vintage.
The Whalebone Vineyard terroir exerts its strength in the Cabernet Shiraz blend as a combination of smokey Eucalypt, anise and fresh earth aromas and flavours.
The Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard 2006 Cabernet Shiraz has the fruit sweet core of ripe mulberry and blackberry provided by Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz in the slightly warmer than average 2006 vintage. The Cabernet Franc provides a floral aroma note and silky tannin texture and has much greater influence than the 10% component suggests. The 2006 vintage is notable for its definite but fine-grained tannins.
Dishes based on spring lamb lightly roasted with thyme or rare pigeon breast naturally balance and amplify the structure and flavour of Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard 2006