Australia GOLD Red 96 Cape Landing, Blackwood Syrah, Margaret River, Western Australia 2020
(14%)
GOLD
Sparkling white 96 Arras, EJ Carr Late Disgorged, Tasmania 2006 (13.2%)
Elegant, refined and focused. Huge, welcoming palate with stone fruit, whipped butter, coffee, grilled nuts: full and spicy. A fine mousse, creamy palate and distinctive style. Showing maturity, it has a bright finish which is tingling, enticing and very fine.
95 Brown Brothers, Patricia Pinot Noir-Chardonnay Brut, King Valley, Victoria 2015 (12.5%)
A mature, nutty style, with burnt popcorn, dried butter, orange peel and jasmine notes. The palate is silky, elegant and long, with ripe peaches and cream, delicate mousse and fine acidity. Balanced and persistent with a long, toasty finish.
GOLD White 96 Brown Brothers, Patricia Chardonnay, Tasmania 2020
(12%)
A fine, steely style, with apple, lemon, apricot and white pear notes. The palate is tangy and flinty, the fruit flavours pure, followed up with a lovely, subtle, salty caramel texture and a long, ripe, lingering finish.
96 Dawson James, Chardonnay, Derwent Valley, Tasmania 2018 (12.5%)
£52 Liberty Wines
A smoky, lemony style. Freshly buttered popcorn and a soft uplift of citrus curd lead to a tight, salty palate, layered with some gunflint; highly linear, taut and intense. A genuinely classy palate that’s long and refined. Top stuff.
96 Dawson James, Chardonnay, Tasmania 2020 (12.5%)
£52 Liberty Wines
A gorgeous nose of mellow beeswax, buttercups and honey. Lemon-lime and peach fruit, pineapple chunks, honeycomb, fresh cashew and ginger spice line the palate. A wonderful chalky texture and a dose of malolactic complexity. Delicious and persistent.
96 Domaine Naturaliste, Artus Chardonnay, Margaret River, Western Australia 2020 (13.5%)
£31.50 The Vinorium
Toasty, smoky subtle oak on the nose, with a tense, refined but rich palate. Attractive pineapple, nut and citrus, with breadth from the oak and lovely acid balance. Well textured, with depth and length.
95 Cape Mentelle, Reserve Chardonnay, Margaret River, Western Australia 2020 (14%)
Very toasty, smoky bouquet with ripe stone fruit aromatics. Layers of precise nectarine and peach fruits, butterscotch and pear flavours present. Rich creamy textures, struck match notes and bright acidity. Excellent quality.
95 Curly Flat, Chardonnay, Macedon Ranges, Victoria 2020 (13%)
POA £ Milestone Wines
A lush, intense wine, with a pure limey brûlée note, flinty struck match and juicy stone fruits. Fabulous drive and cyrstallinity on the palate, good freshness and length, a sense of purpose. Lovely.
95 Dandelion Vineyards, Wonderland Riesling, Eden Valley, South Australia 2021 (10.8%)
Ripe green apple, floral, talc and mineral aromas followed by a tight and delicate palate. The palate has broad, open, yellow ripe and intensely flavoured fruit, smoky flinty notes, good length and a clean, appetising finish.
95 Flametree, SRS Wallcliffe Chardonnay, Margaret River, Western Australia 2021 (13%)
£32.50 Amps, Bottles Worcester, DeFine Food & Wine, Loki, Nickolls & Perks, Old Chapel Cellars, Reserve Wines, The Dorset Wine Co, The Whalley Wine Shop, WoodWinters
POA $ Wegmans
A toasty, smoky oak and vanilla nose, with rich stone fruit, pineapple chunks, lime and tinned apricot flavours on the palate. Some nectarine, flint and buttery malo notes make for a superb and mouthfilling wine: refined, long and focused.
95 Gatt, High Eden Single Vineyard Riesling, Eden Valley, South Australia 2016 (11.5%)
Delicate, mellow nose, some smoky notes. Lemon and lime marmalade on toast, jasmine blossom, lime and lemon curd. Lovely creamy texture and a very long finish. In a beautiful place and will age further.
95 Robert Oatley, Craigmoor Estate Sauvignon Blanc, SE Australia 2021 (12%)
£8.99 Waitrose
A wine with excellent typicity, fresh acidity and generous
tropical fruit flavours. A very nice wine for the price.
95 Sidewood, Mappinga Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills, South Australia 2020 (12.5%)
£19.95 Davy’s
Intense nose of nectarine, lemon curd, lemongrass and light vanilla sugar. Impressively savoury and concentrated, with saline lines of lime, lemon butter and white nectarine. A classy, direct, pinpoint wine, terrific concentration and energy.
95 Vasse Felix, Heytesbury Chardonnay, Margaret River, Western Australia 2020 (13.5%)
£49-£55 Corking Wines, Fells, Specialist Cellars
A complex wine showing elegant pineapple, peach, citrus and green fruits on the nose with struck match notes and some finely judged oak. Saline and mineral elements in this stylish and elegant wine.
96 Brown Hill, Perseverance CabernetMerlot, Margaret River, Western Australia 2019 (14%)
Cool blue fruits, dark violets and rose buds on the nose, followed by a juicy, fruit-sweet mid-palate, with restrained dark berries, damsons, green peppercorn, tobacco, cedar and creamy vanilla notes. Layers of luxurious flavours evolve in the glass. Complex and elegant.
96 Calabria Family Wines, Elisabetta Shiraz, Barossa Valley, South Australia 2020 (13.7%)
A complex, herbal nose with bramble fruit notes followed by dense purple fruits and vanilla flavours on the palate. Fresh, salty tannins and well-judged acidity make for a charming wine with an intense and concentrated palate.
Juicy and vibrant, with bright and lifted cool-climate Syrah flavours: plums, dark blue fruits, violets, subtle spice and rose combining with elegance. Smart, seamless palate with great finesse and length. Beautifully done.
96 Capel Vale, Whispering Hill Shiraz, Mount Barker, Western Australia 2020 (14%)
Earthy, herbal and savoury aromas with hints of dry spice. Broad and rich, earthy wild raspberry, violets, perfumed blueberries, herbs and spices. Abundant oak is polished and ripe, tannins are firm, with good freshness and potential.
96 Casella, 1919 Cabernet Sauvignon, Clare Valley, South Australia 2018 (13.8%)
Big, dense wine packed with ripe berry fruit, damsons, vanilla, chocolate and coffee flavours. The fruit is impeccable and the tannins structured and refined. A low-acid style that’s sumptuous but also needs time. Well shaped and elegant.
96 De Bortoli, Riorret Lusatia Park Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley, Victoria 2020 (13.5%)
£20 North South Wines
Intense yet delicate raspberry, strawberry and blue fruits, rose petals and spice. Richly textured and soft, sweetly fruited, notes of caramel and spice, pleasingly bitter tannins. Elegantly balanced, long and complex.
96 De Bortoli, Riorret The Abbey Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley, Victoria 2020 (13.8%)
£20 North South Wines
The nose is savoury and spiced with beetroot and smoked wood, a magical perfumed feel. Lovely crunchy red raspberry fruits and a lifted floral note, with ripe and firm, integrated tannins. Precise and persistent finish.
96 Eisenstone, Roennfeldt Marananga SV904 Shiraz, Barossa Valley, South Australia 2019 (14.5%)
£50 Milestone Wines
A beautiful nose of intense liquid blackberry, deep and alluring. The body has sweet succulent fruit, chocolatey flavours and fine, but definitely present tannins. A complex wine of high quality.
96 Eisenstone, Stockwell Shiraz SR805, Barossa Valley, South Australia 2018 (14.5%)
£40 Milestone Wines
Alluring nose of purple fruit, vanilla, walnut, leather, coffee. Slick palate with loads of cassis, blackberry and other dark fruits; tannins creamy and sumptuous. Stunning balance and length; a wine that will keep for a decade or two.
96 Hardys, Thomas Hardy Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra & Western Australia 2017 (14.3%)
£50 Harvey Nichols
Deep mulberry notes lead to a palate of spiced cranberries, damsons, liquorice, cloves and chocolate. Concentrated oak tannins are richly textured: a balanced powerhouse built for ageing, strong personality.
96 Leconfield, The Sydney Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, South Australia 2017 (14.5%)
Bright, focused nose of cassis and oak. Silky black cherry juice, clusters of blue fruit, violets and bramble notes, a touch of eucalyptus along with exciting and delicate tannins. Great flavour, concentration, power and elegance.