Neudorf Tom’s Block Pinot Noir 2011 $31–$39 Moutere, Kina Beach and Lord Rutherford vineyards, Nelson, New Zealand Driving through Nelson in summer, tall stands of hops stand out before the neat rows of vine come into focus. In this lovely, sunny-but-cool spot on the south island’s north-western edge, Tim and Judy Finn make beautifully elegant … Continue reading Wine review — Neudorf, Port Phillip Estate, Wynns Coonawarra Estate, Maxwell and Clonakilla →

Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz 2012 $28–$32 Heavy rain towards the end of February 2012 destroyed large volumes of ripe, or near ripe grapes in Canberra and surrounding districts. Clonakilla lost much of its Canberra fruit in the event. But, says Tim Kirk, they harvested most of their fruit from the Hilltops region (around Young, NSW), the … Continue reading Wine review — Clonakilla, Turkey Flat and Red Knot →

Lerida Estate Shiraz Viognier $49.50 Lake George, Canberra District, NSW Lerida’s elegant, restrained 2010 shiraz viognier follows the more opulent highly acclaimed 2009 vintage. The two wines share a regional spiciness, medium body and fine, smooth texture. But in the 2010 an appealing black pepper character, an endearing element in many cool-grown shirazes, adds to … Continue reading Wine review — Lerida Estate, Clonakilla, Josef Chromy, d’Arenberg and Riddoch →

Clonakilla Ceoltoiri 2011 $36 Clonakilla Vineyard, Murrumbateman, NSW It’s a blend of grenache, mourvedre and shiraz. But don’t shut your eyes and think of the Barossa, GSM’s Australian home base. This is Canberra material from a particularly cold, wet vintage that, in theory, should have written off mourvedre – a late-ripening variety that many would … Continue reading Wine review — Clonakilla, Tim Adams, Crossroads, Wilson and Rob Dolan →

Mount Horrocks Riesling 2012 $27–$30 Mount Horrocks Watervale vineyard, Clare Valley, South Australia Stephanie Toole’s 2012 joins a growing list of fabulous Clare rieslings. As they come onto the market over the next few months, they present a rare opportunity to buy superb whites with proven long-term cellaring ability. The usually unexcitable Toole, writes of … Continue reading Wine review — Mount Horrocks, Pizzini, Shingleback, Clonakilla and Zema Estate →

Handpicked Eduardo Jordan Selection Maipo Valley Carmenere 2008 Until a French vine expert identified it in 1994, Chile’s vignerons remained unaware that many of their vines, misnamed as merlot since the mid 19th century, were in fact carmenere – a variety that disappeared from Bordeaux after the phylloxera infestation. Chile now has a near monopoly … Continue reading Wine review — Handpicked, Clonakilla and Yalumba →

Clonakilla O’Riada Shiraz 2010 – wine of the week $35–$45 Murrumbateman, Canberra District, New South Wales In a recent tasting we paired each of Clonakilla’s three Canberra District wines with another fine shiraz, either from Australia or France – stepping through the wines in pairs. O’Riada, a blend from four vineyards, and containing five per … Continue reading Wine review — Clonakilla, Jim Barry, William Fevre, Louis Latour and Derwent Estate →