Simonnet-Febvre Chablis Premier Cru Vaillons
Pristine concentration and complexity of favour are the hallmarks of Simmonet-Febvre, a revered maker in Chablis. Stonefruits and ruby grapefruit with grilled nuts, owing no doubt to Simmonet-Febvre's insistence on ageing their Premier-Cru wines on lees for over a year. Has all the zippy-freshness you would expect from a high-level Chablis.
Balnaves The Tally Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
The Tally sits comfortably in the company of Australia's greatest Cabernets. Massive fruit tannin to pucker your lips, dripped over deep luscious varietal fruits with some of the world's finest French Oak to complement. Any lover of Cabernet Sauvignon is neglecting their education if they have not had a bottle!
Mount Mary Triolet
The Triolet blend, first produced at this vineyard in 1987, was inspired by the white wines of Graves, Bordeaux. Each variety is picked at optimum ripeness, and is usually fermented separately. The characteristics of optimum ripeness are different for each variety. We pick the Sauvignon blanc after the strong herbaceous flavours have disappeared, the Semillon when the acid is not too harsh, and the Muscadelle when the flavour intensity peaks.
Novum Chardonnay
Small-batch Chardonnay from Marlborough negociants Novum. Stonefruit, cream and mineral on the nose. Flintiness meets fruit on the palate, making for a distinctive medium-bodied wine. An appealingly long finish shows this to be a top tier Chardonnay. Novum use small parcels of fruit from specially selected sites on established Marlborough vineyards to craft the best wines and expressions of terroir possible. Their first vintage arrived in 2016. Novums primary focus is on Syrah, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Fromm Malbec Fromm Vineyard
Opening with dense blackberry/boysenberry fruit and a black olive savouriness the aromas then shift to reveal lifted qualities of purple florals and fragrant sweet spice. The palate shows a lovely weight and concentration of fruit, balanced by a charming elegance and finesse. Not at all shy on tannins (integrated and ripe).
Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey
Domaine Daniel Chotard Sancerre
A great expression of Sauvignon Blanc, with plenty of tomato vine and flinty character, with a lick of passionfruit and stonefruit. Ripe and expressive, with great citrus characters. Great weight and texture.
Gerard Boulay Sancerre
Organic. As always, this was drawn from mature, 35- to 40-year-old vines rooted entirely in the limestone soils of Chavignol. The multiple sites are largely sloping vineyards on the lower flanks of the Chavignol hillside terroirs of Les Chasseignes, Les Longues Fins and La Rue de Vaux. Importantly, Boulay also includes fruit from his younger vines growing on the great hillsides of Clos de Beaujeu, Monts Damnés and La Grande Côte. The juice was naturally fermented and aged for nine months in tank on lees, with a small volume also fermented in a single large wooden cask.
Umamu Estate MacAnn SAB Cane Cut
Umamu create exquisite handcrafted wines from Margaret River. Each bottle is deliberately and meticulously created: from the delicate balance tasted within each glass, to the small touches of family handwriting and messages on our labels. Our philosophy has always been to give our wines time to develop in the bottle before release, a rarity in today’s market. Enjoying wines when they are ready to drink, rather than straight after bottling, when the wine has had time to develop and balance up in the bottle with no screaming parts. This cane cut is produced from Sauvignon Blanc vines planted in 1987. Hand harvested on the 17th of April at 23 baume. Fruit cold crushed to press and cold settled before a 12 o C ferment in barrel. Aged on light lees for four months before bottling.
Nanny Goat Single Vineyards Queensberry Chardonnay
Nanny Goat is a Central Otago winery known best for their Pinot Noir but their Chardonnay is also exceptional. Its name derives from the fact that much of the country is rough, dry, mountainous and desolate – seemingly suitable only for goats. Apparently, the brand’s owner, Aussie John Valmorbida, was climbing up to a hilltop restaurant near Queenstown when the goat idea struck him. It is rather appropriate. Hand picked and whole bunch pressed to stainless steel tanks before being mixed and transferred to 500L French oak puncheons (25% new) with high solids. The wine is then left to ferment naturally with occasional lees stirring to enhance palate weight and texture. The wine underwent 90% malolactic fermentation, softening the palate yet retaining a fine vein of acidity for balance on the palate.