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'We are tasting the Tyrrell's 2006 Vat 1 semillon, a Hunter Valley wine which, at sevenyears old, is still a juvenile, easily capable of another decade of good drinking. Its longevity is at the very heart of what makes it so astounding. To think of it as a one-year-old is a different story: gangly, acid, water and neutral flavour, not astounding. Vat 1 also shows us you don't have to pay big dollars for greatness.' - Canberra Times, Jeni Port, 10 Apr 2013. Extract from 'What makes a great wine?'

Gary Farr is still one of Victoria's true Chardonnay maestro's and his Chardonnay By Farr is another example. Taken from the original By Farr vineyard, this is a clearly a wine of true clarity and finesse. Flavours of melon and hints of spice with wonderful oak integration mean this wine is simply delicious upon release, but handle some careful medium-term cellaring.

Grosset Gaia Cabernet is one distinguished CabernetBring it on! By Gaia standards, its plump and plush with sweet fruit, rich dark chocolate and tannin presence. Gaia is always a wonderful long-term cellaring option, as is the case with the '08, but this vintage the added bonus of up front fruit enables immediate enjoyment.

Savour a sumptuous 95pt Clare Valley Shiraz from very well respected winemaking team based in the Barossa. Critics have called it : “serious Shiraz with a long and exciting future... notes of blackcurrants, cloves, leather, bay leaves and black olives are very much to the fore whole dark chocolate provides delicious support. This is seamless on the palate with bright acidity and silky tannins plus a very long finish 94pts” (Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot) and “Wonderfully ripe and enticing, the bouquet shows dark fruit richness, vanillin oak, smoked game and toasted spice aromas, followed by a concentrated palate offering terrific weight and powerful fruit intensity. Gorgeously framed by velvety texture and layers of polished tannins, finishing sumptuous and delicious. . 95pts” (Sam Kim)

Vat 47 from the Hunter Valley has a silky bouquet of melon stone fruit and creamy oak that is followed by a palate of extraordinary balance and length. An absolute classic and will only get better with some medium term ageing.

The Jim Barry McCrae Wood is a fine example of the bold Clare Valley Shiraz style. Intense and concentrated, it is well worth putting away for five years at least!

At the foot of the majestic Schlossberg hill, in a setting of vines and roses, the Domaine Weinbach "wine stream", named after the small stream that crosses it, was built in 1612 by the Capuchin monks. Sold as national property during the French Revolution, the Estate was acquired in 1898 by the Faller brothers who passed it on to their son and nephew Théo. A great figure in the Alsatian vineyard and ardent promoter of its recognition as an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, Théo Faller works for the quality of Alsace wines and the development of their incomparable terroirs and grape varieties. In love with his property, he develops it, enlarges it and embellishes it. From 1979, his wife Colette and his daughters Catherine and Laurence demonstrated the same passion for the great wines of Alsace and the same unfailing attachment to quality. Since 2016, Catherine Faller has been running the Domaine with her sons Eddy and Théo. Cuvée Théo Riesling comes exclusively from the monopole Le Clos des Capucins. The clos is well protected from winds by the surrounding hills and by the walls that enclose it. The soils consist of sand, alluvial pebbles and granitic gravel. Here, the low-cropping vines typically offer up a supple and pithy Riesling that is beautifully accessible when young - a reflection of these sandy soils. As per all Weinbach dry Rieslings, this was whole-bunch pressed, fermented without any yeast additions and matured in very old oak casks for 10 months. Biodynamic. It’s beautifully ripe yet crisp, with flawless clarity and vibrating citric freshness. Expect waves of crunchy citrus pith, florals and stone-fruit juiciness, excellent pulp and precision and driven compact length. Finishing on a mineral/umami note, this is a brilliant Riesling—arguably the most electric young Théo Riesling we have seen for some time. All class. Beautifully ripe yet crisp, with flawless clarity and vibrating citric freshness. Expect waves of crunchy citrus pith, florals and stone-fruit juiciness, excellent pulp and precision and driven compact length. Finishing on a mineral/umami note, this is a brilliant Riesling.

Margaret River is a world renowned Chardonnay producing region and Pierro can rightfully stake a claim as to why. Incredibly complex, it is a tangle of fine-boned acid, lees complexity, pristine fruit and the most detailed use of good quality oak. Extremely enjoyable now, but will benefit from short to medium term cellaring.