Australia's premier sparkling winemaker, Ed Carr, produces elite sparkling wines that border on the perfection. The equal to any prestigious Champagne, House of Arras have a track record of releasing Australia's finest examples. Here the new Arras Blanc de Blancs is the latest to join the range and is a sparkling wine that truly expresses the attributes of prestige Tasmanian Chardonnay, meticulous winemaking and extensive age on yeast lees. Hands on techniques including gentle whole bunch pressing, fermentation on light lees which went through 100% malolactic and almost 10 years in tirage were employed. The wine itself is a masterpiece that possesses a brilliant clarity and ultra-fine persistent bead. Lifted citrus of grapefruit and lemon zest are complimented with buttered toast.
This wonderfully elegant Shiraz shows intense, pristine, blackberry fruit and ripe, silky tannins. It almost has a Pinot Noir elegance to it and, luckily, the quality of future vintages will only be getting better too as Voyager's new clones come on line.
Meshach William Burge was Grant's great grandfather and was a central figure in establishing the Burge family in the Barossa Valley. This Shiraz named in his honour is sourced from old vines, some nearing 100 years old, and shows aromas and flavours of complex swiss chocolate, savoury spices and red currant. Grant Burge's flagship shiraz will reward the patient cellarer with 20 years in the bottle in front of it.
From a 37-acre vineyard, Château Pavie Macquin is stunningly situated on the clay-limestone plateau of Saint-Émilion on the right bank of Bordeaux. 2010 has produced a formidable wine: a blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, this is a top release of the harvest year and a highlight from St-Émillion in 2010. Tannins, restraint and inward concentration are motifs, this is a wine for the patient, sophisticated collector who wishes to embellish a cellar with pedigree wines that need time and maturity to come to the fore.
Wirra Wirra's flagship Shiraz has won many accolades over the years, including the 'world's best Shiraz'. It's loaded with distinctive McLaren Vale blueberry and chocolate characters, supported by plums, violets and spice, and tannin structure destined for 10 more years in the cellar.
A testament to Don Julios patience and determination for superior quality, Tequila Don Julio Añejo is the culmination of distinct rich flavours of agave balanced with the perfect amount of wood influence. Don Julio Añejo spends more than the minimum requirement of 1 year on oak, and is normally aged between 18 months and two years before it reaches its optimum age and taste profile. As with the rest of the Don Julio range the nose is fruity and floral, but with notes of vanilla and fresh agave, whilst the palate is slightly richer and more full bodied, yet still sweet and rich with citrus characteristics.
One of the benchmarks of Barossa Shiraz, Peter Lehmann's Stonewell is a classic example of the rich concentrated old vine style. While bold on the palate, there is always an inherent complexity to the Stonewell that enables it to be compared with all of the great Australian wines produced today.
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.
Coming from one of the best vintages in recent Barossa history, the Old Block from St Hallett shows what careful vineyard management can do for a wine. Rich, dark and conerntrated but with seamless tannin intergration.
Jeff Grosset's Rieslings are amongst the most sought after in Australia. The Polish Hill is superb with intense lingering citrus flavours lively natural acidity and a crisp dry finish. The remarkable think about Jeff's Rieslings are their phenomenal ability to age so very gracefully and will reward the very patient.