Victoria

Crittenden's “homage” to the classic Catalonian blend of Tempranillo (50 percent), Mataro (Mourvèdre, 30 percent) and Grenache (20 percent) was inspired by winemaker Rollo Crittenden's love of this part of Spain. The grapes come from a vineyard just outside the Mornington Peninsula region and Rollo uses old oak and wild fermentation to retain freshness in the style.

The wine is indeed fresh, lean and pure. Bright, juicy red and black fruit comes through from the Tempranillo whilst the Mataro adds a dense feel to the wine with a meaty element; and the Grenache brings elegant spice and white pepper to the long finish. This is a really impressive wine with a clear Catalonian feel to it, ¡salut!
Catriona Felstead - Australia Buyer, January 2017

A combination of low yields and ideal ripening conditions have produced a bright, ruby Pinot Noir. This has aromas of red cherry and juicy plum on the nose, while the delicate soft tannins and spiced berries develop into a savoury twist on the finish.
Katherine Dart MW, Wine Buyer

Oggi, which means “today” in Italian, is something of an annual experiment. As chief winemaker Rollo puts it, “Oggi is our opportunity to show people what we are trialling in the winery from day-to-day and year-to-year.” The 2015 Oggi is a blend of three traditional Italian varietals: Fiano, Arneis and Vermentino. Made very similarly to a red wine, with extended gross lees maturation, the wine has textural complexity and generous body. The nose, palate and finish are bursting with crisp orchard fruit, honeysuckle and beeswax. Each bottle bares a unique label, reflecting the individuality of its contents. Drink now to 2020. 

Not the Pythonesque antithesis of Kangeright, Kangerong is actually a zone of Mornington Peninsula.  This is a fruity, understated Chardonnay, with its character from extended lees’ contact rather than oak. The fruit comes from two selected Chardonnay blocks, a stone’s throw apart.
100% chardonnay.
Cool & discreet.

Circe is a boutique label producing wines from deep red volcanic basalt soils in the cool climate Mornington Peninsula.
The nose is fruit forward and aromatic with wild strawberries, rose petals and a warm dusting of cinnamon. On the palate, ripe raspberry and red cherry eventually give way to a complex myriad of exotic spices which will develop further from bottle age. The length is impressive and balanced by fresh acidity and fine tannins. 
Katherine Dart MW, Wine Buyer

This Pinot Noir is selected from a single vineyard in Gippsland, Victoria. It is pale garnet, perfumed and smoky with splashes of spiced dark plum and porcini. The tight acidity gives way to a satisfying finish with definition and lingering complexity. This is a wine that will reward patience. 
Katherine Dart MW, Wine Buyer

Circe’s Hillcrest Road now leads Pinot Noir production in the area – which is no mean feat, given the level of competition. It is sourced from a 1.2-hectare cool northeast-facing site planted in 1993, about 2.5 miles from the coast. With only 20 hl/ha making it to fermentation, low yield is the main weapon in the quality arsenal. For the 2016 vintage, fermentation was 100 percent whole bunch with six days foot-stomping. This considered winemaking delivers a wine of standout sophistication – offering delicate wood smoke and spice on the nose and black cherry on the palate. This is a deep and complex wine meant to be savoured slowly or reserved to evolve in the cellar for years to come. 
Katherine Dart MW, Wine Buyer

2013 was the best vintage yet for Circe, with consistently warm temperatures ensuring even ripening and healthy fruit. It is hardly surprising therefore that winemaker Dan Buckle has made a standout single vineyard wine from the Hillcrest Road vineyard this year. Extremely restrained and very Burgundian in style, this wine is defined by its savoury complexity. It is vastly different from what you might expect from an Australian Pinot Noir in almost every sense. The wine is pale in colour and delicate, almost pretty in style (typical for Mornington) yet it is also structured and conceals a power and a concentration that comes through on the mid-palate and remains evident on the extremely long and beautifully fresh finish. The nose and palate display subtle notes of hedgerow, smoke and bacon fat which complement the macerated ripe red berry notes, and the tannins are exceptionally fine. This is a must-try for Pinot-philes.
Catriona Felstead MW - Wine Buyer

Yarra Yering was the creation of Dr Bailey Carrodus, a legendary, pioneering figure in Australian viticulture who sadly died in 2008. He planted an eclectic range of European grape varieties but was particularly successful with Bordeaux grapes and Syrah. Usually he would blend Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot but in 2006 made a wine exclusively from Merlot, not a grape which is widely or successfully planted in Australia. The aim is to produce something akin to a top Pomerol; the nose has an abundance of rich, plumy fruit with chocolate notes; on the palate the tannins are wonderfully ripe with a silky texture and the chocolate theme continues with hints of mocha too. Very long on the finish, impressively concentrated and well worthy of comparison to some of the great Right Bank Bordeaux wines.

"Just a barrel or two are made in truly exceptional years, that's only when the Merlot in the original vineyard  has achieved perfect ripeness. Always a densely structured wine when young, that gives nothing away. It comes spectacularly to life after around 8-10 years in bottle and continues to open out with time. I recently sampled the 1992 vintage and it was stunning, revealing mulberry and plum notes with an exotic, spicy edge. New World's answer to Le Pin?!"
Hong Kong Fine Wine Team

"Always a talking point at a Yarra Yering tasting. Made using indigenous Portugese varieties and fortified very much in a vintage Port style. Think of a vintage port with slightly sweeter fruit and more appealing in its infancy. The Potsorts has come a long way in recent years, and as the vines age, the structure and depth increase and we now see a perfect balance with the alcohol. This should really be left for a decade, and will provide a great alternative to standard vintage Port. Robert Parker is a huge fan!"
Hong Kong Fine Wine Team

"The Underhill vineyard was bought in the late eighties, with the intention of the fruit going into the No 2. However the rich clay content in the soil produced fruit that had an identity all of its own, so the Underhill was born. The Underhill Shiraz is a much broader, muscular style of Shiraz than the Dry Red No 2, not dissimilar to Hermitage, with a huge core of black fruit, leather and black pepper notes. With age, the Underhill is perhaps the most individual wine I have tasted with savoury meat and stewed fruit aromas coming to the fore. This has been a favourite with Berrys' customers for many years now."
Hong Kong Fine Wine Team

Shiraz from Aus. is often hot ,fat and huge, where a sniff or sip gives very short term interest and enjoyment. This is completely the opposite! Explosive nose of ripe, cool spicy black/red fruits with a shot of pepper and mustard. Exhilarating!. Beautifully constructed with precise and expressive fruit. Soft and integrated tannins give it a sexy mouthfill and a fabulous minute long finish. A total delight! Drink now but give it 2- 10 years and it will just keep giving.

As usual, Pat Carmody at Craiglee has fashioned a supremely elegant Chardonnay with more than a hint of Burgundian elegnce and restraint. The grapes are barrel-fermented and enjoy significant lees contact, which imparts aromas of cashew nut, with hints of melon and pineapple.

However, the blocking of ther malolactic fermentation means that the wine retains a firm, refreshing acidity and helps it to age gracefully over a number of years. Excellent with rich fish dishes but could also work well with light poultry dishes. 2009 proved a challenging year for winemakers as drought created severe problems. The cool climate sites fared best, particularly Victoria, such as Sunbury, home to Craiglee. The Chardonnay was barrel-fermented but was not allowed to undergo malocatic fermentation.

This helps to preserve the inherent acidity in the wine and maintains freshness and vitality. The bouquet displays notes of exotic fruit such as pineapple and melon, with hints of nuts, too. On the palate extended lees contact imbues the wine with great intensity, richness and a pleasing minerality, and despite its Australian origins there is a real sense of restraint and subtlety, reminiscent of White Burgundy in a ripe vintage. Ready now but will improve for a couple of years of further ageing.
(Katie Cooper, Wince Club Manager)

Warner Vineyard is so-called because it belongs to Rick Kintzbrunner’s business partner, Graham Warner. Fruit from this plot is co-fermented with a tiny percentage of Roussanne to impart a little floral lift to the wine. At 500 metres of altitude this is a decidedly cool location by Australian standards and in style the wine leans more towards Cote Rotie than to the Barossa Valley.

Aromas of black olive, violets, blackberries and black pepper suggest a Northern Rhone origin, and the wine also has the supreme elegance of the finest examples from that prestigious appellation. Rick Kintzbrunner unashamedly admits that he is seeking to make a wine of structure with fine tannins, acidity and subtlety rather than one dominated by sweet fruit.

The Garden Gully plantings are 120 years old, making this some of the oldest vine stock in the state. There is a purity to this wine which makes all the sense in the world considering the age of the vines and the careful handling in vinification. Grapes are hand-picked and 50% of them are added as whole bunches, fermented sur gross lie. Maceration is long at 40 days and maturation takes place over ten months in one and two year old hogsheads. Additives are few with only a small amount of sulphur dioxide added pre-bottling.

Tasting this wine in central London I couldn't help but be transported to the Aussie bush. Principal aromas of eucalyptus and earth mix with more exotic scents of berries and violets. On the palate the flavours and textures begin generously but tighten to a grippy, refreshing finish. Terribly easy to drink now but there is no doubt this wine will be drinking exceptionally until 2022.
Richard Veal - Australian Wine Specialist

A Northern Rhône blend of predominantly Shiraz with a hint of Viognier and an even smaller hint of Marsanne. This is the most seductive and graceful wine in the Yarra Yering range. There is an underlying power to this wine, with the Viognier offering some lift and aromatics to the nose, whilst the core of pure, silky black fruit on the palate is downright sexy! Although this is a joy to drink in its youth, it will certainly benefit from 5 years or so cellaring and will drink superbly for decades.

Giaconda Vineyard was established by Rick Kinzbrunner, a mechanical engineer who became interested in wine in the early 1970s and spent the next 10 years traveling to wine-growing areas overseas learning as much as possible. Rick was the first to establish a vineyard of any consequence in Beechworth when he planted in 1982. Now there is a real buzz for the region while his wines are counted among Australia’s very finest. The wines are hand-crafted and only top quality French oak is employed.

Rick named the winery after the Mona Lisa (“La Giaconda”), and much like their namesake, his wines are enigmatic. The Warner Shiraz offers plum, sour cherry and ripe blueberry alongside a comforting spice that envelops the mouth. But, it manages to balance these with restraint and a honed finish that belies expectations. Delectable.