2005 Australia

"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

"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

Our initial tasting note contains the word ‘incredible’ four times – normally that might be seen as overdoing it, but it probably does stack up in the case of this wine. 97% Shiraz and 3% Viognier taken from vines between 120 and 160 years old, the stage is set for a very special experience. Often favourably tasted alongside great Rhône wines, specifically the more serious single-vineyard Côte-Rôties, this has a very exotic nose with layer upon layer of nuance, and an enormous (but not overdone) mouthfeel.

I am seduced by this benchmark example of dry Australian Semillon. Quality such as this is very hard to find in the UK so here you will imbibe a real treasure for your senses. The nose has aromas of white candlewax with cascades of orange blossom. Over time this will develop even more as witnessed in the 2003 vintage.

The palate is unctuous whilst still being refreshing and certainly mouth-filling, with a tiny hint of butter. Terrific structure and balance. Perfect either for chicken dishes in rich sauces such as mushroom, or to contrast with highly aromatic and spicy flavoured salads.
Rebecca Lamont, Head of Wine School, February 2013

No one else makes dry Semillon like they do in the Hunter Valley. With the advantage of some of the world’s oldest vines and a unique climate (warm but cloudy) which allows the grapes to reach full flavour ripeness at only 11-12% potential alcohol, these wines are austere and closed in their youth, yet over the course of 1-2 decades they develop astonishingly. Complex flavours of toast and butter belie the wines’ 100% stainless steel fermentation and ageing, and nowhere is the ‘waxy’ and ‘lanolin’ character of the Semillon grape more obviously evidenced. A truly world-class and unique wine style.

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.

This wine bears the name of one of the region’s pioneering winemakers who championed single varietal table wines with quality and flavour always at the top of his agenda. It has a nose that gives the drinker a real sense of place; eucalyptus, ripe black fruit and a creamy savouriness in tandem with a saline character which keeps it fresh and appealing. The palate is spicy but tannins are ripe and rounded, there is a lovely mouth feel and the finish is long and lingering, brimming with finesse.
Nick Stewart, BBR Buying Department

Classic South Australian Cabernet notes of Eucalypt and Capsicum, with lovely mint notes too. Bin 707 continues to reinforce its reputation as the international benchmark for Australian Cabernet Sauvignon. Made from a multi-district blend, the Bin 707 style has intense varietal definition combined with new American oak to produce wines of great richness, power and for me some added structure to the 2005. A massive wine that will need some time to show its best. It will be very interesting to compare this to the very different style of Yarra Yering's 2005 No.1, and perhaps some 2005 Bordeaux!

"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

This wine too is 100% Shiraz and it is the undoubted show-stopper of the range. A more expressive wine would be hard to find from anywhere in the globe: The Factor exhibits a massive body of fruit (cherries, blueberries, everything) that is held together by a firm but seamlessly integrated tannic structure. The finish lasts for almost a full minute and is intense from beginning to end. This wine simply has to give the more famous Australian super-wines a serious run for their money.
(Mark Ross, Fine Wine Commercial Manager)