Some tempered classic Semillon notes of fleshy white fruit, coupled with floral hints on the nose. That lovely white fruit again on the palate, crisp acidity from the 14% Sauvignon Blanc content, keeps everything in check, taut and mineral. A bit more richness then comes through on the finish, ripe yellow plums and the tell-tale Semillon hint of boiled sweets. Good depth and breadth and nice length.
Chris Pollington, Private Account Manager

Exclusive to Berry Bros. & Rudd, this is Larry’s take on a traditional Alsatian Field Blend (Pinot Grigio, Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Gris and Riesling), mixing the grapes together at picking and co-fermenting so the proportions of the varieties remain unknown. The nose is highly perfumed with pronounced aromas of rose petals. The palate has delicate peachy fruit but is broad textured and weighty with a long, spicy finish. Drink now to 2017. Match with Vietnamese summer rolls, Pad Thai, roasted vegetable tart.

Circe is a boutique label producing wines from deep red volcanic basalt soils in the cool climate Mornington Peninsula
2014 was a small but impressive vintage. The nose offers ripe pink grapefruit, peaches and smoked almonds. With 25% of this wine maturing in new French oak the palate is luxuriously textured with butter and honey bolstering its refreshing and mineral core. A persistent and indulgent finish.
Katherine Dart MW, Wine Buyer 

Elderton’s Ashmead block has consistently produced small parcels of excellent quality fruit. The palate is well balanced with a generous serving of black olives and shavings of rich dark chocolate. There is also an abundance of concentrated forest fruits and sweet spice. With 22 months in new French oak puncheons the tannins are well-structured yet supple, producing a wine that is drinking well now, but equally one that will blossom in the next three decades. 
Katherine Dart MW, Wine Buyer

Brighter, fresher and more restrained than I remember previous releases: this has real freshness on the nose with bright citrus fruit and subtle complexity, with hints of freshly crushed almond. Cool, glossy and textured on the palate, underpinned by tangy citrus acidity; this is balanced, racy and fresh, closer to the style of Yattarna in previous releases, but with a softer, more generous mouth-feel. The wine is fermented in 80 percent new French oak, but this is so well-integrated you wouldn’t know. It would be fun to taste blind.
Adrian Brice, Fine Wine Buyer

The 2014 is a very true representation of St Henri which is, for me, the absolute sweet spot within the Penfolds Icon range. The large oak vats used impose almost no oak-derived character at all. The nose is lifted, generous and graceful with lots of redcurrant and cherry. It is deliciously silky, with ripe, fine tannins and freshening acidity. Certainly no shrinking violet, there is plenty of fleshy fruit here, but this is refined and classy. The word “pure” appears in my tasting note again and again. Notes of eucalypt, star anise and bacon fat linger across the long finish. Drink 2020-2045+.
Martyn Rolph, Private Account Manager

Scented and fragrant, there is a definite suggestion of the Rhône here. Much more elegant than a Barossa blockbuster, this has deep, red and black berry fruit with a savoury touch and a hint of smoked meat. The tannins are present but smooth and the wine has lovely freshness. Herbal notes of the garrigue (or the scented Aussie bush) come through on the fine, long, complex finish.
Katherine Dart MW, Wine Buyer

This is unabashed and unashamedly Barossa Shiraz. That’s not to say this isn’t elegant and refined – it certainly is. The fruit on the front of the palate is super supple and velvet-soft. It is also complex, taut, linear and refreshing – all in all a very uncommon, classy style. There is much behind the initial fruit which offers immediate pleasure. The wine is broad-shouldered overall, but with very fine tannins. In short, this is as impressive a wine as I have tasted at this level. Very proper. Drink now to 2028.
Gary Owen, Fine Wine team

This wine comes from Johnno’s vineyard, which sits just below the winery and was planted in 1908. 100 + year old Semillon vines, basket pressed. Made in a style reminiscent of the Hunter semillons of yesteryear. The result is a more textural style of Semillon, a contrast to the dry, minerality of the Vat 1. The nose has a lovely florality with hints of Orange blossom, Honeysuckle and Lemon Grass. The palate has a rich intensity of citrus (Grapefruit, Mandarin orange) fruit allied with a piercing acidity and hint of chalkiness that creates a great finish and snap at the back palate enticing one back for more. Drink now – 2025+.
Stuart Rae, Private Account Manager

The 2014 is stunning, an very interesting, Riesling-esque nose, with similarities to great Chenin Blanc. Wonderful texture on the palate, rich, full-bodied , rounded and crisp. This is of course still very young, but gives great pleasure even now. Probably the best Hunter Valley Semillon I have ever tasted.
Chris Pollington, Private Account Manager

A pioneer of the Hunter Valley – Tyrrell’s wines, a by-word for the highest quality and age worthy Semillon.  Today Tyrrell’s still sets the benchmark for this region, producing not just Semillons, but Chardonnays and Shirazes that are amongst the best if not the finest in the Hunter when their vineyards and the vintage align.  Focus at Tyrrell’s has returned to producing middle range to premium wines and the increased emphasis on quality is evident in their recent releases.  

Vanya Cullen’s low-cropping, 28-hectare, dry-grown estate is a riot of colour and biodiversity. She is convinced that biodynamic principles have shaped the quality, character and consistency of the fruit. Her devotion to “quality, integrity and sustainability” in both the vineyards and winery has resulted in something extraordinary and special.

This is a masterclass on Margaret River Cabernet. As always, it’s elegant on the nose with cassis, mocha, espresso bean and finely sharpened pencil. Medium-bodied, the palate presents small-berried fruit with a clean acid structure, balanced by fine graphite tannins. The finish is mesmerizingly long, concentrated and yet lifted on the palate. This is pulsating with life. Drink to 2025.