Eventful times here at CellarHand, with a masterful mentor and his prodigious protégé coming out with high-profile releases. The former is Stephen Pannell, the McLaren Vale maestro who’s tapping into his obsession with Italian varieties this month with the release of his eighth Nebbiolo from the Adelaide Hills, with vintage 2016 producing perhaps the finest Aussie edition of this grape to date. This is joined by the 2017 S.C. Pannell Barbera and the ’18 Nero Diavola, a cheeky spin on the hot-topic native name for this en vogue variety. And then there’s Gen and Rob Mann – the latter Pannell’s successor as Hardys red-wine head honcho before being poached by LVMH to become the pin-up boy for Margaret River Cabernet at Cape Mentelle. Well, now it’s Corymbia’s turn to make headlines with a dazzlingly pure expression of that grape/region combo.
Elsewhere, Chalmers has been in the news with climate change-proof wines, Balnaves has a host of vintage rolls, we’ve put together a wrap of delicious Cabernet Franc wines and Heartland’s head-turning Dolcetto/Lagrein blend has deservedly got itself noticed. And beyond Aussie borders, Central Otago producers Charteris and Burn Cottage have both been kicking goals.
On the French front we have new-disgorgement versions of the Solessence wines from star Champagne grower JmSélèque, some lovely write-ups on delicious Meursault from Latour-Giraud and Matrot, and the excellent Morgon Côte du Py from Dominique Piron of Beaujolais. And then, from Germany, a reminder of the blindingly good Riesling of Heymann-Löwenstein and Pinot Noir from Bernhard Huber. And dipping into Italy, we bring you some everyday options from Piedmontese producers La Spinetta, Cigliuti and G.D. Vajra as picked by Antonio Galloni of Vinous Media.
Last but not least, some massive news a little outside the prevailing liquid theme: CellarHand is now the Australian importer of the Jancis Robinson Collection, which features the ultimate wine glass from the ultimate wine-lover, alongside a stemless sibling and a pair of fantastic decanters.
Read the whole story here.