A vineyard, that once you lay your eyes on it, so clearly contains all the hallmarks of a great site. Anywhere in the world. A natural amphitheatre with undulations to hang a tapestry of varied Shiraz clonal material. Natural blocks make themselves known, both in a physical sense and then in the vinous form where each shows its own unique character. Bright, aromatic, purple, pulpy and mineral all at the same time. An iron-rich soil with outcrops of various stoney material – granite, quartz, ironstone. This farm was born to be a vineyard. Dalwhinnie has natural advantages most could only dream of.
Vintage 2020 was Julian Langworthy’s first go-to-whoa season with this incredible resource, and from it he has selected The Eagle and The Pinnacle blocks as those that stood out head and shoulders from the others. The Eagle has a string of long, fine tannins that form a frame for the density underneath, whilst The Pinnacle shows a bit more softness and sunshine. Both, though, carry that minerality that this site is famous for and that you see in the “Moonambel” Shiraz of the same vintage.
We are extremely proud at CellarHand to be able to offer to you the first chapter in Dalwhinnie’s undeniably bright future and we invite you to come along on the journey with us. – Sam Hooper, CellarHand
The Wines
2020 Dalwhinnie The Pinnacle Shiraz RRP $102 **12 bottle limit
Fabulous wine. Powerful, complex and long. Pure plum into meaty spice into forest berries into fragrant herbs. You can taste the fruit, the soil and the wood, but it all presents as one. And then there’s the finish. What a finish. Structured, textural, flavoursome and long. This wine is the complete package. 97 points. Campbell Mattinson, Halliday Wine Companion 2023
The 2020 The Pinnacle Shiraz is succulent, luscious, and mineral. The wine exudes volume and padded fruit weight, without the tailing density and weight that this style can often possess. Planted to the BV12 clone (from Barossa), the Pinnacle block is impressive, as is this wine, which is defined, spicy and superb. This is a great release of this wine; it’s ripe but absolutely in check. 96 points. Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate 2024
2020 Dalwhinnie ‘The Eagle’ Shiraz RRP $185 **12 bottle limit
Spicy and pert, this 2020 The Eagle Shiraz incorporates a small component of whole bunch (about 15%), and this elevates the spice component untold. It is a great inclusion, along with the subtle lacing of orange peel, white pepper, blood orange, cinnamon, and blueberry. It’s eminently classy, refined and electric, in its way. The wine speaks eloquently of its place in the Victorian hills, but it also expounds fragrance, finesse and energy. It’s a super wine. You can drink this now, but it borders on frisky. I love it as is, but the wine will only gain in stature, complexity and nuance as it ages. Five years from release might be a good rule of thumb, but you go your own way. A good wine is good at every age. 97 points. Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate 2024
This shows notes of ripe but crunchy dark and blue fruit with peppery spiciness and hints of sandalwood and ash in the background. Wide and encompassing on the palate with medium to full body and fine, velvety tannin structure. Deep and layered fruit character with a steely, mineral freshness and with crushed stones and bitter spices to close. 95 points. Ned Goodwin MW, JamesSuckling.com 2023
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2021 Dalwhinnie Moonambel Chardonnay RRP $70
Raciness and flavour, combined with aplomb. Citrus, pear, slate and flint characters launch from the outset, candied fruit and cedar notes emerging as it travels through the mouth. There’s nothing lacking about this wine, and yet it seems zippy and refreshing; it will build flesh as it matures and be better again for it. 94 points. Campbell Mattinson, Halliday Wine Companion 2023
The 2021 Chardonnay is subtly yet distinctly different from the 2020, which was the last vintage reviewed. Here, the wine leads with white spring flowers, apple blossom, crushed cashews and very fine, lacy minerals on the nose. In the mouth, the wine is soft, fresh and balanced; the flavors blanket the tongue in an airy kind of way. It’s a lovely wine, showing the impact of further development in the vineyard (better canopy management, providing less exposed fruit) and the winemaking style. 93 points. Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate 2024
2020 Dalwhinnie Moonambel Cabernet Sauvignon RRP $75
It’s easy enough to list the flavours: spearmint, boysenberry, dark chocolate and pure blackcurrant, but it’s the arrangement and more so the flamboyant flourish of them that really impresses. This is Dalwhinnie in dynamic good form. Integrated tannin ripples through the back half of the wine, as do sweet woodsmoke characters, and the finish is full of running and then some. 96 points. Campbell Mattinson, Halliday Wine Companion 2023
2020 Dalwhinnie Moonambel Shiraz RRP $75
The 2020 Moonambel Shiraz is plush and floral, with saturated layers of red berries and sweet fruit, Earl Grey tea, flowers and sweet bone marrow. It’s expansive and beautiful. I challenge anyone who loves Shiraz/Syrah to not love this wine. It has power without being heavy, delicacy without being light, and there’s a softness of fruit and juiciness of structure. It’s ductile, pliable, agile and good. It was bottled with roughly 14% alcohol (as written on the hand-labelled sample) and sealed under screw cap. I feel that the screw-cap closure will mitigate the effects of the warmer season, as this closure is a brilliant preserver of fresh fruit character. 96 points. Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate 2024
Pyrenees Shiraz matured in all-French oak. It’s by no means a massive wine but it feels voluminous thanks to the spread of flavour and the way it expands through the palate. This is a very good wine. Satsuma plum, soy, sweet spice and jellied cherry notes blend with star anise, cedar and woodsmoke. It’s lively, exotic, generous and sophisticated; it’s many things. 95 points. Campbell Mattinson, Halliday Wine Companion 2023