I was thoroughly impressed with the wines I tasted with proprietor Giorgio Rivetti on my last trip to La Spinetta. Longer macerations and a reduction in oak influence are giving the Barbarescos a bit more fruit purity and energy than they had in the past, which is terrific news. The 2016s are, in my view, the best wines Rivetti has made here.  Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media THE WINES WHITE 2019 La Spinetta Vermentino RRP $43 100% Vermentino grown on soils of clay and sand on…

“A couple of days ago we tasted through the range at Vajra, and what a great morning it was. Even for the slightly jaded, big smiles and excitement.” Gary Walsh, The Wine Front We made no secret of our rapture at gaining a chance to work with the Vaira family as importer of their fantastic wines into Australia. Since our first shipment almost two years ago, both Giuseppe Vaira and winemaker Eugene Qiao have made it over to these shores more than once, revelling in…

Last year’s label change freshened up the face of Chalmers to reflect the bright personality and vibrancy of the family, their wines and their approach to grape-growing. The first two of these new-look wines to roll vintage are the Vermentino and Rosato, both skipping gaily onto 2019 at the same time. As climate-change awareness grows and curiosity draws more and more people towards these lesser-known varieties, Chalmers becomes as important a name on the wine scene as it has long been in the real of…

A striking wine that has such intensity, length and complexity, yet somehow manages to deliver a very elegant, pure and focused style… Impressive in every respect.” Nick Stock on ‘18 Kellerberg Riesling RIESLING 2016 F.X. Pichler Riesling Burgstall Federspiel RRP $64 The single vineyard Burgstall stretches on a high plateau featuring pure gneiss and granite soils with blown-in sands on top. The name comes from a small fortification built in the Middle Ages to defend the farm animals against raiders. It was mentioned in the…

The glass was great to use – more silk pyjamas than business suit. Wine in the Jancis Robinson glass tasted as good or better than the range of wines tasted in alternative glasses, although my judgement may have been influenced by the glasses’ lightness and almost sensual delicacy. Huon Hooke We had a fantastic time with Jancis Robinson when she came out to Australia last November to launch her glassware in Sydney and Melbourne. So good was it, in fact that the whole lot got…

So, this bastard Coronavirus also got Eurovision cancelled. While a fashion faux pas parade and its silly songs are one of the less lamentable losses from this, there will be people out there who want to get their stay-at-home fix of European exoticism. Enter the CellarHand import quaffer offer. This is a list of super-value wines from family-owned estates across France, Germany and Austria that are great to drink and offer a clear sense of place – all under RRP $33, and every single one…

Ben Glaetzer loved it from the word go. As was the case with ’16 – another harvest whose class wasn’t trumpeted across Australia but which had Ben smiling like a Cheshire cat from the moment it came of the vine – 2018 felt good, looked super in the cellar and was delightful from the first sip out of the bottle. The growing season started well with above-average winter rainfall but was followed by well below-average spring and summer rainfall, coupled with warm temperatures. Fortunately the…

I suppose it’s just the way with old farms. On the face of it, a calm timelessness. Behind that, industriousness and constant renewal through breeding seasons and growth cycles. So it goes with Yeringberg. After more than 150 years, the past and present blend comfortably together. Fourth generation Sandra and David de Pury are working to maintain the land and the environment: planting trees, deterring weeds and pests, protecting the soil to grow grass for healthy lambs and calves.And tending the vines to bring forth…

It’s precisely two years since we began working with the Labruyère family to bring you these refined burgundies from some of the most exalted parcels on the Côtes d’Or. Once again winemaker Nadine Gublin and the team have shown their sensitivity in translating the land and the vintage conditions in a very special range of wines. The exceptional mildness and sunshine of March and the first fortnight of April led to rapid development of the vines. The drop in temperatures at the end of April…

Intense and tensile wines are the calling card here, pure and unadorned by style and consistently high in quality. Indeed, I sometimes think that Louis Michel is the most underrated of Chablis's great domaines. Certainly, prices remain very reasonable. As usual, certain cuvées stand out... but the overall standard, even for the lower appellations, is regular and high. They come warmly recommended. William Kelley. Wine Advocate THE WINES  2018 Louis Michel Petit Chablis RRP $46 screw cap Portlandian soils on the right bank plateaux. Very…

Will Byron of Onannon came to visit us in January, with a raft of new and future vintages. Exciting times, with a range on song and so much personality in the pipeline. Will, Kaspar Hermann and Sam Middleton have hit a sublime groove with this venture. “Such a genuine, honest ease to the wines,” was CellarHand purchasing manager Michael Jappy’s apt summary after the tasting. Rarely is he so articulate. The two newsiest new things are the exceptionally clean and classy new label on the…

Welcome to the CellarHand newsletter for March. Let's start with the sparkling, shall we? There's Champagne aplenty this month, most excitingly with the hotly anticipated release of Jacquesson's Cuvée No. 742. Every release of the Chiquets' exquisite fizz is a major event, and this one based on 2014 is sure to set your life alight. There's other great Champagne out, too, from young Pierry hotshot Jean-Marc Sélèque, as well as a new set of Verzenay grand cru wines from the Labruyère family. And, closer to…

They’ve spent that many good times together with the Riesling flowing, it was perhaps only a matter of time before they started inter-breeding. But jokes aside, this is a serious collaboration bringing together two tireless, fearless pioneers. These estates have been pushing boundaries and flying the Riesling flag for decades. It’s a great pleasure to introduce their new wines to the world. The friendship between Erni Loosen of the Dr. Loosen Estate in Germany and Peter Barry of Jim Barry Wines in Australia’s Clare Valley…

Julian and Alana Langworthy appear entirely at home in the pages of the glossies, and are no stranger to the headlines. In the space of four vintages, their Nocturne single-vineyard releases have been one of the most hotly anticipated events on the domestic calendar. Now it's the turn of the '18s, and Julian reckons this is as good a Cabernet vintage as he's witnessed in Margaret River. That's saying somehing. Nocturne's news is the major domestic launch for February, but there's plenty of other goings-on.…

Massive congratulations to Jason Flowerday of TWR, who’s just been named NZ Viticulturist of the Year by Gourmet Traveller WINE. This is fitting recognition for an estate that – while tending some of Marlborough’s oldest vines – has recast this region in a fresh, nature-blessed light. The organic-certified, biodynamic farming undertaken by husband-and-wife team Jason and Anna Flowerday yields wines with pristine purity and transparent terroir expression. They’re layered, textured, engaging and delicious to drink. We’re delighted to see the Flowerdays recognised in this manner -…