Harold Olmo was a believer in Frankland River. He was the viticulturist who, back in 1955, declared that this place was at least the equal of any place in Australia or California when it came to the potential for Bordeaux-beating Cabernet blends. The Smith Cullam family were believers in Olmo. Judi Cullam and Barrie Smith named their ambitious flagship blend after him when they started producing it back in the ‘90s. As the records show, they honoured him with an elegant wine of distinction. And…

It's unanimous: 2021 in Austria was bloody brilliant. There was a cold spring, a cool summer and a late start to picking that eventually kicked off during a constant, dry, sunny early autumn. It then ended gloriously with what the Bründlmayer team called a “golden finale” in late autumn. “The 2021 vintage was for us almost perfect,” says Weinviertel organic ace Ingrid Groiss. “In years like 2021 when we harvest a little bit later, we see that the wines are really expressive and show almost…

We’re really pleased with the way the wines of La Spinetta’s Rivetti family have seen their Australian audience grow in the past couple of years. The Tuscan-grown Vermentino and Sangiovese have always been staples for many, as has the ever-reliable Langhe Nebbiolo. A few other occasional wines have added interest, but there’s little doubt that the increased precision and detail of the cru Nebbiolo wines – the four Barbarescos and two Barolos – has driven a new level of respect and enjoyment.   It's hard…

When we first brought in the wines of Zorah – way back when the Karasì Areni Noir came from the 2012 vintage – I think we were the only people excited. Armenian wine was exotic and novel – but would anyone actually drink the stuff? That question has well and truly been answered with that Karasì becoming a staple for many of our wholesale customers. We’ve always taken a few bottles of the Yeraz, the Areni Noir super-cuvée named for Zorik Gharibian’s wife, and its…

*COMING SOON* "Number 7. Lucky for some, especially if you’re the seventh son or need a break from creating the world but possibly more a beacon for change. "The world has unquestionably changed and so has Nocturne. After six vintages Alana and I have parted ways on our dream wine project and in this edition, I go it alone and without my original favourite vineyard of Tassel Park.  Now, a man after my own heart - with a build and a hairstyle I’m starting to…

I don’t know when it’s too early to reminisce on the origins of a classic. Probably depends how long it takes to qualify as a classic in the first place.Rob and Gen Mann’s Cabernet Sauvignon from their Calgardup Vineyard in Redgate Beach made its debut from the 2018 harvest. That’s recent in anyone’s language. Certainly, recent enough for the first taste to be crystal clear in the memory; as crystal clear as that blackcurrant-accented grape-pure fruit with is tapenade and nori accents, its rippling, fluid…

She was a cruel mistress in many ways, was 2020. The northern Barossa wasn’t spared Mother Nature’s miserliness. “The 2020 vintage offered us so much in quality, but so little in quantity,” says Ben Glaetzer. In fairness, some of the blame falls on the shoulders of 2019 – the driest season on record up in Ebenezer, where Ben’s grapes grow on ancient vines. That situation was exacerbated when frost struck in October, affecting flowering. “Smaller bunches with smaller berries were then offered the reprieve of…

by ED MERRISON Balance is a buzzword in wine, a sacred virtue all aspire to. But few know the meaning of balance like Alecia Moore. A performing artist, songwriter, mother, and winemaker: all of these require delicate and constant balance. The contemplative yin to the fan-crazed yang of stadium rock is a 25-acre vineyard in Santa Barbara County, California. In a sense, with Alecia’s Two Wolves wines - which make their Australian debut this month- a circle is complete, too. It was on these shores…

Back in October 2019, when the world was a very different place, I was getting ready for work one morning and as you do was checking the morning emails on my phone. Just like any other day. For whatever reason one in particular stood out and made it through the morning ‘cull’. Thank God! Beautifully written by someone who’s name wasn’t immediately familiar to me, it had been sent to both myself and Virginia - which in itself was unusual in the best possible way.…

  [caption id="attachment_18513" align="aligncenter" width="8022"] Photo credit: Krisoffer Paulsen[/caption] Apparently this place is “best known for wonderfully intense Pinot Noirs and ultra-complex Chardonnays under several individual vineyard labels, plus equally mesmerising Viognier and Shiraz, the Viognier arguably Australia’s best.” That’s according to the blurb confirming the Farr family's position as the number-one estate in this year’s Real Review Top Wineries of Australia rankings. Say what you will - and people do - about these lists, but it isn't just coincidence that just one year ago…

“Wait till you taste the 2020s - they will definitely knock your socks off!” Monique Lubiana told us at the tail end of last year. “A good vintage in Tasmania,” was how Gary Walsh prefaced his write-up of Monique and Steve’s Estate Chardonnay. Here we have the single-plot Pinot Noir wines. We have some sort of precedent, since 2020 Sasso – a blend of these three special parcels – sold out in a flash in March. “Any way you come at this you see quality,”…

Make no mistake: This is a landmark. And just for a moment take in that land on which the Chalmers family is making its mark! Drink in that colour, that warmth, that space! It’s undoubtedly Australia. Inland Australia, with its own rhythm, its warm, red dirt and blazing sun. It is a place where grapes – millions of tonnes of them – have grown. But till now, none have grown like these. It has taken a lifetime of journeying, enquiring, importing, planting, propagating, trialling, observing…

Grenache has an ability to bear the hardship of a changing Australian climate. Seeing how it handles each season leads me to wonder why Grenache is compared to other varieties, and why isn't it the other way round? We've often heard the expression 'warm-climate Pinot Noir' used to describe Grenache and used 'pinot-like' in previous tasting notes. Perhaps it's Grenache's medium-bodied nature or the tendency for some winemakers to disguise the variety's abundance of tannin. Either way, I can no longer agree with the comparison.…

Huge congratulations to Eva Clüsserath! She's just become the latest CellarHand portfolio member to be crowned Winemaker of the Year. The accolade is further confirmation that this humble estate in the Mosel Valley is a force to be reckoned with on the global Riesling scene. Eva, who is married to Rheinhessen winemaker Philipp Wittmann, juggles the running of her estate with bringing up their two children among the goings-on at the stellar Wittmann winery. She is, in short, a superwoman. It’s great to have a…

Vintage 2019 in Malterdingen was characterised by warm summer days, for us optimally dosed rainfall and very cool nights during harvest, so that the grapes ripened perfectly and the wine fully expressed its essence. Due to little rainfall in winter and spring, the vegetative development was delayed at the beginning of 2019. In mid-June, flowering was very even across the various vineyards amid good weather with cool nights. Later on, the vegetation in the foothills of the Black Forest benefitted from well-distributed precipitation during midsummer.…