New World Wines

The 2019 Family Vineyards Pinot Noir is a stunning wine, that’s all about floral aromatics and focussed energy. It comes from four separate parcels on the estate, and shows incredible balance, purity of fruit, and savoury length. A brilliant Pinot Noir: the best value we know?

The top wine of the estate, the 2019 Oude Nektar comes from a vineyard destroyed by fire in 2009, but that’s now in its sixth vintage following replanting. Profound, intense, and incredibly structured, this is surely one of the Cape’s great Cabernets. Don’t miss it.

From a 19 year old vineyard on the iron-rich soils around Malmesbury, the Iron Syrah has a breadth on the palate that’s not found on the other wines, and is stunningly aromatic. There’s incredible perfume here: this is bloody and almost citrus in character. A stunning Syrah.

The Granite Syrah comes again from the Paardeberg, from 24 year old vines, and is incredibly elegant and floral in style, with real focus. Powdery tannins and incredible length here. This is saline, with linear tannins and remarkable purity.

The country’s benchmark Pinotage delivers again in 2019. Notes of rose petal and a whiff of smoke on the nose, the palate is vibrant and full, with lovely minerality on the finish.

From 11 tiny parcels, the 2018 Pinot Noir is a powdery-tannined example of the grape, with notes of pomegranate and loads of floral elements. Red fruited and long, it’s a really lovely Pinot.

A blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Cabernet Franc, 1% Merlot, with 30% new oak, this is a brilliant Stellenbosch Bordeaux blend. Cornerstone refers to the project whereby Johan supports his workers by buying them houses, and this wine lives up to the project. Long, intense, yet still lifted, it's a lovely wine.

The 2018 Three Pines comes from a higher altitude site, and is a wonderfully elegant, precise, delicious expression of South African Cabernet Sauvignon. Floral, fine, and no-doubt long lived, this is a seriously impressive wine.

The 2018 is a spectacular Vin de Constance. A wine that shows notes of fresh apricot, wild flowers, and just a hint of wild honey, the finish here is somehow savoury, keeping everything in check. There’s notes of white peach and grapefruit zing, and then spice fills the palate, too. It’s an astonishingly complex wine, that is somehow intellectual and delicious at the same time.

The forgotten grape of the Swartland, but one that makes some of the most interested wines from here. This is dark and savoury, but with Marelise’s lightness of touch. Don’t overlook this!

A small parcel of this, the single vineyard Chenin Blanc from the outstanding 2017 vintage, has been made available to us. It was planted in 1971, and this is in such a lovely place right now. Textured, lifted, and incredibly fine-boned, this is a stunning Chenin Blanc.

We were totally blown away by Lucinda’s Cinsaut, when we tasted it for the first time last year. It’s from a 1974-planted vineyard in Darling, on red sandy soils, and she’s making it in a style that’s most reminiscent of top Beaujolais. With 50% Carbonic Maceration, and the rest whole bunch fermentation, this brings out a really floral, elegant side to the Cinsaut grape. It’s a really beautiful red.

There are just 1,800 bottles of the Wellington Old Vines Basson Cinsault, from a plot planted in 1900.

The culmination of the other wines of the estate is the Dry Red, inspired by the South African reds of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. At this time, wines labelled as Cabernet Sauvignon would frequently have a considerable proportion of Cinsault, and this is an equal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Cinsault, with grapes from the aforementioned vineyards included in the blend. In its youth, this is structured and intense, but with bottle age it’s sure to flourish.

Much more savoury and structured than the steepside, this is much more Cornas to Steepside’s Côte-Rôtie. The palate has notes of lavender and other herbs, and there’s also loads of bloody notes. From a vineyard that sees no morning sun, it’s no surprise that it’s so savoury and complex. This will age spectacularly.

2017 was a spectacular vintage in South Africa, and this Cabernet Sauvignon is a brilliant iteration from Kanonkop: possibly the best we’ve tasted from here. This is fine-boned, crunchy, but with perfect ripeness. Don’t miss this.

Made by pinching the tops of the bunches, concentrating the sugars, and acidity, in the grapes, this is a really lovely sweet wine from Alex Starey. Green pineapple, ginger, and a hint of lemongrass create a very refreshing but intensely sweet wine. This is a blend of vintages, hence (for the one and only time) it's a N/V wine.

Linda Vista is the name of the vineyard that sits right out the front of Jill & Steve Matthiasson's home in one of the coolest parts of the Napa Valley. Their style leans into this, making for a refreshing, citrus-driven Chardonnay with subtle creamy notes and nutty elements. There's some more mineral, flinty notes on the finish and lots of refreshing acidity. It's certainly not your typical Napa Chardonnay.

This is multi-vintage, but retains plenty of 2019 character with subtle and balanced flavour and a juciness to the fruit. Full of aromatic plum, blueberry and red cherry, as well as fresh herbal notes. Fresh, well-knit and too easy to drink.

Sandhi are one of the most exciting producers in the central coast of California, crafting beautiful wines with character and sense of place. Exceptional nose of lemon rind, butterscotch and stone fruit. Perfectly balanced palate, flinty minerality, and complex citrus fruits.

The Geyserville vineyard sits in the Alexander valley and is responsible for some of Ridge's most celebrated wines. The wines have elegance and restraint, but an underlying power with black fruit dominating. Lively acidity cuts through the density of the fruit and the complex coffee, cedar and vanilla notes.

Sandhi, the brand created by Sashi Moorman and Raj Parr, is spectacular in 2021. It's made from vineyard fruit of the famed Domaine de la Côte estate, revered worldwide for its brilliant Pinot, as well as the Sanford & Benedict vineyard, another revered name amongst fans of top Pinot. This really excels and is a perfect representation of the Santa Rita Hills and its diverse soils. There's ripe black cherry, gentle baking spice aromas, lavender and earthy notes. There's some herbal freshness providing a refreshing element, cutting through the intensity of flavour on the palate. Silky in texture, this builds to a rich, complex finish.

Piedrassasi is a project from Sashi Moorman, focused on Syrah with cool-climate expression. There’s lots of savoury quality here, tapenade and lavender, with juicy rich purple and blue fruit. There’s a bit less whole bunch than in previous years where it was a distinct hallmark of Moorman’s style here. Now there’s a vibrant, plush nature to the fruit, which balances the well with those herbal, savoury notes.

Linda Vista is the name of the vineyard that Jill & Steve Matthiasson call home. It's in a cooler part of Napa, and this, combined with their approach in the cellar, makes for a refreshing style of Chardonnay with clean, pure citrus and stone fruit and subtle creamy notes. There's plenty of acidity here and flinty mineral notes.

The second wine from Spottswoode Estate in 2019 is composed of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot, 5% Merlot and 4% Malbec. It's got the classic Spottswoode restrained, almost-European style with fragrant rose petals, savoury notes and cedar, wrapped around fresh blue and red berry fruit. This is medium-bodied, elegant and refreshing.

The second wine of Tim Mondavi's Continuum project. This is made entirely from fruit from their Sage Mountain Vineyard. Initially including more of the younger vines, as the vineyard has matured increasingly Novicium uses the fruit that seems more approachable earlier. This has a lot of the same woody herb, wild sage character of its big brother, with silky brambly fruit, cedar and vanilla.

Fresh and charming, with red cherry and blackberry fruit, spice, vanilla and savoury notes on the nose. Silky and opulent on the palate with a juiciness in the mid palate, before finishing more serious and savoury.

Lingua Franca is the project started by Master Sommelier Larry Stone, with the help of winemakers Thomas Savre and Dominique Lafon. The 2019s might be the finest set of wines they've produced yet. The AVNI is an aromatic expression of Pinot, with bright, fresh red fruits and exotic spice, then smoky notes on the finish. There's some richer, fruit cake and cherry drop flavours on the palate and some soft tannins.

A fantastic vintage from this biodynamic estate in Rutherford. It’s full of complex black fruits, floral notes and an earthy mineral element so typical of this sub region.

2018 is one of the best Napa Valley vintages in recent decades. The Cabernets are packed full of concentrated bright fruit and densely packed, fine tannins. At Rudd, the 2018 Oakville Estate has a distinctly classic Cabernet structure that echoes that of modern Bordeaux, with earthy iron notes from their red soils complementing the power of the fruit, bringing balance and harmony. In their own words, the wine has ‘power and levity’.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon made by Diana Snowden Seysses of Domaine Dujac. This is made from fruit sourced from the biodynamically farmed Red Hen Vineyard, owned by Bart and Daphne Araujo in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley. It's elegant in style, with silky tannins and a notable forest floor, earthy complexity around the bright red fruit. There are tobacco and cedar flavours in the background and a breadth across the palate towards the finish.

The benchmark Pinot in their range, this is a brilliant Russian River Pinot. It’s juicy and textured, with a wonderful deep colour, opening with plush red fruit, rosehips and a hint of winter spice. There’s a superb brightness brought about by the fruit and well balanced acidity. The mineral, smoky finish leaves you longing for another sip.

West Ridge is a series of hilltop vineyard blocks, and this is a blend of them all, including a variety of soil types. It's known as the most gentle and delicate of the Hirsch bottlings, with ripe, supple and persistent fruit flavours, with soft tannins.

Block 8 was often referred to as 'grand cru' by the late David Hirsch, who really pioneered planting in this area. It's an incredibly gravelly part of the vineyard (some 70-80% of the soil is rock), and has a high proportion of red iron oxide influence. The wines are distinct for their supple, elegant tannins, explosive, complex fruit aromatics and concentration from the deep root systems here. Typical of Hirsch, it's driven by red fruit aromas and flavours, with a luscious, luxury feel on the palate.

The 2016 Napanook shows the breeding and brilliance of the grand vin in the vintage. Notes of bramble and wilder hedgerow fruit, with plenty of grippy tannins, and a nice thread of minerality. The finish is impressively long: this punches above its weight.

This has developed lots of rich, savoury notes of truffle and cigar, as well as dry exotic spices. There's still plenty of ripe, spicy bramble, blackcurrant and plum. The tannins are smooth and rounded, with enough bite to contribute to the rich, appetising texture. A world-class Cabernet wine.

The pure, savoury, and black-fruited 2022 Cornish Point Pinot is one of the finest iterations of one of Felton Road's benchmark single-vineyard wines in recent memory. There's a black cherry, pomegranate, and plum core with a complement of savoury herbal characteristics. The tannins are abundant but beautifully integrated and the finish is long and sophisticated. A brilliant wine from start to finish.

Kevin Judd was famously the winemaker for Cloudy Bay, and this is his own project. It's named after the local soils, and from the heart of Marlborough, made with his extensive knowledge and even adorned with his own photography. Fruit for the Wild Sauvignon is sourced from top Marlborough vineyard sites and the wine was entirely fermented with spontaneous indigenous yeast. It's a floral Sauvignon with herbal lift and an expansive texture from time in barrel and on the lees. This expressive texture is perfectly balanced with crisp, flinty acidity making for a truly delightful wine.

This is the top wine from household name Villa Maria, founded back in 1961 by Sir George Fistonich. This single vineyard is inland, on a dry river bed, with gravel, iron and silt. There are cool breezes from mountain ranges to the west, and further cooling influence from the nearby Ngaruroro River. It was an early harvest, and the result is full of ripe peach and grapefruit flavours tinged with smoky, flinty notes. The palate is rich and creamy, kept in check by some crisp oyster shell sensation and brisk acidity.

Easily one of the best value Chardonnays of the world. 40% of the wine is barrel fermented in new French oak giving it breadth and richness. The oak flavours however are restrained and in the background while fresh, ripe stone fruit and bright citrus lead on the palate. There's a flinty, mineral edge on the finish, coming from a larger proportion of Ray's Road fruit than usual this year with its limestone soils.

Exceptional wine from the Finn family, Neudorf is undoubtedly one of the most highly rated Chardonnay producers in New Zealand. Concentrated, rich, complex, with a stony, mineral finish. Juicy and forward for drinking now but will cellar for well over a decade.

One of the most celebrated wines in the whole of New Zealand, this is a fantastic vintage of Le Sol with fine-grained tannins, broad, rich fruit and savoury notes. The stony soils here give a beautiful elegant, but structured wine that will age for decades.

One of Australia's most revered wines, this vintage has 5% Viognier co-fermented and has 20% to 35% whole bunch fermentation. There's always an ethereal feel to this wine, almost Pinot Noir like in its structure. The flavours are pure Shiraz though, with licorice, spicy cured meat, black olive and exotic spice.

Full of fresh lemon, lime and grapefruit, with jasmine and kaffir on the nose. Tightly coiled with a seam of zingy acid through the palate. Zesty and saline on the finish.

Bin 28 has all the classic hallmarks of rich black fruit, dark chocolate, black pepper and vanilla on the nose and palate. It's rich and textured with mouth-coating, with broad tannins and creamy coconut flavours. An ideal warming red to drink by itself, but incredibly versatile with savoury, black olive notes developing in the background.

The 2021 Bin 138 is a blend of 50% Grenache, 44% Shiraz and 6% Mataro. It's full, juicy and rich with blackberry, black cherry and raspberry. Then there's more complex peppery, meaty notes and earthy tobacco.

Rockford pick their Semillon in several passes, sometimes taking two of three weeks on each of the vineyard parcels, resulting in a variety of ripeness levels to blend into the final wine. The result is complex, concentrated and rich. This is broad and soft in comparison to Hunter Valley Semillon, perpahs a result of bottling under cork.

Murdoch Hill's Artisan range has been on a roll in recent vintages, and winemaker Michael has reached new heights with this widely celebrated Syrah. A world away from traditional Aussie Shiraz, this is fine-tuned, layered and spicy with ripe plum, violet, and complex savoury, smoked meat and black olive aromas. Velvet in texture with melting tannins.

No block wines were made in 2021 so all the best fruit went into this single vineyard bottling. This really shows why Tom and the Yabby Lake team are so celebrated for Pinot Noir. It’s layered and complex, with long, pure red berry fruit and a refreshing finish.

A fragrant and floral Riesling from the famous high altitude Springvale vineyard. The aromas are intense with white flowers, lavender and bright citrus. The sherbert-like acidity is perfectly balanced with a refreshing long finish.

Racy and lifted style, with plenty of refreshing acidity and fresh citrus alongside some riper stone fruit aromas. This vintage is sourced from Sexton, Tarraford, Applejack, Primavera and Wombat Creek vineyards across the Yarra Valley with 50% from the upper Yarra ranges. They make this Chardonnay in a classic way with limited malolactic fermentation to keep the wines bright and racy.

Shiraz from Leeuwin Estate is the hidden gem of their range, often overlooked in the context of their brilliant Chardonnay and Cabernet. But this is rich, spicy and balanced with black cherry and plum, a hint of cassis and lots of aromatic spice like cardamom and clove. There's rich coffee and black olive complexity too and textbook freshly cracked black pepper.

Arguably one of Australia's finest Cabernet blends, this vintage was especially dry, leading to tiny yields of concentrated berries. This has left the 2020 with a bold tannin structure that will lead this to age beautifully for decades. Within that tannin frame sit layers of dense, velvet dark berry fruit and perfumed violets and plum. Spicy and brooding, remaining elegant and lifted on the finish.

This Grenache is produced by Marco Cirillo from two 100+ year old vineyards from the renowned Barossa Valley. Full of rich fruit and spice, the palate is generous with intense and classically Grenache characteristics. It’s smooth, rounded, and generous with fantastic texture from 12 months maturing in old foudres. A true bargain, this is a wine that can be enjoyed now, or well into the future.

The historic Wirra Wirra winery, first established in 1894, is one of the larger McLaren Vale producers that manage to deliver quality at all price points. This is one of their top reds and is the classic Aussie blend of Shiraz and Cabernet. It's sophisticated and focused, with powerful cassis and softer purple fruit on the nose and palate. There's lots of cedar, nutty notes and vanilla from oak, which adds to the structure of the wine. With a few years in bottle, it's knitting together beautifully, and has the stature to age well for decades.

Ben Glaetzer balances bright freshness with powerful ripe black fruit in this Shiraz and Cabernet blend from the northern end of the Barossa Valley. It has a lovely herbal lift on the nose, with vanilla and chocolate complexity giving richness to this serious generous wine.

A benchmark for Adelaide Hills Chardonnay from legend Brian Croser, the Tapanappa Chardonnay is full of aromas of ripe white peach, pithy grapefruit, lemon and melon. French oak adds complex cinnamon and vanilla. There’s beautiful texture here and the pristine acidity typical of the Tiers Vineyard shines through the ripe fruit character.

Always one of our favourites in the Penfolds release, the St Henri is an elegant, fruit-driven example, with concentrated black berry fruit and lovely spice. The palate is silky with delicate earthy notes and aromatic blueberry tones. There's a warmth here but it's well balanced with enough freshness to carry the depth of flavour.

This is the second incarnation of a collaboration between the Barrys and Ernie Loosen. It's made from vines planted in 1979 in one block of the Lodge Hill vineyard. Fermented in a 3,000 litre German oak foudre, left on the lees for 12 months, and aged for a further year in stainless steel, the Wolta Wolta is pure, textural and energetic. There's a savoury character to the wine, and phenolics that suggest this will be very long lived indeed. The wine finishes rich and long, with lemon blossom, wet stones, and a flinty, ethereal character.

Hunter Valley Semillon is one of the more unique and celebrated wine styles in the world, and many consider Vat 1 from the historic Tyrrell's winery to be the pinnacle. Made from old vines, it's concentrated with lemon barley, pear and grassy flavours when young. But the distinct feature of Hunter Valley Semillon is its ability to age beautifully. With no oak, and bottled under screwcap, it will develop rich, complex, toasty flavours.

"Bright colour, made in the same way as McCutcheon, both reflecting the outstanding vintage. The flavours here are deeper, with more dark berry fruits, heading back to the Estate rather than McCutcheon. That said, the wine has very good length, and carries its foresty bramble overtones." James Halliday, 95 points