Hartford Court Three Jacks Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
The Three Jacks Vineyard Chardonnay exhibits aromas of lemon curd, orange marmalade, and brioche, with juicy flavors of pear, candied citrus peel, chamomile, and a rich, mineral-driven texture. The wine is full-bodied, weighty, and rich yet remarkably agile on its feet because of firm underlying acidity.
The 2019 Chardonnay Three Jacks Vineyard, from vines planted in 1995, was barrel fermented and matured in 31% new French oak for 14 months. It's one of the best iterations I've tasted, combining expansive flavor and texture with precise, laser-like acidity. It offers delicate, pure scents of apricot, dried tarragon, white pepper and citrus blossoms with a stony undercurrent. The medium-bodied palate has dynamic energy from its oily texture and shimmery acidity, and it finishes with tense, mineral-driven flavors. It has much more to give as it unfurls in bottle and will be long lived in the cellar.
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 95 Points
Hartl Rotgipfler Gumpoldskirchen Thermenregion DAC is made from 100% Rotgipfler.
The ancient Rotgipfler grape is packed with subtle fruit aromas of ripe peaches, juicy apricot and fresh pineapple. The inviting fruit aromas on the nose are complemented on the palate by orange zest, tangerine, vanilla and white pepper. Salty minerality supports a delicate structure with refined acidity.
The Rotgipfler grape has its name from the young shoots and veins of its leaves, which show a reddish (rot=red) color. It is indigenous to the Thermenregion and has become a rare variety, planted on about 120 ha only.
Acidity: 5.2 g/l
RS: 2.0 g/l
Excellent with intense spice (curry, chili, ginger, lemongrass) which can be found in Asian, Mexican and Italian cuisine.
Also counters its creamy texture with hollandaise and bechamel sauces, white meats, firm fish, poultry, Waldorff Salad or Eggs Benedict. A compliment also for mature cheeses, fig mustard and roasted nuts. Try Baked Camembert with honey, garlic and rosemary with a fresh baguette and salted butter.
Review:
"Pale golden yellow colour with silver reflections. Fresh yellow pears, delicate notes of meadow herbs and mango with fresh zest in the background. Medium body, fine nuances of white stone fruits, some melon, fine acidity, a lively food wine. - Peter MOSER"
- Falstaff (June 24th 2024), 92 pts
Henschke Henry's Seven Red Blend is made from 72% Shiraz, 13% Grenache, 12% Mataro, 3% Viognier.
20th ANNIVERSARY VINTAGE
Deep ruby with violet hues. Lifted raspberry, red currant, mulberry and Satsuma plum, with floral notes of violets, lavender, crushed flowering herbs and anise, pepper and mace spice. A rich and intense palate of well defined, concentrated red fruits; red currant, cut plum and spicy wild berries, give way to crunchy mid palate, firm-edged velvety tannins and excellent length.
Review:
Aromas of black fruit and green tobacco with bark and wet-earth undertones, following through to a medium to full body, creamy tannins and a juicy, savory finish. Intense and balanced.
-James Suckling 95 Points
Hickinbotham Brooks Road Shiraz is made from 100 percent Shiraz.
After the hand-picked Shiraz clusters were delivered from high country (210-230 meters) by Viticulturer Michael Lane, the winemaker destemmed and sorted the whole berries into open fermenters. The cold soak was four days, the skins plunged three times daily, and the minimum time on skins was eighteen days. The wine was then basket pressed; its free run and pressings kept separate. To minimize filtration at bottling, three rack-and-returns were conducted over fifteen months as the wine seasoned in a mixture of Burgundy-coopered barrels.
This Shiraz shows the characters this vineyard has displayed since the start, but perhaps in a more elegant, harmonious and balanced form. Its consistency is comforting and reassuring, buttressed by blue and black fruit notes throughout. It is readily enjoyable but has all the structure, acid and tannin to offer decades of rewards from cellaring.
Review:
A rich, succulent mix of dark chocolate, spiced plum, wild blackberry and black licorice notes. Showcases both power and elegance, with chai, cigar box, violets and dried sage notes, velvety and generous, on the long, generous finish. Drink now through 2035. 1,900 cases made, 370 cases imported
-Wine Spectator 95 Points
Hickinbotham Trueman Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
The 2019 Trueman Cabernet Sauvignon possesses aromas of mulberry, Asian spices, tapenade, espresso beans and rose petals. The flavours evolve on the palate, with notes of bittersweet chocolate framed by vibrant acidity that gives way to a luxurious mid-palate and persistent finish.
Review:
Dark as night, packed with concentrated aromas of menthol, bay leaf, tobacco, cedar, vanilla and cassis, the 2019 Trueman Cabernet Sauvignon is a rich, powerful Cabernet with notable herbal overtones. Full-bodied, ripe and velvety in texture, it finishes with hints of dark chocolate and scorched coffee. Long and structured, with dusty tannins on the finish, it should age well for at least 10–15 years.
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 94 Points
-James Suckling 94 Points
Holocene Apocrypha Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Apocrypha Pinot Noir tends to showcase the blue and black end of the fruit spectrum, along with a brambly, floral, dried sage and thyme profile, higher acid than the Memorialis and more power.
We tend to enjoy this wine with lamb merguez sausage and saffron rice.
Benjamin Romeo Predicador Tinto is made from 96 percent Tempranillo, 2 percent Garnacha, 1 percent Graciano and 1 percent Mazuelo.
Predicador, or “Preacher,” named after Clint Eastwood’s everyman character in the 1985 film Pale Rider, is composed of 96 percent Tempranillo, 2 percent Garnacha, 1 percent Graciano and 1 percent Mazuelo. The grapes are sourced from 15 different plots within San Vicente and Briones in Rioja Alta which on average yield less than 2 kg per vine. The wine is fermented in oak and stainless steel with a two-day cold maceration and aged for sixteen months in new French oak. The wine was filtered but not fined. This vintage some La Cueva del Contador, Contador and La Vina de Andres were added for concentration and balance.
The aromatics open up with crushed red cherries, balsamic notes and the sweet baking spices of cinnamon and clove. The fruity and spicy characteristics found in the nose follow through on the palate, along with dried cranberry, black cherry and elegant fine-grained tannin supporting the tart red fruit and adding to its length and depth.
Review:
The red 2021 Predicador has notes of ripe black fruit and dark spices and is a little earthy, powerful, concentrated and generously oaked but balanced and integrated. A modern, powerful red Rioja produced with Tempranillo and complemented with 3% each Graciano and Mazuelo and 2% Garnacha, it has a juicy palate with plenty of power and abundant, fine-grained tannins. It's ripe without excess at 14.7% alcohol. 90,000 bottles produced. It was bottled after spending 19 months in used French oak barrels.
-Robert Parker 93 Points
Colour ,cherry, purple rim. Aroma ,fruit expression, floral, spicy, red berry notes, black fruit, complex. Flavour ,flavourful, fruity, good acidity, long.
-Guia Penin 93 Points
Yalumba The Steeple Shiraz is made from 100 percent Shiraz.
The nose is immersed in blueberries and plums leading into very inviting red spices, cranberries and pomegranate. Medium to full-bodied, it is generous with plump fruits and dark cherries. Textural, intriguing and velvety smooth.
Review:
This reminds us of the classic Australian reds of the 1950s and 1960s. Very deep and rich, yet so vibrant and youthful, this has fresh-herb and savory complexity alongside the black-fruit aromas. Great muscular tannins on the powerful palate give it wonderful vitality and clarity. Just a touch of eucalyptus. Very long finish with a wonderfully velvety texture. From vines planted in 1919. Excellent aging potential.
-James Suckling 97 Points