Wine Production: 100% whole bunches undergo a natural yeast fermentation. The wine is then left on lees for a year, with just one handling into the blending tank before bottling. A small amount of Sulphur is added at this point. Wines are bottled without fining or filtration.
Tasting Notes: Spicy and stalky, it has the customary black and red berry notes of Cabernet with a perfumed freshness and medium body. Fine-grained tannins are tempered by the influence of some carbonic maceration in the ferment.
“Cabernet from a north-facing slope on Hans and Anna Orth's vineyard in Coldstream. 100% whole bunches, matured in hogsheads (10% new). A bit darker and denser than last year's wine but equally elegant and perfumed with its scents of blackcurrant, cherry, blackberry leaf and violets. Medium bodied with balanced, mouthcoating yet fine tannins. A lovely wine, more reminiscent of great cabernet franc than sauvignon.”
- James Halliday 96 Points
“Superbly delineated aromas of dried sage, cassis, bay leaves, green beans and mossy forest scents. 100% whole bunch without an ounce of edginess or astringency. This is gorgeous, medium-bodied, perfumed and succulent. There’s a gentle raft of tannins rather than a chunky heaviness. Not dissimilar to the levity and élan of top Loire cabernet franc. Delicious.”
-James Suckling 95 Points
Thomas Sancerre Rose is made from 100% Pinot Noir.
Vines are 20-55 years old.
Terroir (soil type) is a blend of "Caillottes" and "Terre Blanche".
Everything is machine harvested (which means it is 100% destemmed).
50% Direct press + 50% Saignée (bled) with 12-24 hours of skin contact maceration.
The alcoholic fermentation is done in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks.
Right before bottling, the wine is fined with Bentonite (very light filtration with oenologic clay).
Tasting Notes:
Light, bright pink. Redcurrant, strawberry and chalk on the nose, with a touch of singed orange gaining strength with air. Dusty red fruit and citrus flavors are braced by tangy minerality, which adds lift and cut. Uncompromising in the best way, finishing with excellent clarity and echoes of lemon and orange zest.
Food pairings:
This is a very versatile wine. You can have it on its own in the summer time as an apéritif. But it is also excellent with Hors d'Oeuvres and terrines. It will compliment any white meat dish and poultry. You can also enjoy it with salmon or exotic food (slightly spicy sushi).
Mollydooker Carnival of Love Shiraz is made from 100 percent Shiraz.
WHAT IS THE CARNIVAL OF LOVE?
This is as life should be – a Carnival of Love. A place where everyone wants to be, and no one wants to leave.
TASTING NOTES:
The 2022 Carnival of Love Shiraz is a vibrant and expressive wine. It starts with raspberry and cherry scents, with a touch of aniseed spice. The taste is filled with rich red fruit, hints of coffee, coconut, and deeper plum flavors. Chocolate and spice add extra dimensions to this McLaren Vale Shiraz, making it a delightful wine to celebrate.
TECHNICAL NOTES:
The grapes were grown on the Gateway vineyard in McLaren Vale. Barrel fermented and matured in 100% American oak, using 100% new barrels. The required Marquis Fruit Weight™ for the Love Series is 85% – 95%. The Actual Fruit Weight for 2021 Carnival of Love 88%.
Alcohol: 16.5%
pH: 3.66
Reviews:
Year after year the ‘Carnival of Love’ is one of the astonishingly good Shiraz bottlings for the price out of South Australia, as this wine has not seen a serious price increase in more than a decade (still under 100 bucks USD). This 2022 edition was stored in all new American oak and weights in at 16.5% alcohol but the freshness backing everything up makes this everything but boozy. The weight and pillowy texture really drives this wine as it effortlessly glides throughout the drinking experience. Opulent dark and blue fruits meld effortlessly with dark chocolate shavings, graphite, scorched earth and shades of sweet pipe tobacco on the palate. This is a joy to drink.
- Owen Bargreen 97 Points
Mollydooker Enchanted Path Shiraz - Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 71% Shiraz (the same juice that goes into Carnival of Love) and 29% Cabernet Sauvignon.
TASTING NOTES: This wine is both strong and inviting, showcasing rich flavours harmoniously balanced by delicate tannins, resulting in a wine that is both deep and refined. There is an abundance of dark fruit flavours such as plum jam and mocha, alongside the vibrant notes of cherry and strawberry, creating a dynamic flavour profile. The Cabernet characteristics seamlessly complement the bold Shiraz qualities, crafting an intriguing and captivating blend. TECHNICAL NOTES: The grapes were grown on the Gateway and Rivers Lane vineyards in McLaren Vale. Barrel fermented and matured in 94% American and 6% French oak, using 85% new and 15% one year old barrels. The required Marquis Fruit Weight™ for the Love Series is 85% – 95%. The Actual Fruit Weight for 2022 Enchanted Path is 86%.
Review:
The sensational 2022 ‘Enchanted Path’ is a gorgeous blend of 70% Shiraz with the remainder Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose is gorgeous with fresh sage alongside espresso bean, blueberry compote and shades of black licorice. The palate is powerful and intense with a refined texture. Gorgeous now, watch this evolve over the next twelve to fifteen years to come.
- Owen Bargreen 95 Points
Montes Alpha M 2019 is made from 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot.
Montes Alpha M is the result of an extremely limited production and a rigorous selection of the grapes, one by one, led by Aurelio Montes. Coming from the Colchagua Valley, it is one of the best and most awarded wines of Chile. The vineyards that give rise to Montes Alpha M are located in the Apalta zone of the Colchagua Valley. The soils are of granitic origin and are shallow in the upper, mountainous sectors. They vary in the clay content, depth, amount of organic matter, and especially the types of rocks and stones they are made up of. The soils origin can also range from fluvial to glacial, which shows the great diversity of soils in our vineyards. Some zones are influenced by the Tinguiririca River and others by mudslides and the detachment of material from high above in the mountain chain that delimits the valley.
Review:
Deep nose, but really fresh at the same time. Currants, blackberries and chili-pepper chocolate with cedary and meaty undertones. This is really juicy, with a tight, tensely framed palate, underscored by lots of creamy, dusty tannins. A lengthy, refined and elegant expression of cabernet sauvignon, but a strong statement from Colchagua. Drink or hold.
-James Suckling 97 Points
SALE!
Morambro Creek Padthaway Shiraz is made from 100 percent Shiraz.
Deep inky black & purple in colour. The nose is perfumed with violet, blackberry, vanilla and spice with a touch of earth and liquorice over white pepper in the background. Expansive palate, smooth lush ripe back fruits nicely balanced oak, plenty of concentration with a long finish.
IMPORTER SALE!
Winemaking at Morambro Creek is very traditional and labor intensive.
Oak maturation takes place using 35% new barrels both French and American. This blend was put together using select barrels from our family estate that best demonstrate the intensity of our fruit balanced by integrated oak.
excellent with barbecued pork, beef, venisson as well as grilled vegetables.
Alchohol is 14.5%
Obsidian Vineyard Syrah is bathed in terroir. The vines experience severe stress, pushing the roots ever deeper through rock in search of water, producing miniature clusters of intense power. Given the wine’s natural propensity for tannin, we take extreme care in the cellar to chisel/whittle its rough edges and leave room for richness to flatter its distinctive scaffold. The mid-palate supports flavors of roasted coffee beans, sarsaparilla, and dark chocolate. The finish marches on long after most wines have tired.
Our estate vineyard — the six-acre Obsidian Vineyard in the Knights Valley AVA — has an incredibly complex soil structure. It takes its name from a layer of volcanic obsidian rock that was discovered when we drilled for water.
Chocolate ganache, black currants, fig, graphite, and an expansive mouthfeel.
Review:
"Joe Donelan believes his Obsidian Vineyard is one of the world’s greatest sites for Syrah. I’ve visited the site twice, and can say candidly it certainly sits among the most striking vineyards I've ever laid eyes on within the U.S. It sits like a rock on a promontory—two switchbacks to reach the top—and the stones under the top soil, quite literally, never stop emerging from the ground. The place has an ancient, almost sacred, temple-like feel. It is consistently swept by afternoon breezes. The vineyard was replanted in 2017 after fires ravaged it. Winemaker David Milner laid out the site at denser spacing than before, at 2,000 vines per acre to keep yields per vine low while still achieving sensible tonnage, averaging around three tonnes per acre. Viognier was planted for co-fermentations, alongside some Cabernet Sauvignon, for a single vineyard bottling of that grape. ‘God put on his viticultural hat when he designed this site,’ says Milner. The vineyard is planted with ENTA 174, 877, and Alban 1 clones, along with Donelan Heritage selections certified virus-free. The wine, the 2023 vintage release (the first from the new vines), was aged for 21 months in 36% new oak and co-fermented with 1.8% Viognier, using 32% whole clusters. And it is positively gorgeous: composed of nine different blocks, each fermented separately, then assembled through sequential blending, with no racking until bottling. From just five-year-old vines, this wine is utterly extraordinary—something oddly achievable from young vines on rare occasion. I tasted this wine from the same bottle over three days. While the high-toned espresso-bean and cedar accents are present at first pull of the cork, they mellow out a day later, and the fruit profile is so vibrant. This is the sign of an excellent wine. I first tasted wines from the Donelan’s Obsidian Vineyard years ago at Tasting Panel Magazine in the late, great Anthony Dias Blue’s office. Cushing Donelan showed the wines, and to this day, I recall the first moment I put my nose into a glass of Obsidian Syrah. In early January of 2026, as I nosed this brand new release of Obsidian Syrah, I was transported straight back to that tasting twelve years ago. What’s remarkable is that the aromatics are unmistakably the same, yet from these new, more densely planted vines, the aromas are more refined—precision-farmed wines from young vines delivering a level of detail and poise that feels beyond their years. So what’s in the glass? Pure red, black, and blue fruit nuances layered with tobacco, white truffle character, violet pastille, and an intoxicating perfume. White pepper notes emerge on the medium- to full-bodied palate, framed by velvety tannins. Iron-like and crushed slate minerality underpins dazzling black cherry and blackberry fruit, brown spices, and blood orange richness. There’s a velvety, iron-fist quality here that exudes polish, complexity, and undeniable quality. You want to drink it now—and you absolutely can—but it will also reward time in the cellar. Either way, you’ll be utterly wowed. And when you realise the price is under £100, the achievement becomes even more staggering. As these vines mature, what will become of them in subsequent vintages? I suspect that as the vines mature, they'll go in and out of phases, but so long as Mother Nature cooperates, I expect this wine to continue to dazzle each vintage. - Jonathan CRISTALDI"
Decanter (January 5th 2026), 100 points
This is the first vintage of the Obsidian Syrah after wildfires torched the vineyard in 2017, leading to significant redevelopment. Throughout all those years, the Donelans have exhibited remarkable patience and a clear sense of purpose. This is their reward: a truly magnificent, towering wine of the highest level.
Knights Valley is one of the most magical grape-growing districts in the United States, but it is not very well known because only a few estate wineries are located there.
The 2023 Syria Obsidian Estate is one of the most profound, moving wines I have tasted in Sonoma County. Blackberry, gravel, incense, chocolate, lavender, and dried herbs race out of the glass. Delicate yet powerful, the 2023 is spectacular. It is also very fairly priced in today’s market.
Vinous 100 Points
Gaja Barolo Conteisa is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo.
Piedmontese for "quarrel," this wine was named for the historic dispute between the communes of La Morra and Barolo for possession of the Cerequio land. This garnet-colored wine features expressive floral notes and an aroma of red berries, plum, licorice and spice. The sumptuous texture and refined character offer perfectly integrated tannins and an elegant finish.
STYLE: Full-bodied, Rich, Balanced
FLAVOR: Floral, Red Berries, Plums, Licorice, Spice
Reviews:
- Vinous (Antonio Galloni): 97 points