Calvados, White, Greco, Sem/Sa...

The 1996 Climens is attractive on the nose with vibrant scents of barley sugar, saffron, mandarin and melted wax. Fine delineation, it meliorates in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied, poised and a little more citrus than expected, tangerine and honey mixed with ginger towards the finish that fans out with confidence. Excellent. NEAL MARTIN, vinous

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

Fairly deep gold-tinged color. Superripe aromas of pineapple, cooked apple, honey and white raisin. Huge, thick and three-dimensional; shows a powerfully honeyed character and deep peachy fruit in the mouth. Almost aggressively young today, with the chewy character and uncanny richness shown by a number of these '90s. Slight heat and a note of mint on the very strong back end. This will require another five to seven years to reach its full potential and should be long-lived. STEPHEN TANZER, vinous

After a scorching summer, the 1990 de Fargues harvest began early (on September 18) and the fruit was picked over 4 tries until October 10 – the earliest harvest on record. It is the most powerful of the trilogy. Delivering 130 grams-per-liter residual sugar at 13.6% alcohol, it has a prodigious bouquet of over-ripe oranges, toffee apple, chlorophyll and even a faint hint of chocolate. The palate is medium-bodied with a luscious ripe mandarin and apricot-tinged entry, building wonderfully to a botrytis-laden finish that fans out like a firework, leaving traces of cumin and dried orange peel on the long finish. The ’90 de Fargues is simply superb in every way, a multi-faceted wonder. NEIL MARTIN

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

It's a battle royal of North vs South for our second premium pack where the only winner is going to be you! From the warm southern coast to the rolling hills of the verdant north, Italy's multitude of breathtaking terroir and incredible indigenous varieties is one to impress.

This is an exciting little pack, something a little different with some cracking little wines brand new to the country, some Prince Wine Store classics and a couple of wines, we know, you will be happily and wonderfully surprised by.

From the north we start with one of the best new wines we have seen in a while. The Battiselle le Battiselle Soave is such a beautiful Soave. This is the second vintage of this to hit our shores and we missed the tiny allocation last time but certainly won't this time. You are in for a treat as we think this is one of best Soave's, if not, best white wine from Italy in some time.

Next up is the La Dama Vini Superiore. A nuanced and pretty style Valpolicella from a modern and thoughtful producer. Also relatively new to the country this see's the skins of the Amarone ferment added to the Valpolicella to add an extra depth and richness that you do not normally see from the Classico versions. 

Last is the king of red wine in Italy and the Mauro Veglio Barolo Gattera. Both the vineyard and the vintage favour this release with so much immediate appeal straight our of the gate. Veglio is turning back the use of oak and we are reaping the benefits for the change in tack. All the generosity is still there of the house style but with even more clarity and verve.

From the south we start with the Petila Greco di Tufo. This is another family estate that has only relatively recently started to bottle under their own label. This come from an elevated plot of old vines and see's some extended ageing and subtle barrel work. The zingy greco grape keeps it liveliness while the extra time in bottle has built and layered the wine.

We would be hard pressed not to include an Etna Rosso in the pack and we are so lucky that our choices here in Aus are so exceptional.  Giuseppe Tornatore spent much of the early 2000s sourcing some of the regions best plots which has proved to be an insightful move with, now some of the most highly sought after vineyards in his holding and what seems like an unstoppable thirst for his wines.

The last wine of the list is a real treat and was such a surprise for us in a recent tasting. This hails from foothills of Mt Vesuvias and in fact the vineyards overlook the famous ruins of Pompei. Unsurprisingly the wine reflects in origins and is an intriguing blend of piedirosso and aglianico that greets you with its smokey and charred fruit overlayed with dried and broody fruits.

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

Regarded as one of the premier producers in Jurançon, Clos Joliette was founded in 1929, when the Migne family cleared forest in a natural southeast-facing amphitheater to plant a hectare of vines.
The result has been an incredible selection of complex and aromatic off-dry wines, reflecting the reputation Antoine Gerbelle bestowed on the domaine as “the Romanee Conti of the South-West France”.

What makes these wines so sought after is the combination of three unique aspects. First, its location. With only 1.85 hectares Clos Joliette sits at 300m altitude, on the slopes of the hill of Beauvallon (Commune of Jurancon). The vines were planted in 1929 by Madame Migné and exposed to the East and South-East in a natural amphitheater, allowing the grapes to capture the gentle morning sun, rather than afternoon heat.

Second, an atypical terroir made of clay-silica, pudding stones, Ponto-Pliocene pebbles and crossed through by a vein of iron.

Third, the wine itself - a single varietal 100% Petit Manseng, treated with minimal intervention throughout vinification, no fining or filtration, and long aging in oak barrels for 4 to 6 years.

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

Dreamy, subtle aromas of dried fruit such as apricots and mangoes, but also fresh lemons and pears. Then there are caramel and tart tatin undertones with some bananas, pineapple, tangerines and other tropical fruit. Full-bodied, yet it remains vivid and compact, giving it a lightness even though it is really structured. The tannins are throughout the palate but blend in perfectly, giving it a solid presence, like a a diamond. It's tight at the end, but you know that it will linger for ages, with a lightly chewy and intellectual finish. Touches of sweetness, cloves and bitterness to make it interesting. Dynamic. (100) JAMES SUCKLING

I find this more direct and intense than the 2020. Yet this is also a wine that exudes balance and harmony, even at this nascent stage. Beautifully limpid and with a disguised natural power. Supremely aerial. Green apple skin. Saffron. Fresh ginger. A hint of confit ginger too. Lime. White grapefruit. A touch of fleur de sel. Marzipan. White almonds. Mango. Guava. Passionfruit. Pineapple - entirely pure and crisply fresh. All in great purity. This is floral, too. Mimosa. Buttercup (almost the leitmotif here). On the palate I find this tight and tense, yet so incredibly softly textured. And, above all, intense and captivating. Sparklingly striking and dynamic - and held together by the salinity as much as by the acidity, the two in fact working together, giving this an incredible aging potential. Delicate in its intensity. Sapid and with lovely waves of saline-inflected juicy fluidity. Even now this is a wine of very considerable complexity - built from assembling the finest botrytised grapes from the best of the couronne (the crown) of Bommes (with the Château of Yquem at the epicentre). This finishes with the most glorious bitter sugar note - burnt caramel just perfectly on the edge of bitterness. So accessible but so totally ageless and, for now, almost cool in its freshness. (99) COLIN HAY, Drinks Business

Beautiful primary fruit boasting tropical complexity: mango, pineapple. Saltiness, according to the winemaker - and there is definitely savoury contrast in there. The marvel of this wine is its completeness - the stitching is so fine between the sugar, acidity, rich fruit and length. Opens up in the glass, with white chocolate, caramel, clotted cream, mixed peel, five-spice. As prestigious as ever, and so gratifying to drink right now. (19) JANCIS ROBINSON MW

The complex aromatic profile explodes from the glass with pineapple, papaya, apricot, Meyer lemon, tangerine peels, caramel, honey, vanilla, saffron, cashews, and candied grapefruit in the aromatic profile. The palate resides perfectly in the middle of hedonism, and vibrancy. Clearly, there is ample sweetness, but the racy acidity provides incredible lift, energy, and length. The fruit expresses purity in its tangerines, oranges, mango, papaya, banana, and pineapples all slathered in honey. This is one of those Yquem's that can be enjoyed either as a sweet wine, or due to its vibrancy, with a diverse array of savory, and spicy dishes. Produced from a blend of 65% Semillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc, 148 Grams per liter, 14% ABV, 3.79 pH. Yields were only 8 hectoliters per hectare. The harvest took place over an extended time, September 12 - October 27, with 4 passes in total. As you can see, the harvest was quite long, but picking the heart of vintage took place mid-to late October. (98) WINE CELLAR INSIDER

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

Regarded as one of the premier producers in Jurançon, Clos Joliette was founded in 1929, when the Migne family cleared forest in a natural southeast-facing amphitheater to plant a hectare of vines.
The result has been an incredible selection of complex and aromatic off-dry wines, reflecting the reputation Antoine Gerbelle bestowed on the domaine as “the Romanee Conti of the South-West France”.

What makes these wines so sought after is the combination of three unique aspects. First, its location. With only 1.85 hectares Clos Joliette sits at 300m altitude, on the slopes of the hill of Beauvallon (Commune of Jurancon). The vines were planted in 1929 by Madame Migné and exposed to the East and South-East in a natural amphitheater, allowing the grapes to capture the gentle morning sun, rather than afternoon heat.

Second, an atypical terroir made of clay-silica, pudding stones, Ponto-Pliocene pebbles and crossed through by a vein of iron.

Third, the wine itself - a single varietal 100% Petit Manseng, treated with minimal intervention throughout vinification, no fining or filtration, and long aging in oak barrels for 4 to 6 years.

2 bottles available at time of offer

Dreamy, subtle aromas of dried fruit such as apricots and mangoes, but also fresh lemons and pears. Then there are caramel and tart tatin undertones with some bananas, pineapple, tangerines and other tropical fruit. Full-bodied, yet it remains vivid and compact, giving it a lightness even though it is really structured. The tannins are throughout the palate but blend in perfectly, giving it a solid presence, like a a diamond. It's tight at the end, but you know that it will linger for ages, with a lightly chewy and intellectual finish. Touches of sweetness, cloves and bitterness to make it interesting. Dynamic. (100) JAMES SUCKLING

I find this more direct and intense than the 2020. Yet this is also a wine that exudes balance and harmony, even at this nascent stage. Beautifully limpid and with a disguised natural power. Supremely aerial. Green apple skin. Saffron. Fresh ginger. A hint of confit ginger too. Lime. White grapefruit. A touch of fleur de sel. Marzipan. White almonds. Mango. Guava. Passionfruit. Pineapple - entirely pure and crisply fresh. All in great purity. This is floral, too. Mimosa. Buttercup (almost the leitmotif here). On the palate I find this tight and tense, yet so incredibly softly textured. And, above all, intense and captivating. Sparklingly striking and dynamic - and held together by the salinity as much as by the acidity, the two in fact working together, giving this an incredible aging potential. Delicate in its intensity. Sapid and with lovely waves of saline-inflected juicy fluidity. Even now this is a wine of very considerable complexity - built from assembling the finest botrytised grapes from the best of the couronne (the crown) of Bommes (with the Château of Yquem at the epicentre). This finishes with the most glorious bitter sugar note - burnt caramel just perfectly on the edge of bitterness. So accessible but so totally ageless and, for now, almost cool in its freshness. (99) COLIN HAY, Drinks Business

Beautiful primary fruit boasting tropical complexity: mango, pineapple. Saltiness, according to the winemaker - and there is definitely savoury contrast in there. The marvel of this wine is its completeness - the stitching is so fine between the sugar, acidity, rich fruit and length. Opens up in the glass, with white chocolate, caramel, clotted cream, mixed peel, five-spice. As prestigious as ever, and so gratifying to drink right now. (19) JANCIS ROBINSON MW

The complex aromatic profile explodes from the glass with pineapple, papaya, apricot, Meyer lemon, tangerine peels, caramel, honey, vanilla, saffron, cashews, and candied grapefruit in the aromatic profile. The palate resides perfectly in the middle of hedonism, and vibrancy. Clearly, there is ample sweetness, but the racy acidity provides incredible lift, energy, and length. The fruit expresses purity in its tangerines, oranges, mango, papaya, banana, and pineapples all slathered in honey. This is one of those Yquem's that can be enjoyed either as a sweet wine, or due to its vibrancy, with a diverse array of savory, and spicy dishes. Produced from a blend of 65% Semillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc, 148 Grams per liter, 14% ABV, 3.79 pH. Yields were only 8 hectoliters per hectare. The harvest took place over an extended time, September 12 - October 27, with 4 passes in total. As you can see, the harvest was quite long, but picking the heart of vintage took place mid-to late October. (98) WINE CELLAR INSIDER

Sauternes (First Growth)

Picked predominantly over 10 days from October 14, the 2010 d’Yquem has 141gms/L residual sugar and pH 3.80. It is a slow-burner, the nose understated at first but unfurling with each passing moment with subtle scents of freshly sliced apricots, Clementine, clear honey and white flowers. There is an underlying minerality that really defines this bouquet. The palate is similar to the nose, revealing hidden facets with almost each swirl of the glass – orange blossom, limestone, white peach and honeysuckle. This is such a precise d’Yquem; it is after you have swallowed the wine that one comprehends just how brilliant it is. NEAL MARTIN

At the first tastings this vintage was often compared, on account of its liveliness, to the wonderful ’88. The same kind of vibrancy and “nerve” was mingling into the botrytis complexity in a similar way.  Now, whilst it has retained all these vibrant qualities, the wine has clearly softened and the comparison should maybe now include a touch of ’89?  Whatever, this is a great vintage of Yquem, in a prettier style to the monumental keeper vintages such as 09 or 05. BILL BLATCH

Drink 2025-2055. ‘2010 was a cool year for us.’  Winter and autumn cold, good dry, warm summer.  Very healthy grapes, though quite a bit of rain on the flowering.  A bit of coulure on Sauvignon so less than usual in the blend, just 13% compared to the usual 20%.  Pale gold with slight greenness.  Gorgeous, classic nose.  Pear juice a go-go.  Absolutely stunning freshness as well as all the botrytis.  Classic.  Real punchy perfect savoury Sauternes.  Zesty and lovely with some chew on the end.  No shortage of botrytis.  Very distinctive and much less sweet than 2009.  (155 g/l in 2009, 141 g/l in 2010).  Refined finish.  Finished 5 Nov.  Five passes.  Real punch and zest.  Grapefruit peel.  But not a massive sweet bomb.  Alcohol 13.55%. JANCIS ROBINSON

PLEASE NOTE THIS WINE IS OFFERED EN PRIMEUR AND YOU WILL BE CHARGED THE FINAL (NOW) PRICE LESS 20% WITH THE BALANCE DUE WHEN THE WINE ARRIVES IN 2013.