RED WINE

This wine is from a single high-performing block that has had a number of excellent vintages over the past 15 years. It is a monoclonal wine of G9V3 Cabernet Sauvignon, an unfashionable clone in some circles, but in this vineyard, on this hill, a stunning example of the  variety. The fruit was hand harvest in late-March and yields were low but of excellent concentration and character. The must was fermented in static red fermenters and the wine was aged in French oak barriques, 40 per cent new, for 15 months.

This is a superbly elegant Cabernet wine. This special wine, our very first Highbow Hill Cabernet, has superb perfume and purity of fruit. It is an elegant Cabernet Sauvignon that will age well over 20 years, but is ready for theenthusiast now. GARY BALDWIN

Held on skins for 4 weeks after fermentation before 18 months maturation in French oak. Bright crimson-purple, it is an elegant cabernet that has flourished in the warm vintage - the Upper Yarra sometimes poses challenges, but not here. The tannins are savoury and fine, adding to the quality of the wine. JAMES HALLIDAY

Steve Webber is a man of many talents and passions. One of his is Grenache from upper Heathcote. He loves it so much he has established a brand around promoting the variety in the region. This is the 3rd vintage and of the wines and we are thoroughly convinced, not just because Steve stands behind, but because the wine is that good. The future is bright and so is this wine. PWS

This red delight reflects the name with definitely some magic in its makeup, dark cherry aromatics to start, with ripe but not jammy flavours as you sip in medium to fuller-bodied juicy fruits offsetting a fine, sandy tannin feel. There’s a lot going on for the price – look out for specials and keep an eye on it as the styling unfolds over the next few years. HALLIDAY MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2020

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!

This blend of Portuguese varieties has come together seamlessly and offers immediate drinking appeal. Heady with violets and lavender, blackcurrants and Szechuan pepper, blackstrap licorice and Mediterranean herbs, all adding to its youthful beauty. Fine tannins, raspberry-like acidity and complexity raise it way above ordinary. (95) JANE FAULKNER, Halliday Wine Companion

Winemaker Dale Wheeler has been deeply immersed in the Victorian wine industry since 2012, relocating to Melbourne from Brisbane to study Viticulture and Winemaking. For a number of years he worked growing fruit and making wine within the Yarra Valley for Strenua, while also completing a number of vintages for other producers within the region and his experience shows. These are confident wines with lots of immediate appeal.

Gamut 2021 is a thirst-quenching medium-weight juicy red, perfect with a light chill. Made using 100% Upper Yarra Valley fruit, predominantly consisting of Merlot from Yarra Junction - lightly macerated and 40% whole bunch Pinot Noir from Gladysdale. Naturally fermented, with no other additions beyond sulphur prior to bottling. Unfined/unfiltered/vegan.

Plenty of red liquorice, mixed berries, and river rocks on the nose. A touch of soft spice and a savoury bay like note. The palate is crunchy and fresh with a lovely balance of sumptuous fruits and soft but present tannins shaping a delicious moreish finish. Perfect summer red and something you could throw a slight chill on if you were so inclined.

A lot of complexity and savouriness come out to play this vintage, alongside a wonderful coolness across the palate. Expect dark plums, licorice and menthol, juniper, a dash of pepper and roasted root vegetables. It's fuller- bodied, with a covering of textural tannins and bright acidity. (95) JANE FAULKNER, Wine Companion

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!

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!

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!

**TROPHY FOR BEST PINOT AT YARRA VALLEY WINE SHOW
**GOLD MEDALIST YARRA VALLEY - AUSTRALIAN PINOT CHALLENGE
Stand out Pinot Noir. Powerfully fruited, crunchy with spice, tannic and the possessor of real presence. Red cherry, woodsmoke and cranberry flavours run juicily throughout but it’s the waves of both tannin and spice that have this ricocheting to all corners. Wow this is impressive. Nutty oak completes a firm, detailed, beautifully fruited picture. 95 Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front

Tasting wines in flights, alongside their siblings, is a great way to gain context and understanding of a house and its style. In this case, tasting the three Local Vineyard Series Pinot Noirs side by side shows each wine for its identity and personality. In the case of these three, the Willowlake is the detailed and sleek wine, the Henk is the exotic, woodsy, loosely knit wine, and then this: the balance of the three. Borrowing some of the detail from Willowlake and a lot of the woodsy exoticism of the Henk, this 2021 Local Vineyard Series Hazeldene Pinot Noir is flush with a barrage of berry fruit and star anise spice. Really good. ERIN LARKIN, wineadvocate.com

Vineyard is at the wonderfully-named Gruyere, planted in 1997. North-facing, exposed site.

Cherry pie, sweet and delicious, with earthier/meatier aspects. It’s like drinking sweet roasted lamb, studded with berries and herbs. Blue fruit aspects here, woodsy herbs, sweet acidity through the finish. It’s not simple but it feels like a simple pleasure, if that makes sense; it just has that drink-me-now exuberance. That said the tannin here is beautifully crafted. I’d drink this before the others in the Single Vineyard range though it may well hold for as long as any of them. Up-front pinot deliciousness, with substance, is the message here. CAMPBELL MATTIONSON, The Wine Front

From the Sexton vineyard in Gruyere, planted on the same grey clay as the Applejack vineyard; 50% whole bunches and 50% destemmed. Matured 11 months in French barriques (20% new). Bottled unfined and unfiltered. A dark, deep crimson. A more robust Yarra Valley pinot with its aromas of dark cherries, black plum and a dried-earth character that makes it quite different to the other Giant Step single-vineyard pinots. Sweetly fruited, concentrated and structured on the palate, what this impressive wine doesn't have in finesse, it makes up for in power and grunt. This should still be looking good, 10, if not 15, years from now. PHILIP RICH, James Halliday Wine Companion

Mataro, Grenache, Shiraz, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, lagrein & Shiraz. All our favourites from Western & Central Victoria. A delicious blend, evolving spectrum of profile, textures & flavour. while still keeping it fresh & super interesting.

It's a curious release/place this wine is in right now. Perfume is glorious, a true perfume that wafts with sweet fruit, clove and cardamom spice, faint briary notes, light mahogany. The palate however is strict, opposite to the vivacity of the perfume, and though sees good architecture from ribbons of fine tannin, reveals little aside a barely-there succulence of faint berry fruit meshed to lean twiggy oak flavour. The finish is grippy, and a touch coarse, then has a light lemony zing. Time mellows the wine, and there's potential for a wine of beauty in future, but it's in an awkward phase right now. MIKE BENNIE

The 2022 regional pinot noir couldn't be a more classic rendition of a Yarra Valley pinot if it tried. Aromatically expressing delicate perfume and loads of red berries. The palate is juicy, vibrant and delicate and quite the delight! PWS

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!

From a 2ha plot planted in 2000. Some whole bunches. Matured in French hogsheads (20% new). A very bright crimson red. Just bottled. A very primary bouquet redolent of freshly picked cherries, ripe raspberries and a little bitter blood orange. Punchy and with loads of flavour and ripe tannins. This will merit an even better score, I'd imagine, in six to 12 months. Great value from the team at Yarra Yering. (93) PHILIP RICH, winecompanion.com

From the Sexton vineyard in Gruyere. Destemmed with whole berries and matured nine months in French barriques (20% new). A deep ruby crimson. The densest and most brooding of the Giant Steps Yarra Valley single-vineyard pinots from 2022. You'll find bramble berries, freshly ploughed earth and a little black pepper. Savoury and concentrated on the palate, there is plenty of meat on the bones with substantial and persistent tannins masked by the sheer weight of plush fruit at this stage. A succulent wine to enjoy now and over the next few years.  (96) PHILIP RICH, Wine Companion

From the Wombat Creek vineyard, planted around 400m elevation in the early 1980s. All clone MV6; 100% whole berries, fermented in a 3t oak vat and matured in French barriques (20% new). Redcurrants, early season raspberries, pomegranate, coriander seeds and tea rose scents. Vibrant and silky in the mouth, this is both elegant and structured. Finishes even and long with pliant, persistent tannins and juicy acidity. (96) PHILIP RICH, Wine Companion

From Lou Primavera's 2001-planted vineyard at Woori Yallock; 25% whole bunches on the clone 115 component, while clones MV6 and G were destemmed. Matured in French barriques (25% new). Wonderfully perfumed and vibrant with its aromas of cranberries, wild strawberries, a little Sichuan pepper, fresh citrus oil and musk roses at dusk. A wine of exquisite finesse and excellent depth, the tannins are very fine and long, as is the finish. This will provide much enjoyment over the next decade or so. (97) PHILIP RICH, Wine Companion

Made from MV6 planted in 1996; 70% whole berries,30% whole bunches; matured in hogsheads and puncheons (30% new). A light, bright crimson cherry. Fragrant with aromas of cranberries and strawberries, some whole-bunch derived dried rose petals and a soupçon of Asian spices. It's a pretty wine but it has depth and structure too, finishing long with fine-grained and persistent tannins and a refreshing bitter orange twist. (93) PHILIP RICH, Halliday Wine Companion

From the original pinot noir vines planted in 1972. Whole bunches (100%), natural fermentation in barrel, 100% new oak. A light, bright ruby garnet. Very perfumed, the whole bunches and the oak have been swallowed up by the fruit. Little red strawberries, peony, licorice root, spice and a little tobacco on the bouquet. Delicate yet powerful and structured, this is another fascinating Dr McMahon wine that will take time for the winemaker's influence to submerge. 50 dozen made. (97) JAMES HALLIDAY’S WINE COMPANION

From the same single site as the Reserve (planted in 1971) but a vine-by-vine selection; 100% whole bunches, 100% barrel ferment and 100% new oak. A bright, medium crimson. Aromas of small red fruits, licorice root, graphite and pink peppercorns, while the new oak is beginning to integrate with the wine. There's an old vine intensity on the palate with the silkiest of tannins. Like all the Dr McMahon wines, it will take time for the hand of the winemaker to submerge into the wine, and for those with the patience and the pockets, it will be fascinating to follow its evolution. 50 dozen made. (97) JAMES HALLIDAY'S WINE COMPANION
 
I LOVE THIS! The fruit is so glossy and succulent. Aromas of baking spice and blood red plums waft from the glass with a little swirl of baking spices. Incense and something a little foresty, derived, I assume, from the interplay between the classy wood and those whole clusters, add complexity but also serve to quieten the wine down to a degree. It is a reserved and stately number that just misses out on being sombre because of the fresh and cool fruited profile of the palate. You can see all the pieces are in place and every element is doing it's job beautifully, but this is not a wine for the near term. I think it would be a shame to open one within five years from now and, honestly, probably a decade before it starts to really show its hand. Excellent and well worth having in your cellar. ROSCOE

From a single site at Seville Estate planted in 1972; 20% whole bunches and matured in seasoned French puncheons. From a cool year, this was picked on the 1st week of April meaning the fruit had plenty of hang time. Just 120 dozen made. A brilliant crimson magenta. Beautifully perfumed and pure. Redolent of raspberry coulis, peony, Asian spices and potpourri. Supremely elegant and structured, there's a gentle meatiness to go with the pure red fruits. The tannins are silky and persistent. Finishes very long and too good to spit! (97) JAMES HALLIDAY'S WINE COMPANION

In some ways this is similar to the Dr McMahon, which makes sense since the fruit source is the same, but it's more lively and unleashes more perfume and fruit. I would go so far as to say it has an almost airy feel to it, aromatically it's quite enticing, plenty of inviting little details that pluck at your senses. The palate eases in to things with ample weight, beautiful texture and pitch perfect tannins. It's long and edges towards vibrant with those cool edged fruit notes, but its dense enough to tell you there is a lot more to come here. What a glorious wine. In a sensational line up of booze this may be my pick of the bunch. ROSCOE

Fruit is 100% sourced from a single 28 year old vineyard on the western edge of the Yarra Valley. A tightly wound nose that opens gradually. There's violets, plum and dried herbs. Hints of bramble and spice in sync with the fruit, adding complexity and style. This is a ‘moderately bunchy’ wine, there’s a candyness to the fruit, and nori at the same time. Palate is mid weight and long with dark cherries into lush red fruits with ribena-like mouth perfume too. The tannins are graphite and broadspread, while the acid is bright and mouth watering. Delicious now, but will cellar well over the next 7 years plus. ROULEUR WINES

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!

From blocks C, D and E on the 1994-planted, 220-280m elevation Deer Farm vineyard in Gladysdale. Some whole bunches, eight to 10 days on skins, maturation in 40% new French oak. A deep-ish bright crimson. Smells a little Gevrey-like, with its dark fruit aromas and ferrous notes together with florals and a subtle hint of licorice root. On the palate, it's perfectly proportioned, concentrated and lithe, too. Sinewy and fine tannins round out a delicious wine that will continue to blossom for at least a decade. (96) PHILIP RICH 
 
This is well powered but it's the minerally edge to the finish that really excites. The Coldstream Hills range is in such fantastic shape. Cherry-plum flavours here with stringy herb notes, floral and green, matched to woodsmoke, undergrowth and toasted cedar. Immaculate pinot noir. Seals the deal with a fine-grained, mineral-etched, lengthy finish. (95) CAMPBELL MATTINSON

Sappy, plucky and upbeat style with a bit more juice in the tank than last year, a wee bit more cuddly, some more cushioning. There is nice primary feel and a tart edge to the palate which lends more freshness while accentuating the sappiness. Punctuated with spice an a vein of savoury, forrest after the rain kind of thing. Long stimulating fish. Lovely wine. Needs a bit of bottle time but all the bits are in place to suggest this will demonstrate all the promise it suggests very soon. It delivers both ample pleasure and sophistication with real aplomb. Equally enjoyable to drink and ponder. ROSCOE

A blend of Harriet's Vineyard, Healesville, Boat O'Craigo Vineyard, Healesville, Nenagh Park, Willowlake Vineyard, Gladysdale.

Lovely aromatic lift and intensity here with a rainbow of red fruits; cherry, black and red raspberries, currants and wild strawberries. Open and easy-going palate that belies the subtle complexity but makes it such a joy. Long slippery palate with sweet red fruits and strawberry coulis on the finish sprinkled with fresh spice and a light peppery note. It's tougher and tougher to find pinot of this level at this price and last years was a hit too so, well done to the crew at Rob Hall for knocking another gem out.

 

Originally from New Zealand, Dave Mackintosh established Arfion with his father Brian and brother Jimmy in 2011. Dave has been obsessed with making wine since '98 and likes to delve deep on a broad spectrum of styles. Sourcing grapes from highly skilled, sustainable growers from across the Yarra, they ensure site and variety are in harmony throughout the season with low impact winemaking at their heart. They do abide by one rule. All wines must deliver good times.

Well, that rule has not been broken here. What a belter of a pinot noir. It says 'Spring' pinot but this will be slurppable all summer long so don't you worry about that. This is all about straight up juicy fruit and absolutely gluggably styled pinot that is light on its feet, crunchy and bursting with fruit. Lashings of raspberry and red cherry with clove, white pepper and a melange of fresh ground sweet spice. It's slippery and so easy to drink and while it comes of feeling pretty and light it still packs plenty of punch. Absolutely delicious!

13.2. In the last six years, they have planted 30 acres of Pinot Noir. This is the first vintage where the majority of fruit comes from Hoddles Creek.

Strawberry, red cherry, a little spice, tea leaf and mint. It’s light, all strawberry with a dusting of spice, a lick of grainy tannin, and a finish of solid length. A little green mango on the finish? Not complex, but refreshing and good to drink. GARY WALSH, The Wine Front

I forget what Franco said on his little back label spiel, as I’ve given the bottle away, though it was something along the lines of ‘High acidity from this site, so no need for adds’.

It’s a bit spicy and mulchy, poached strawberry and raspberry, a little mint and floral perfume. It’s crisp, sappy, lively, a smudgy feel to tannin, slightly smoky and tobacco-laced, with a juicy finish of good length, gentle dusty tannin trailing. Nice.. GARY WALSH, The Wine Front

Cooler and drier than their Hoddles Creek vineyards, this Yea Valley pinot is the most reticent and fine-boned of this year's three Wickhams pinots. A light, bright red, this has scents of redcurrants, a little strawberry and blood orange. The palate is compact and very nicely balanced, with gently grippy tannins suggesting that this will need another six to 12 months to unfurl and grow into itself. PHILIP RICH, Halliday Wine Companion

Impeccably balanced and light on its feet, fine grained and ever so gently chewy tannins round out a wine that's approachable now but will keep. PHILIP RICH, Hallidy Wine Companion

A 50/50% mix of upper and lower Yarra fruit. 100% hand-picked then chilled overnight before processing. The Pinot is either fermented as 100% whole bunches or 100% destemmed with whole berries. Cold soaked for 3 days, then allowed to warm in small open fermenters in order to kick start wild fermentation. Parcels are matured in French oak (10% new, 90% older) for eight months. Blended in October and then bottled by gravity without fining or filtration in November.

From a single block (all MV6 clone) at 260m metres within the 1994-planted Deer Farm vineyard. Matured in 40% new French barriques. A gorgeous bright crimson. A total contrast to the more red-fruited Block E pinot, with its aromas of dark cherry, black raspberries, a hint of pomegranate and Asian spices. There's a gentle creaminess that's perfectly counterbalanced by the wine's firm, yet supple tannins. More immediate than the E Block, it will be a fascinating exercise to see where they both end up 10 years from now. (97) PHILIP RICH, Halliday Wine Companion

Deer Farm is a happy hunting ground for quality Pinot Noir. Boom-boom. 10% whole bunches in the mix here.

Wow this is silken, and powerful, and complex. And for all that, elegant. This is a joyous expression of pinot noir, full-fruited in a varietal sense, nutty, tangy, polished and laced with fine-grained tannin. Indeed the word lacey is apt here. It’s a wine of excellent length but really it’s the confidence of the red/blue berried fruit that really does you over. You can feel the air of the Upper Yarra in this wine, it has that lightness, but from 2021 it’s more buoyant than usual; both fleshier and fruitier. With air the finish only extended, impressing yet further. Top notch release. CAMPBELL MATTINSON, The Wine Front

 

Vines planted in 1999. About 6% whole bunch. 30% new oak.

Plum and cherry, cracked pepper, hazelnut, Turkish apricot and musk stick, with a little cedar oak. It’s plum and plummy, a grainy grip to tannin, balanced acidity, nutty with something of a toffee flavour, with a clip of oak on a finish of good length. Still a little elemental, but good. Needs a couple more years of cellaring. GARY WALSH, The Wine Front

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!

One of the first, and best shiraz/pinot noir blends made in the Yarra Valley. Here 50/50% pinot (whole berry ferment) and shiraz (100% whole bunches) blended prior to bottling. A vivid crimson purple, this just beckons you to pick up the glass and smell it! Here you'll find dark fruits, floral notes, lifted spices and mountain herbs. There's terrific intensity and freshness in the mouth, too, before finishing with firm yet fine tannins and bright acidity. More serious than last year's version, it will be hard to keep your hands off this one. Those that do, however, will be well rewarded! (96) PHILIP RICH

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!

Grenache (60%) Shiraz (25%), Mataro (10%) and Cinsault (5%). It’s in keeping with my little Grenache theme this week, except it’s from the Yarra Valley!

It’s complex and a wine of many layers. Raspberry and blackberry, plenty of perfume and spice, hazelnut, something in the way of dried herbs and earth. Medium-bodied, no shortage of red and black fruit, rose oil, but also something a little more meaty and savoury in the mix, with fresh acidity, kind of like pomegranate, fine emery board tannin grip, and a fine ‘minerally’ finish of excellent length. Outstanding in 2021. (95) GARY WALSH, The Wine Front

60/25/10/5% grenache/shiraz/mourvèdre/cinsault. The grenache spends 16 months in 1600L seasoned foudre, the rest matured in barriques (15% new for the shiraz). A wine that shows both the potential of these varieties and this blend at Mount Mary. Perfumed and spicy with red and black fruits and a little Mediterranean garrigue. Brightly fruited and with tannins that are juicy and balanced, this medium-bodied wine is already a treat to drink. PHILIP RICH, Halliday Wine Companion

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Oakridge's Yarra Valley range showcases several sites across the Yarra with a focus on the Upper Yarra vineyards. 2022 has provided a cool and long growing season allowing slow ripening resulting in finely detailed wines. This pinot noir is classic Yarra Valley - characterful notes of pomegranate, violet and black cherries but it's the detail in the tannins sealing the deal for us, gliding and elongating the fruit through the palate. A no-brainer. pws