Product Line

Proprietor Sam Bilbro has spent virtually a lifetime around wine. His family owns Marietta, while brothers Jake and Scot are behind the reborn Limerick Lane. At Idlewild, Sam Bilbro focuses on Italian and other less well-known varieties. In addition to these wines, I also tasted the, Arneis Fox Hill Vineyard, Vin Gris Dry Creek Valley and Grenache Gris Gibson Ranch. The best wines in this range are compelling, and point to a bright future. ANTONIO GALLONI, www.vinousmedia.com

Having had a relationship with the Bilbro family as importers of the Marietta wines some years ago we were delighted to find youngest son, Sam, was behind this new venture, Idlewild. In many ways the wines are the anitpathy of what so many believe Californian wines are supposed to be. Hunting out heritage stands of Italian and Rhone varietals (mostly in Mendocino County) Bilbro makes extremely interesting wines characterised by texture, savouriness and subtlety. Skin contact is a part of the wines as is a relatively non-interventionist approach; both indicative of the preferences of the younger brigade of Calfornia producers. PWS

The 2017 White The Bee Flora & Fauna, is a classy, polished wine to drink now and over the next few years. Green pear, mint, white flowers and light tropical overtones all grace this very pretty, expressive wine. The Muscat in particular adds an attractive aromatic flair. ANTONIO GALLONI

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!

No, this is not just another "Light Dry Red" playing to the recent fads but a serious nod to the 'Burgundies' of the 50's 60's and 70's which Nick Spencer is paying homage to. These were classic light-bodied Shiraz and Shiraz/ Pinot blends that emerged from the Hunter and are highly sort after now. They are back in fashion and tasting this it's not hard to understand why.

The style can be a little hit or miss and getting that combo of pinot and shiraz just right is critical, which Nick has done a brilliant job of here. A touch of sour cherry, cranberry and strawberries that plays off broodier black currant and blackberry fruit swirling around in the background. It's served on a palate that is crunchy and vibrant with lovely fine structure and soft melting tannins. Great poise between the fruit and other elements and while this is wonderfully easy to enjoy there is a plenty going on here that belies the seriousness of the wine.

While its ready to go now and easy to love if you put a couple of bottles away for just a couple of years or so I think you would be a very happy camper!

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Opus One leaps from the glass with notes of Black Forest cake, Morello cherries, mulberries and fresh blackcurrants plus hints of licorice, wilted roses, Sichuan pepper and iron ore. Full-bodied, the palate is jam-packed with juicy black, blue and red fruits, framed by velvety tannins and background freshness, finishing on a compelling earthy/mineral note. Tasted as a barrel sample, this is a truly magnificent Opus One in the making! (99) WINE ADVOCATE

The 2019 Opus One is a dense, beautifully layered wine, but it is also quite restrained. That should serve it well in time. Tasted next to the 2018, the 2019 possesses a bit more textural nuance and body, yet it has all the classicism that is such an Opus One signature. Bright floral accents linger on the sublime finish. (97) ANTONIO GALLONI

The purity of fruit is really something else here, with currants and fresh flowers, such as violets and roses. Flower stems as well. Fantastic length and structure to the wine, with tightness and focus. Wonderful fruit. Graceful. A blend of 78% cabernet sauvignon, 8% merlot, 7% petit verdot, 6% cabernet franc and 1% malbec. (99) JAMES SUCKLING

Intensely perfumed on the nose, rose petals, violets, deeply scented and seductive. Rich yet expansive on the palate, very open with dark chocolate, cherries, fragrant blackcurrant - sweet and scented, with satin-like tannins that effortlessly support the flavours. There is real drive and persistency to this, fresh, youthful and alive with a vibrant juiciness that is so appealing. No one element is too dominant, this feels harmonious and balanced with an excellent tangy acidity and long minty, herbal finish with edges of tobacco and dark chocolate. A classic Opus with breadth, finesse and energy. Grapes were harvested 10 days earlier than average, on 10th September with harvest lasting four weeks. 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Malbec complete the blend. (98) DECANTER

The grapes for this wine come about 82% from our own block in Mitch Patin’s Lloyd Vineyard on West Soda Rock Road planted in 1998 towards the southern end of Alexander Valley on the banks of the Russian River. 11% comes from the Larrick Vineyard that we farm, and the remaining 7% is Malbec from J. Rickard in Cloverdale.

As always, this wine was produced more like a Pinot more than a Cab. Fermented in open-tops with native yeasts, punched down by hand, and racked to barrels before being aged in 2nd fill French oak barrels for 15 months.

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!

Cabernet ……  who drinks Cabernet anymore?   I mean we can't all hang out in exclusive "Gentlemen's Clubs in Mayfair" can we?

So I was super surprised when I had a chance to taste an older (2018) vintage of the Forman Cabernet a few months ago which was superb - so I couldn't wait to have a crack at the new vintage.  California cabernet - all big, juicy and ripe fruit….. right?  Nope - definitely not.  There were layers of blueberry fruit, dusty chocolate, coffee bean, black cherry - and lovely hint of sweet spice and graphite minerality.  Also a hint of oak supporting the rich - but definitely not over ripe - fruit.    With a little time in the glass fantastic savoury notes popped up … think sage, bay leaf all adding wonderful complexity and interest to the wine.

This wasn't an over ripe jammy new world Cabernet … nor was it an austere/mouth puckering Bordeaux  - just a wonderful balanced wine - drink up! MATT O'CONNOR, PWS



The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon is a powerful, deep wine that marries elegance and finesse in a way few people can do, like Ric Forman. Rich and sumptuous in the glass, with terrific depth, the 2020 has so much to offer. Black cherry, mocha, licorice, spice, incense and new leather are all dialed up. Although it is early, this 2020 is shaping up to be one of the finer wines of the year.
(95) ANTONIO GALLONI, vinous

The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley has to be seen as a success in the vintage, revealing a solid bouquet of red and black fruits, tobacco leaf, cigar, and toasted spices. These carry to a medium to full-bodied Cabernet with a good sense of balance, moderate tannins, and outstanding length. It's well done and should evolve for another decade at a minimum. I followed this bottle for multiple days, and it always showed well. JEB DUNNUCK

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!

STAFF PICKS 2024 - MICHAEL MCNAMARA

This is Yeringberg at its best - medium weighted but with fruit and touches of oak seasoning persistent and pulsing through the body of the wine. Nothing is overstated but you never feel like anything is missing either, such wonderful balance. An Aussie icon that shows where less intervention and artiface delivers so much more. MICHAEL MCNAMARA

A blend of 58/14/14/9/5% cabernet sauvignon/cabernet franc/merlot/petit verdot/malbec. Matured 20 months in French barriques (35% new). Bright crimson purple. From a great year, this is a beautifully fragrant and seductive Yeringberg with its aromas of blackcurrants, blueberries, cherry blossom, violets and just the right amount of oak-derived cedar and pencil-shaving scents. The epitome of medium bodied, it's elegant, discreet and persistent on the palate, even at this early juncture. Equally important, the fruit is perfectly framed by the wine's fine-grained and silky tannins and, as has been demonstrated on many occasions, this will mature slowly and gracefully. 98 PHILIP RICH, 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!

The 2008 Camartina (70% Cabernet Sauvignon,30% Sangiovese) comes across as rather understated in this vintage. Dark fruit, spices, leather and tobacco are some of the aromas and flavors that take shape in the glass. Mineral notes appear later to frame the long, vibrant finish. The 2008 shows lovely balance in a relatively subdued style for this wine. ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous 

Happy days for me when I can taste Cabernet and Italian wine in the one glass. Two worlds collide.  Black and red fruit, chocolate and licorice, florals and fine spicy oak treatment. It’s firm and medium bodied, almost tense with a slight jaggedness to its grainy tannin and crisp acidity – though it feels clearly defined and lively. Has a subtle green tobacco note along with leather that lends it an Italian drawing room charm. Needs a bit of time to settle down, but a lovely stylish wine it is. GARY WALSH, The Wine Front

Maturing ruby with orange tinges. Gorgeous cherry and cassis nose with notes of undergrowth, and with plenty of energy. Tar, tannic grip and pure cherry and cassis fruit. Acidity adds a real sense of freshness while streamlining the whole. Tasted 03/18 WALTER SPELLER, JancisRobinson.com

Deep bright purple-red colour leading into a stylish bouquet of sweet mulberry and other berry fruits, violets and cassis, succulent and mouth-filling, with masses of fine emery-like tannins that run the length of the palate adding authority, structure, length and refreshment to the aftertaste. Concentrated, superripe blackberry, cassis and mulberry flavours; oak tucked discreetly into the background. (98) HUON HOOKE, The Real Review

Really delivers as you might expect from this excellent concentrated and powerfully frame vintage in Margaret River. It’s dominant cabernet with smaller portions of merlot, cabernet franc and malbec. Typical of this wine since switching to biodynamics, it is bright and brilliant with a nervy tense energy to drive the palate. The succulent fruit is harness by fine chalky tannins and neatly played oak of which 55% was new. A wine of extraordinary elegance and poise with a few of many decades. (98) RAY JORDAN

Needless to say, Margaret River enjoyed another superb vintage with the 2022 season. Slightly cooler, Cullen report that it was a vintage of “immense perfume and texture”. The wine is a wonderfully vibrant purple in colour. The nose gives up plums, cassis, spices including nutmeg, chocolate, mocha, bay leaves, cigar box notes – think a freshly opened box of Cohiba Siglo VI – and near perfect oak integration. This is finely balanced and exhibiting immense length on a palate that sees the emergence of aniseed, mulberries and coffee beans. An alluringly supple texture with the silkiest of tannins, though plenty of them – there really is some grip here. This will easily sail through fifteen to twenty years in a good cellar. (98) KEN GARGETT, Wine Pilot

Extremely perfumed and floral with lavender, lilacs and violets to the sweet, ripe berries, such as blackberries and blackcurrants. Some slate and graphite, too. It’s full-bodied, yet ever so balanced and refined, with super fine tannins that last for minutes. Fresh herbs, such as bay leaf and lemon grass highlight the dark fruit. The quality of tannin is exquisite with wonderful polish and refinement. Lasts for minutes. So wonderful to taste now, but better after 2026. (99) JAMES SUCKLING

Very deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Opus One soars out of the glass with bright, bold boysenberries, warm cassis and ripe, juicy black plums notes, plus emerging nuances of lilacs, oolong tea, cinnamon stick, tilled soil and black truffles. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with tightly wound layers of crunchy black fruits, supported by firm, grainy tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing with lifted fruitiness and on a lingering mineral note. (98) WINE ADVOCATE

Power and concentration from the start but with a lovely vein of cool blue fruits and an invigoratingly fresh core. Dark chocolate, coffee, blueberries and pomegranate combine to give a seductive nose and follow through on the palate with an immediate burst of juicy acidity and plush tannins. Layered and nuanced, the texture is striking, elegant and precise with juice that his the side of the mouth supported by oak spice that gently frames the overall feeling giving balance. Abundant in a sense but also reigned in making you want another glass straight away. 80% wild yeast fermentation for the first time as of the 2018 vintage. (98) DECANTER

The 2010 Opus One is on another level and is a deep, concentrated, full-bodied, flawlessly balanced beauty. From a cooler vintage that saw significant heat spikes later in the year, it has incredible purity in its cassis and darker fruits as well as leafy tobacco, flowers, and background oak. With a great mid-palate, ripe, building tannins, and full-bodied richness on the palate, it’s a brilliant wine that has another two decades or more of prime drinking. (98) JEB DUNNUCK – TASTED 2023

Bright dark ruby. Initially reticent nose opened in the glass to reveal wonderfully complex scents of black- and redcurrant, blackberry, minerals, licorice, loam and tobacco leaf, plus a whiff of leather. Seamless, savory and classy on entry if a bit subdued, then delivers lovely restrained sweetness and a complicating wildness in the middle palate that still calls for more bottle aging. Old World in its classic dryness, this highly concentrated Opus One really shines on its vibrant, slowly building back end, where the broad, dusty tannins caress and saturate the palate and allow the fruits and minerals to build. A wine of outstanding depth, clarity, finesse of grain and class; it's hard to imagine that this site could give more. (97) STEPHEN TANZER – tasted 2020

The 2010 Opus One bursts from the glass with an exotic melange of black and blue fruits, menthol, cloves and licorice. Today the 2010 is much more overt, racy and intense than it was just a few months ago. The tannins have begun to soften, releasing the aromas and flavors in an opulent, full-bodied Opus One supported by veins of precise minerality. The 2010 is very, very young, but is also striking in its beauty. (97) ANTONIO GALLONI

Very fresh and bright with effusive pink grapefruit and lilac aromas from the warm, dry growing season. I love this wine’s zesty personality and the wonderful mineral freshness that gives the long finish a terrific kick. This almost pure muscat a petits grains. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink now. STUART PIGOTT, jamessuckling.com

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 Australia’s great cabernets. This from a cooler season highlights and accentuates the typical bright red fruits and blue fruit mix, especially on the nose. It’s aromatic and perfumed with an African violet scent. The palate as always is so exquisitely balanced and refined. Since 1989 the cabernet has been augmented with the floral bright fruit of cabernet franc and the darker robust black fruits of petit verdot. The palate delivers with a gentle restraint yet there is power deep within. The chalky tannins define a long and focussed finish. A deceptive medium bodied wine that will cellar for many years. (98) RAY JORDAN

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the 2003 Camartina is a drop-dead gorgeous effort. Fat, rich and opulent, it will reward consumers with its generous super-ripe fruit, great length and beautiful overall balance...It is a very refined effort in this vintage. ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous 

Even though this is 17 years old, the colour is still an amazingly deep garnet even if the rim is now transparent. Oo, that is rather lovely! Lots of evolution and subtlety, with a hint of quite attractive dustiness, on the nose. It does taste very much more like mature Cabernet (even Bordeaux) than anything informed by Sangiovese. Dry (but not drying) finish and really appetising – perhaps that's thanks to the Sangiovese. So it's all Cab on the nose and possibly Sangiovese on the finish. Long and playful. Tasted 5/22 WALTER SPELLER, JancisRobinson.com

Lifted spice and a head-spinning top note are joined by aromas of dark fruits, cassis and a touch of bright cherry mixed with woodland undergrowth. I love the ebullient personality of this wine - there's a crunchy, sappy green note to the juicy fruit which adds a counterpoint to the lush, velvety texture and creates a lovely, bright energy. It all comes together with an expressive exuberance. A wide-awake wine! DECANTER

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21 days on skins and matured for 16 months in new and seasoned French oak hogsheads and barriques. The colour is a deeply pigmented magenta. The purity of just-ripe, immaculate blackberries, currants and plums is astounding. It’s almost stark in its pureness of fruit and restraint of oak additions. Elongated tannins and lingering acidity with Nyon olive brine, nutmeg and the slightest touch of fresh picked bay leaf. Confident and completely unsullied. Stunning now and will only improve with age. This is a testament to scintillating fruit and the winemaker’s appreciation of it. 96 SHANTEH WALE, wine companion

First poured, a ghastly apparition appeared – as if this had been placed in a corset and cinched tight. In a vinous sense, that means decanting or letting this beauty breathe in the glass. It has all the varietal appeal of Margs: its shapely tannins, supple and ever-so-slightly grainy and its savouriness. Very little oak impact (15% new French barriques), other than offering a complementary light seasoning of cedary spices. 95 JANE FAULKNER, wine companion

From one of the few cabernet vineyards in the Upper Yarra; planted at 240m elevation in Wandin East. Matured in French barriques (30% new) for 15 months. A medium crimson purple. Perfectly ripened cabernet fruit exhibiting aromas of dark cherry, violets, a little bramble and some complexing bell pepper. Medium bodied and compact, the fruit has swallowed up the oak and while it's a touch firm once it fleshes out a little (and it will) this should provide considerable pleasure for a decade or so. 95 PHILIP RICH, wine companion

2023 was a brilliant year for Cabernet Sauvignon and proved perfect ripening for Cabernet Sauvignon and merlot and Cullen vineyard. Made from 100% bio-dynamically certified fruit a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot,1% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Malbec has created a wine of great depth supported by delicious fine grained tannins.

The wine was matured in barriques of which 20% were new. CULLEN

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The colour tells a big part of the story: deep, dark amber brown. The scent is complex, sweet and pure with walnut, honeyed fruitcake, treacle, coffee bean and vanilla. Falls like velvet on the tongue; seamless. This classification is the domain of the expert blender and the choices she makes to convey house style (elegant, fine), complexity and, importantly, freshness. Jen Pfeiffer is one such master of the art. (97) JENI PORT, wine companion

Deep amber in appearance. The nose is incredibly complex and concentrated, with aromas of burnt oranges, roasted walnuts, sandalwood, dried fruit and dark chocolate coated coffee beans. Seriously deep and brooding and an iconic style of Australian wine found nowhere else in the world. The average age of base wines is 28 year. Exceptional. (98) JAMES SUCKLING

The brooding and immaculate NV Rare Muscat Rutherglen (2024 release) is superbly pitched and mesmerizing, with its aged coffee grounds, roasted nut, old spice and cocoa tones brightened by cherry compote. Incredible fruit density fills the palate while balanced sweetness provides a seamless quality. The finish builds and builds to a fabulous conclusion. (97) angus Hughson, vinous media

Extraordinary intensity – wow, it just keeps on expanding across the palate. Thick, oily texture with intense dried fruit and incredible ripeness. An absolute scene-stealer! 18.5 jancis Robinson

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!