Product Line - 2017

The 2017 Carbonnieux Blanc is absolutely lovely. Lemon confit, white flowers and green orchard fruit open up first, followed by a range of bright citrus and floral notes that add brilliance to a very pretty upper register. ANTONIO GALLONI

…This is one of the most sophisticated white Carbonnieux that I have encountered at this stage with wonderful mineralité and veins of ginger furnishing the finish that convey brio and confidence. This should evolve into an outstanding Pessac-Léognan. NEAL MARTIN, vinous.com

Right off the bat this has richness and concentration, with peachy creaminess through the mid-palate but without sacrificing tension and lift. It's a fine example of what 2017 can deliver in the best whites, and should age very well. JANE ANSON, decanter.com

Notes of lemon curd, citrus rind and hints of crushed rock define the 2017 Château Carbonnieux, which is medium-bodied, pure, and elegant on the palate. It's another great white from the Pessac-Léognan region in 2017. JEB DUNNUCK

Barsac 1er Cru Classé
Avaliable
The 2017 Coutet, which was tasted both as a final blend and directly from several different lots in barrel, has a very well defined bouquet with pure wild honey and orange blossom aromas that gain intensity with aeration. The palate is crisp and fresh, underpinned by Coutet’s trademark acidic drive that counterbalances the intense honeyed fruit laced with orange zest and white peach. Superb. (96) NEAL MARTIN

The 2017 Coutet is very, very good. Nuanced and beautifully textured, throughout, the 2017 has quite a bit to offer. Silky contours add finesse to the orange peel, apricot jam, mint and spice flavors. Above all else, Coutet offers terrific depth while remaining light on its feet. ANTONIO GALLONI

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

2 BOTTLES AVAILABLE

Saint-Estèphe 2ème Cru Classé 
Extremely aromatic with currant, wild-herb and fresh-violet aromas. This is regal cabernet sauvignon at its finest. The palate has unwaveringly long and defined tannins that carry such fresh, piercingly pure, redcurrant and cassis flavors. A twin to the superb 2015? A blend of 76% cabernet sauvignon, 20% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot.(97) JAMES SUCKLING

The 2017 Montrose is a very pretty, polished wine that speaks much more to finesse than power. Expressive floral and spices notes add an attractive inner sweetness to a Montrose that in 2017 leans more into the red fruit spectrum. Gracious yet deep, with terrific overall balance, the 2017 Montrose is a total winner. What impresses most about the 2017 is its freshness and sophistication. I won't be surprised if Montrose turns out to be even better than this note suggests further down the road. Graphite, licorice, menthol and sage lead to a finish with real grip and freshness. The 2017 is such a classy and promising wine. (95+) ANTONIO GALLONI

The 2017 Montrose was so impressive from barrel and now, bottled since July, it continues to put in a strong case for being one of the best Left Bank wines. It has a very pure and intoxicating bouquet with intense blackberry, light cassis, juniper and violet aromas, almost Margaux-like in terms of personality. Although there is a patina of new oak after bottling, it is in sync with the fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip on the entry. Tightly wound at the moment but supremely well focused, this is a classic Montrose, "cool" and reserved, demonstrating impressive tension and precision towards the finish. It will require less time in bottle than the 2016 for example, so broach this superb Saint-Estèphe after five or six years and then it will give 25 to 30 years of drinking pleasure, and knowing Montrose, probably longer. Tasted twice with consistent notes. (95) NEAL 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!

This is 100% merlot from a 1.5 hectare vineyard located in Montravel, a sub-region of Bergerac.
The grapes are hand harvested in small lug boxes, in the cellar the bunches are destemmed and the fruits selected one by one by hand. The must is then macerated in micro oxygenated tanks, pump over every six hours, alcoholic and malolactic fermentations done in temperature controlled tanks. Aged for fourteen months on fine lees in 1/3 new and 2/3 one year old oak barrels.

This is terrific Merlot - there is even greater vibrancy and verve to the 2017 then the 2016. the fruit is pure and ripe with fresh picked plum and red cherry fruit. Some classy oak wraps gently around some pretty and lifted violet notes. and red fruits. This has plenty of fleshy fruit but in a compact and vibrant frame. There aint much merlo like this in Aus. PWS

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!

The 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape le Plateau—the only one of these four vintages to be bottled—is velvety and forward, with notes of ripe cherries, cedar, vanilla and mocha. It's full-bodied, but not overbearingly tannic, making it approachable already. Only the second vintage to be produced, it's a 60-40 blend of Grenache and Syrah that matured in a mix of tanks and new barrels. JOE CZERWINSKI, The Wine Advocate

In the same ballpark, the 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape Le Plateau comes only from the Mont Redon plateau and is a limited release based on 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah brought up in a mix of used and new barrels. Its saturated purple color is followed by a rocking bouquet of black raspberries, cassis, graphite, violets, and crushed rocks. With plenty of background oak, terrific depth of fruit, full body, and ripe, present tannins, it’s another balanced, age-worthy effort from this estate that should be snatched up by readers. Give bottles 4-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades. (93-95) JEB DUNNUCK

Made in small volumes only in the best years, this comes from plots chosen on the famed Le Plateau de Mont-Redon, the high plateau of galets roules, (large round stones) that makes this one of the most prized terroirs in the appellation. These large stones up to 2 metres deep combine with fine safre (sandy soil) over thin layers of clay which provide important water holding capacity providing an ideally moderate supply of water. The plateau sits high and is exposed to the sun and the Mistral wind giving an optimal ripeness and sanitary state for the vineyard.

Made from parcels of Grenache (63 % planted 1940s) and Syrah (31 % planted 1950s-1960s) and 6 % Mourvèdre. Hand harvested and 100% destemmed with 2-3 days of cold maceration and skin contact of 15-20 days during which extraction is performed mostly by punching down the cap of the ferments. Elevage of 40 % in stainless steel and 60 % in barrels (50 % new) for 18 months, the selected parcels are blended and aged on fine lees for a further 10 months in tank before bottling. Immense ageing capacity giving a wine which shows the quintessence of the older vines of Le Plateau de Mont-Redon.

STAFF PICKS 2024 - GAB POY

This is the perfect wine to pair with cheese after lunch. In fact this year I'm keeping the menu so simple that I've replaced a meat course for a spread of cheese and this beauty. It's a sweet wine but not unctuously so.

A heady mix of honeysuckle, quince blossom and sweetly spiced oranges leads into a sweet and vibrant core tinged with saffron and minerally tones. It bursts onto the palate with great vibrancy and signs off with some please bitter marmalade-like phenolics. With seven years under its belt, its honeyed texture glides across the palate; the perfect wine to serve with cheese. GAB

Ronchi di Cialla is a small family led winery in the pristine valley of Ciall in Friuli. Prized for its biodiversity and unique insects, it's a paradise for life and living.

Wonderfully exotic yet incredibly fresh, the 2017 Verduzzo lifts from the glass with a bouquet of exotic florals, young peach and green melon. This opens with a balanced inner sweetness complicated by salty minerals giving way to tropical citrus and ripe orchard fruits, as confectionary spices cascade throughout. The 2017 finishes vibrant and clean, leaving the palate perfectly reset for another indulgent sip. I would never guess that this finishes at 30 grams of residual sugar per liter. The harmony within is something to behold. Eric Guido, Vinous

The 2017 Schioppettino di Cialla is wildly spicy and fresh, with an intense burst of peppery rose and smokey raspberry offset by a dusting of savory spice. This is silky-smooth and sapid with masses of mineral-tinged dark red fruits offset by zesty acidity. It finishes potent with a staining of primary concentration and a coating of sweet tannins. What a beauty, and with the potential for a very long life. In 2017, Ronchi di Cialla lost 30% of their production due to frost at the end of April. Eric Guido, 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!

A wine of stunning beauty, the 2017 Lafaurie-Peyraguey is so remarkably vivid from the very first taste. All the elements simply fall into place effortlessly. Orchard fruit, tangerine, passion fruit mint and exotic floral overtones all grace this precise, wonderfully inviting Sauternes from Silvio Denz. Lafaurie-Peyraguey is pure and total finesse. (97) ANTONIO GALLONI

A wine with fresh, clean botrytis influence and lemon curd, sliced apricot, dried apricot and apricot confiture. This has striking purity with such intense flavors of peach and apricot custard, apricot pastry and a very elegant and supple, fleshy-fruit texture with acidity that holds such freshness on the finish. Elegance and freshness meets power and purity. Concentrated in every respect - flavors, sugar and acidity. Drink now or age for a considerable time, as you prefer. (97) JAMES SUCKLING

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

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 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape is a blockbuster in the making and I’d wager the finest cuvée from this estate in decades. Brought up in 25% new oak, it offers a mammoth bouquet of crème de cassis, black raspberries, tobacco leaf, and toasted bread. Concentrated, full-bodied, and powerful on the palate, it still has silky tannins, a seamless texture, and a great, great finish. It’s going to keep for 20-25+ years. JEB DUNNUCK

Dense savory nose with notes of bitter chocolate and a slew of spices. Very rich and concentrated, but the wine's savory personality and stony minerality prevents even the slightest hint of sweetness developing. In fact the long spicy finish is wonderfully dry, pulling you back for more of this Chateauneuf masterpiece. JAMES SUCKLING

Deep glistening magenta. A complex, expansive bouquet evokes ripe red and dark berries, potpourri and smoky minerals accented by an exotic Moroccan spice quality. Shows impressive depth as well as energy on the palate, offering sappy black raspberry, bitter cherry and spicecake flavors; an undercurrent of juicy acidity adds lift and back-end cut. Finishes sweet, gently tannic and very long, leaving behind mineral, garrigue and cherry liqueur notes. JOSH RAYNOLDS

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!

Shiraz sourced from the Wark Family vineyard, aged in 50/50% seasoned and new French oak and featuring a lovely label featuring 'Big Jim' by local Barossa artist Marnie Wark. Deep crimson and packed with plump, ripe satsuma plum and macerated summer berry fruits. Hints of baking spices, dark chocolate, earth, chocolate bullets, violets, olive tapenade, softly spoken cedar tones and vanilla. Plush and pure with bright acid drive and a fan of spicy dark and black berry fruits on the exit. (95) DAVE BROOKES, Halliday Wine Companion

It’s now packaged in a Burgundy bottle and while the front label is more or less the same, it’s been tweaked. Anyway, you get the gist.

Wow this is impressive. Pure, rich and commanding. Blackberry and sweet plum flavours cruise into malt, cedar, earth and orange rind. Tannin comes in long chains, both majestic and seamlessly well integrated. There’s a deal of oak here but the fruit is mighty and in any case, it’s hand-in-glove. It’s absolutely in the fuller, richer, sweeter style, but it’s also an absolute beauty. (95) CAMPBELL MATTINSON, The Wine Front

Incredibly dark and inky in the glass, almost black. Opulent aromas of liqueur chocolate, mulberry, stewed plums, mocha and sweet spice. So much going on here. The palate takes no prisoners, it's decadently rich and mouth-filling with lashings of dark fruit flavours, sweet oak, anise, graphite and pudding spice. There is a decent lick of tannin and acid doing its best to control the slurpy and viscous fruit, and it does a pretty smart job. Power, poise and plushness  (95) AARON BRASHER, The Real Review

This iconic estate in BOCA has led the resurgence of Alto Piedmont and is rightly considered the premium producer of the region. The unique micro climate, southern exposure & Volcanic soils delivers perfect maturing for Nebbiolo and now amazing Erbaluce.

Le Piane Boca DOC 2017 - The estates iconic BOCA wine that is considered the finest wine of the region. 85% old vine Nebbiolo and 15% Vespolina grown on volcanic soil.  Long fermentation with the skins (30 days) in open steel and wood casks (2000-3000 litres) . Aged 3 to 4 years in large old oak casks, 12 months in bottle before release.

The 2018 Extra Brut Inattendue is a pure Chardonnay picked in Ludes and Rilly La Montagne. Slight creaminess and fresh, ripe yellow apple flesh appears on the nose. The palate is clearly very youthful with its foamy, exuberant mousse taking center stage and primary fruit still holding sway, deliciously so. This is bright, fresh and vivid, but there is dimension beyond fruit and freshness that shows pure and concentrated fruit . Dosage 3gr/ L Disgorged 2023. ANNE KREBIEHL MW, vinous

László Mészáros makes this late-harvest wine from mainly botrytised Furmint grapes (along with small amounts of Zéta and Hárslevelu), which have shrivelled to around half of their original volume. Termed Késói Szüretelésú in Hungarian, there is no berry-by-berry selection here as there is for Aszú wines. Instead, selected botrytised bunches and grape clusters were harvested and macerated briefly before being pressed. The wine was racked into used French oak (including barrels from Disznóko's sister property, Château Suduiraut in Sauternes), where it matured for six months.

The short aging has kept Furmint's pungent and fruity aromas and flavours intact and guarded its energy and freshness. The palate has a fine balance of candied fruit, honeycomb sweetness and acacia. This wine has residual sugar of around 130 g/L, which is well-balanced by punchy acidity and gentle grip, giving a vibrant and modern expression of Tokaji.

The balance and freshness mean you don't necessarily have to serve this with dessert. In fact, in Hungary, this kind of wine is often consumed as an aperitif or with goat’s cheese or pâté on toast.

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!

The 2017 Turpino is quite reticent, which is surprising given the style and personality of the year. Black cherry, pine, menthol, licorice and chocolate develop nicely over time. Readers should give the 2017 at least a few years in bottle, as it is not at all ready to drink now. The 2017 embodies the house style at Querciabella these days nicely. The wine is rich and deep, but not at all overdone. (95) ANTONIO GALLONI

40% Cabernet Franc, 40% Syrah, 20% Merlot grown in a north-facing vineyard in Grossetto in the Maremma. Biodynamically certified. Aged for 16 months in fine- and extra-fine-grained French oak barriques, of which up to 20% were new.
Lustrous deep crimson. Deep red- and dark-fruit nose with hints of dark spice. Savoury rather than sweet or ripe on the nose... Hint of earth and dried moss. Lush red and dark fruit with a muscular structure that is completely integrated with the fruit. Hedonistic, long, and with loads of appeal. Great fun to drink. (17+) WALTER SPELLER MW

Wonderful aromas of sour cherries and orange peel follow through to a full body with layered tannins that are creamy and juicy. Intense finish with excellent structure. Give this time to soften and come more together. JAMES SUCKLING.

Intense, yet supple and fluid, this red is signaled by a smoky aroma, with blackberry, plum, earth and charred wood balanced by lively acidity and firm tannins. Very fine length. BRUCE SANDERSON, winespectator.com

Sth facing, 450m altitude, granite
This cru captures the first and last rays from the sun, hence the name 'inferno.' Heady notes of dried rose petals, dark chocolate and mountain herbs lure you in. The palate unfolds with layers of florals, spiced red cherries and mulch, held together by an architecture of tannins and energy. While its immediacy is undeniable and incredibly tempting this offers great aging potential. GABRIELLE POY

Poached strawberry and cherry, aniseed/liquorice root. Juicy liquorice-laced pumice stone and volcanic dusty tannin is terrific, and it's so spicy and long to close. What a specific and terroir driven wine this is. Unlike anything else. Tannins really rip here. Unreal. Next level in 2019.  Succulence and DNA of Nebbiolo is so firm and wonderful. GARY WALSH

Pomerol

Just as it was en primeur, the 2017 Vieux Château Certan is regal and soaring right out of the glass. Inky blue and purplish fruit, chocolate, licorice, lavender, spice and mint come together in a dense, dark and powerful Pomerol. The 2017 is an explosive, vivid wine of monastic beauty. In this vintage, VCC is especially dark and somber, which adds to a real feeling of mysterious beauty. It is a towering achievement from Alexandre and Guillaume Thienpont.. (98) ANTONIO GALLONI