Australia & NZ
These far-flung wine regions may be referred to ‘new’ when compared against the historic European wine regions, but they have a long winemaking history. Spared from Phylloxera, Australia in particular has world's highest concentration of venerable vines and legendary producers such as Penfolds, Henschke and Tyrell’s have been around for over 150 years. Though for many years piggybacking on Europe’s successes, branding their own wines as ‘Chablis’, ‘Hermitage’ etc., Australia now have created a real identity of their own, making inimitable styles like Coonawarra Cabernet or Hunter Valley Semillon.
New Zealand doesn’t quite have as an extensive history but has established itself in an astonishingly short amount of time as a reliable source of whistle clean, distinctive examples of varietals like Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc.
Read More
Australia & NZ
Photo
AI Chat
-
James Suckling (97)
A blend of 57% cabernet sauvignon and 43% shiraz, this has a very impressively complete feel, a hallmark of the 2018 vintage wines, and there’s a myriad of characters with cabernet’s cedary and gently herbal notes sitting atop a core of rich red-plum and dark-berry shiraz fruit aromas. So integrated. The palate has a very silky texture, so plush and polished with a wealth of rich and intense dark-plum, dark-berry and blackcurrant flavors. The oak is completely soaked with ripe, fresh fruit. This is a great Bin 389. Drink over the next two decades. Screw cap.د.إ1,315.00 -
Decanter (95)
With its seamless textural slide across the palate, this is a superb example of what is considered a distinctly Australian blend, showing both generosity and serious intent. A magnificent full nose leads to a lively dance of red plums over blue and black fruits, although the strong acid spine results in a rather sharp finish. Time in the cellar will reveal more integrated harmony between the essential elements. Released at AU$100.د.إ1,115.00 -
Matthew Jukes (19)
Drawn from McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley and Padthaway, this is nothing short of an awesome Bin 389 and the Cabernet fruit that would have made it into both Bin 707 and Bin 169 had it been imperceptibly finer is shining like a beacon in this wine. The glorious flavours are so perfect and balanced, and there is spectacular refinement here. I have long since stopped looking for the weld between these two noble red grapes in this legendary The Great Australian Red blend because it is second nature for these two varieties to fuse perfectly in this wine.د.إ1,080.00 -
Matthew Jukes (18.5+)
Drawn from McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Coonawarra, Padthaway and Wrattonbully, this is a seriously focussed and complete Bin 407 with impressive length, and it manages to retain control to the very end. There was no Bin 169 or Bin 707 made in 2020, so this wine (and Bin 389 below) has scooped up the very best Cabernet from the estate, and there is no doubt it is a very special creature indeed. Delicious and savoury, the tannins pinch the palate, and it remains reassuringly dry and firm while on the finish, allowing the palate to open up beautifully on the nose. This is a huge success in 2020.د.إ1,965.00 -
Vinous (96)
Glass-staining ruby. Intensely perfumed red and dark fruit liqueur, floral oil, coconut and cured tobacco qualities on the highly expressive nose. Offers palate-staining, still-primary cherry-vanilla, blackcurrant, coconut and fruitcake flavors that are lifted and sharpened by an undercurrent of smoky minerality. Gains weight with air while retaining energy and finishes sweet and extremely long, with reverberating cherry and floral notes and supple, slow-building tannins.د.إ5,905.00 -
Wine Advocate (97)
Sourced from McLaren Vale (41%), Coonawarra, Barossa Valley and Padthaway this vintage, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707 spent 18 months in 100% new American oak hogsheads prior to bottling. Scents of vanilla, cedar and celery seed seamlessly swirl around dark notions of cassis, plum, coffee and cocoa. There's a touch of mint, but it fits well within the context of the wine. Full-bodied, concentrated and rich, this wine looks to have at least two decades ahead of it. The finish is truly special, with beguiling hints of maple syrup balanced by a smooth, enveloping wash of softly dusty tannins.د.إ6,025.00 -
Wine Spectator (94)
Supple, ripe and generous with its blueberry, plum and mocha flavors, riding easily over finely wrought tannins and extending into the long, expressive finish. Rich, complex and evocative, this has plenty of flavor packed into a beautifully balanced package. Drink now through 2020. 680 cases imported. — HSد.إ8,355.00 -
(6x75cl) 2005
Wine Advocate (97)
Containing just a dollop of 4.1% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2005 Grange is about 85%+ Barossa fruit with the remaining proportions coming from McLaren vale and Coonawarra. It was aged for 18 months in 100% new American oak hogsheads. The nose begins a bit animal with some smoked game, mincemeat and bacon notes emerging over the freshly crushed, sun-warmed blackberries, black currant cordial, earth, black truffles, anise and allspice. Rich and full with very firm very fine tannins and very crisp acid, it gives a long finish layered with coffee, mincemeat and toast. Drink it 2013 to 2025+.د.إ9,395.00 -
James Suckling (100)
Shows super fresh and vivid blue and black berries and a defiantly primary feel to the wine. Plenty of spice and tarry elements, too. There’s a lot to like here, barely getting started. Similar to 1990, but a notch or two superior. There’s an attractive, crisp-cut edge to the tannins, immense richness and impressive resolve. A great Grange. Drink or hold.د.إ9,630.00 -
Halliday Wine Companion (99)
Bottle no. AV697. This vintage was destined to be one of the greatest Granges. In the flesh it is majestically complex, superbly focused and intense, and wondrously balanced. It has every black fruit flavour known to man or woman, and will become more magical with each passing decade. Oh for a screwcap.د.إ9,760.00 -
Wine Advocate (100)
This vintage is a blend of 96% Shiraz and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, coming from the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra and Magill Estate. Very deep inky purple-black colored, the 2013 Grange has a profoundly scented nose of crème de cassis, preserved black plums, blueberry pie and licorice over nuances of baker’s chocolate, smoky bacon and fragrant earth, plus exotic spice wafts of cumin seed, cardamom, fenugreek and star anise. Unfurling and slowly building in the medium to full-bodied mouth with wonderful grace and depth, it reveals an incredible array of ripe black fruit, spice, meat and earth-inspired flavors, with a rock-solid frame to support this beauty (it should easily cellar for 40+ years!), while previously latent flavors emerge fully on the epically long finish, culminating in that ultimate Grange experience. Oh, yes.د.إ9,085.00 -
Wine Advocate (98)
Rich, concentrated and intense, the 2014 Grange delivers exactly what we've come to expect from this Penfolds icon wine. It's full-bodied, velvety in feel and loaded with plummy fruit, framed in vanilla and cedar. Dense, powerful and tannic, it should prove to be long lived, even by Grange standards. Gago doesn't rate the vintage overall that highly, but he says the selection this year for Grange was a bit more stringent and that production levels were just average. There are still over 1,000 cases for the United States.د.إ6,995.00 -
Halliday Wine Companion (99)
Penfolds nailed the great 2016 vintage, making a wine that is perfect in every way. The blend of 97% shiraz and 3% cabernet sauvignon comes from the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley and Magill Estate in Adelaide, in that order, and as usual spent 18 months in new American hogsheads. Its detail is superb, with light and shade allowing blackberry and plum fruit pride of place, but there's also flashes of spice and licorice. It's as mouth-watering with the last taste as the first, and 7.3g/L of acidity leaves the mouth fresh.د.إ7,500.00 -
James Suckling (100)
A robust Grange from a lauded vintage, this wields sheer power with such compelling prowess. Uncompromising Grange. There are rich blackberries and plums on offer, together with brazen oak and abundant notes of blackcurrants, black cherries, charcoal, cola and hard brown spices. So fleshy and intense. Dark-chocolate and cocoa-powder aromas and flavors here, too. The tannins are polished and long, extruding deep into the finish and holding endlessly. Dark chocolate, black cherry, dark plum and more. Impressive. Brazen. One of the great Granges that will drink magnificently for decades to come.د.إ10,020.00 -
(6x75cl) 2018Wine Advocate (98)
Sourced only from the Barossa Valley, RWT is aged exclusively in French oak, giving it two major points of difference from the rest of the Penfolds range. Always a sexy, voluptuous wine (and admittedly a personal favorite), the 2018 RWT Shiraz ratchets that up to new heights in a great Barossa vintage, boasting layers of berry-like fruit, refined vanilla shadings and baking-spice notes, plus more exotic elements like star anise and cocoa powder. It's full-bodied and plush without being unstructured in any way, with a lingering, complex finish and the concentration to age two decades or more.د.إ2,265.00 -
Matthew Jukes (19.5+)
Peter Gago explained that on 20th December, the temperature peaked at 45.6C, yet these vines dealt perfectly with this extreme challenge. In fact, I think it emboldened these vines, giving them a serious depth of flavour and darkness that opens onto a phenomenal array of black fruit and density, and it is packed with awesome power, and yet it is so refreshing and lifted on the finish it defies belief! Compact yet massive, overwhelmingly grand and delicately perfumed, this is an incredible RWT with a very long life ahead of it. This is an unmissable wine for serious collectors in this release.د.إ3,190.00 -
The Real Review (99)
Very deep, dense purple/red colour. Fabulous nose of concentrated blueberry and blackberry aromas. Enormous fruit sweetness and decadent, lush fruit and texture. Totally seductive. Great power and persistence. An astonishing wine of monumental depth and power, but also fabulous texture and harmony. A very great wine in the making.د.إ3,285.00 -
Wine Advocate (96+)
The 2012 Shiraz St Henri is very impressive with its elegant, sophisticated and well-crafted expression of this superb vintage. As always, there is no new oak employed here, simply 50+ year old large oak vats. This vintage has a dollop (3%) Cabernet Sauvignon, contributing a lovely cassis lift to the heady perfume. Deep garnet-purple colored, it displays a gorgeous nose of commendable purity and intensity with notes of red and blackcurrants, freshly crushed blackberries, menthol, cinnamon stick, bacon fat and cloves. Rich and already expressive on the palate, it is nonetheless built for the long haul with firm, ripe and grainy tannins carrying the fruit to a long and layered finish. This should be a long-lived St Henri that should cellar gracefully for at least 2 decades.د.إ2,015.00 -
Jancis Robinson (18)
Thick deep purple. Refined, really complex nose. Super-ripe purple fruit and lovely polish. So clean and fresh on the end. Suave and velvety. Complete. Lightly salty and beautifully smooth yet with masses of tannins underneath.د.إ1,660.00 -
James Suckling (98)
This is a much anticipated vintage for St. Henri, and it does not disappoint. The complexity of fruit here is stunning, together with a very complex and playfully fragrant, spicy edge with graphite, roasted coffee and woody spices, framing a core of very fresh blackberries, red and dark cherries and blueberries. So fresh and brimming with fruit aromas. The palate has a stunning array of deeply fleshy fruit flavors with a superb sense of length and powerful, ripe tannin, underpinning vibrant, fleshy fruit that is beautifully assembled in a refined, elegant and impressively pure mode. So long and pure. Silky and elegant. A real masterpiece, taking its place among the finest vintages like 2010, 1990 and 1971. 95% shiraz and 5% cabernet sauvignon. Drink over the next three decades.د.إ1,895.00 -
Wine Advocate (97)
The 2018 St Henri Shiraz is a terrific effort, perhaps rivaling the top-flight wines under this label in 1976 and 1986. Remarkably fine and silky in texture yet simultaneously dense and concentrated, it showcases the amazing fruit harvested in 2018. Boysenberry, mulberry and mocha shadings all swirl together effortlessly in a whorl of full-bodied elegance, finishing long and effortless. Mainly Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, it includes smaller amounts of fruit from Port Lincoln, Robe, Padthaway, Clare Valley and the Adelaide Hills, all aged 12 months in large old wooden vats.د.إ1,915.00 -
Wine Advocate (96)
Gently toasted almond and subtle pencil shavings give some indication of the 35% new French oak that was used to age the 2016 Chardonnay Yattarna. Ripe peach, pear and melon fruit fills out the medium to full-bodied palate, then really grows in intensity and focus on the long finish. This is the most complete Yattarna I've ever tasted, blending richness and acidity in a seamless fashion. It's a blend of fruit from Tasmania (51%), Henty (23%), Adelaide Hills (14%) and Tumbarumba (12%).د.إ3,435.00 -
James Suckling (98)
This has really transformed into a complex, bottle-matured riesling with lemon-rind, lemon-butter and toasty aromas. The palate is very smoothly arranged and the wine has taken on a glossy textural quality over the five years in bottle. The length and intensity here is so impressive. This is breathtakingly pure, yet complex and drinkable. Drink or hold. Screw cap.د.إ595.00 -
Halliday Wine Companion (97)
2002 vines. Wigan is king of Eden Valley riesling and yet again one of the top releases of the year. Still a magnificent straw-green at just 5yo, it's at that magic moment where primary and secondary characters unite in equal measure. All the fresh lime and Granny Smith apple of youth, backed by rising buttery, spicy, roast almond maturity. Brilliant acid line charges an astonishing finish that lasts for 30 seconds. Yes, I timed it! For all it represents, this might just be the bargain of the year.د.إ442.00 -
James Suckling (97)
So vibrant for it’s age, this has great concentration of candied-lime and grapefruit-zest character. Terrific structure and energy on the driving palate, but all of this is wrapped in rich citrus fruit to create stunningly complete harmony. Very long and compact finish that suggests this has at least a further decade of aging potential. Drink or hold. Screw cap.د.إ704.00 -
James Suckling (96)
Attractive bath powder and lemon blossom as well as white peach, grapefruit and some flint. The palate has a super fleshy feel with a blaze of acidity and long, fresh lemon, grapefruit and white-peach flavors. Good acidity and concentration. Drink or hold. Screw cap.د.إ604.00 -
James Suckling (96)
A very fresh, piercing nose of sliced lemon with plenty of sweet perfume, too. The palate is similarly intense and vibrant with white stone-fruit and lemon flavors, delivered in an impressively intense and balanced mode. Drink or hold. Screw cap.د.إ491.00 -
(6x75cl) 2022Matthew Jukes (18.5)
The sample bottle for this wine arrived a couple of hours after I had finalised the 100 Best Australian Wines Report for 2022/23. It will surely join the throng in the 2023/24 Report, which I will be launching in September because it is the most impressive Pewsey Vale Riesling I can remember. There is a Tardis-like quality to this wine that completely bewitches the senses. It grabs the attention from the off with a textbook, breezy, citrus and saline perfume. Then the palate takes over with exultant flavours and sensuality, and it is immediately apparent that this is no ordinary seventeen-pound bottle of white wine! 2022 PV is an ‘attention grabber’, and I hope that I have your attention when I say that the coming spring and summer will not be complete without a couple of cases of this wine in your cellar.د.إ350.00 -
Halliday Wine Companion (98)
Named after the family matriarch. Selection of the best parcels of fruit from the Polish Hill River estate. pH 2.93, TA 8.23 g/L, RS 3.1 g/L. Pikes' flagship, but also a Clare Valley flagship. It's not often a 6-month-old riesling can be described as luscious, but that's the impact of this wine. It's citrus focused, of course, and it also has keynote acidity, but it's the honeyed mouthfeel and flavour that hits the jackpot.د.إ736.00 -
Jeb Dunnuck (95)
Another gem in the lineup, the 2016 Shiraz Barossa & Eden Valleys is equal parts from each region brought up in foudre. Its deep ruby/purple color is followed by scents of black raspberries, currants, incense, Christmas spice, and sage, with exotic peppery notes developing with time in the glass. Full-bodied, deep, silky and layered, on the palate, it’s another brilliant wine from this family that’s going to keep for over a decade.د.إ3,920.00
