Superstars

Aromas and flavours of citrus fruit, passion-fruit and greengages, cut grass with a hint of dried herbs. It has a crisp, dry finish and a lingering after-taste on the palate.  

Country: Australia

Region: Margaret River

ABV: 13%

Grapes: Sauvignon Blanc

Passel Estate, founded by Wendy and Barry Stimpson, is in the heart of the spectacular Margaret River region. Their six hectares of vineyards are surrounded by an impressive granite outcrop and a pristine nature reserve of ancient flora. Sea breezes from the Indian Ocean provide calming relief in the hot summer months and this special location not only produces some of the region’s finest wine grapes, but also provides sanctuary to the endangered Western Ringtail Possum, whose collective noun is a "Passel”!

Food Match: We love this wine for its complexity of aromatics and concentration of flavours on the palate. White fish with fresh asparagus or Samphire is a great pairing.

A nose of raspberry, cranberry, black liquorice, and exotic tea notes. The palate has red cherry, plum, and boysenberry, subtle hints of espresso and cocoa nib underpin notes
of spice and toast. Firm yet integrated tannins and bright acidity drives a long finish.

Country: USA

Region: Sonoma County, California

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: Pinot Noir

A light and elegant expression of the Listan Negro grape variety, with notes of red cherries, white pepper, capsicum and tomato leaf on the nose and palate.

Country: Spain

Region: Gran Canaria

Grapes: Listán Negro

ABV: 13.5%

Food Match: Game, roast, stewed and braised meat, aged cheese

Ikewen, meaning ‘origin’ in the local Guanche dialiect, is a village level wine from the area of San Mateo. The volcanic soils are iron rich and fertile as there is a portion of clay in the composition. Ranging from 90-120 years old, the vines produce low-yielding fruit with impressive concentration. The area’s high altitude of 1,000-1,500m provides a high diurnal range, 100% whole bunches are used and fermentation occurs in stainless steel, conserving the energetic red fruit character and moreish freshness.

This Barolo is delightfully fresh and elegant. Along with its full and deep bodied centre it shows notes of  violets, menthol, warm spices like cardamom and dried fruits all rounded off with fine tannins and minerality that leave you wanting another glass.

Country: Italy

Region: Barolo, Piemonte

14% ABV

Grape: Nebbiolo

Food match: cheeses, cured meats, stewed and grilled meats

This wine has the ability to evolve over 15 + years

Aromas of crushed, black fruit, damson, mint, oak and mocha. Rich, almost succulent black fruit which has great purity and exuberance. Impressive concentration and elegance.

 Country: France

Region: Pomerol. Bordeaux

Grapes: Merlot, Cabernet Franc

ABV: 13.5%

Offering great enjoyment in its youth, especially once decanted for a couple of hours, but BOREAS has a long future ahead and will develop in complexity over the next 10-15+ years.

Complex aromas of redcurrant, plum and red cherry with cedar  and spice notes with a hint of pencil shaving. The predominance of Cabernet Franc gives a wine an elegance with lifted berry fruit and a supple, finely structured mid palate. Firm yet fine tannins frame the spicy, long finish.

Country : South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

Grape: Cabernet Franc 51%, Merlot 25%, Petit Verdot 14%

ABV: 14%

Food Match: Beef short rib, roast lamb or t-bone steak

Waterkloof Wine

'A serious, refined and age worthy Cabernet Franc-based South African red that is excellent value' - Jancis Robinson Feb 2024

A bold inky Graciano, with burst of black current cherry and raspberry with delicious savoury notes of herbs and added depth of cocoa.

Country: USA

Region: Paso Robles California

Grapes: Graciano

ABV: 13%

Food Match: barbecue meats and mature cheese

Crafted with 30% whole-cluster fermentation and aged for nine months in neutral barrels, this wine retains its natural vibrancy. Bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal sulfur, it offers a pure and textured expression of this rare Spanish varietal.

Porseleinberg is the result of Marc Kent’s search for the best Syrah grapes, a journey that inevitably took him to the Swartland. It was here that Kent found an isolated and windswept wine farm perched atop the Porseleinberg mountain. The site is now recognised as one of the greatest Syrah vineyards in the world.

Country: South Africa

Region: Swartland

ABV: 13.9%

Grape: Syrah

Organic

Tim Atkin MW  

Porseleinberg Syrah 2022

99 points

Produced in the teeth of what Callie Louw calls a "crazy year", with lots of winter rain and one of the hottest Januarys ever, this is the latest in a series of world-class Syrahs from the brilliant Callie Louw. Fermented and aged in foudres and 15% concrete, using the submerged cap technique that has transformed the style here, this has 95% whole bunches, fynbos and Mediterranean herb aromas, sculpted, detailed tannins and layers of plum, blackberry and raspberry and impressive freshness for a wine with a pH of 4.1. A refined wine from a brutal site.

Drinking 2025-40

Carema is high on the northern border of the alpine region Aosta in northern Piedmont. It is made of Nebbiolo grown on glacial soil in this high altitude region which creates powerful, perfumed wines with delicate fruit. 

Luigi Ferrando's Carema white label, the Nebbiolo is fermented in steel tanks with a 10 day maceration. The wine then spends 30 months in oak barrels. 

Elegant, spicy, fruity notes with fine  aromas of dried flowers and roses. On the palate it has a round, tannic mouthfeel with warmth and minerals on the finish. 

Country: Italy

Region: Alto Piedmont

Grapes: Nebbiolo

ABV: 13.5%

Intense nose, full of beautiful ripe fruit. Bold, mature and elegant, with excellent tannin structure and length. Very complex.

Country: Italy

Region: Tuscany

Grapes: Merlot: 60%, Cabernet Sauvignon: 17%, Cabernet Franc: 16%, Petit Verdot: 7%

ABV: 14.5%

Food match: Game meat and wild mushrooms

A wonderful dark red colour, with purple reflections. The bouquet is very expressive with notes of meatiness, black plum skin, bitter and sour cherry, liquorice and chalky notes. It is a wine with beautifully integrated oak, finesse and a very long finish.

Country: France

Region: Burgundy

Grapes:  Pinot Noir

Food Match: Poultry and red meats, spring rolls, grilled ribs and braised pork.

The Castello Romitorio Brunello di Montalcino is their flagship wine and reflects more than 30 years of working in harmony with nature within the terroir of Montalcino. It is a wine that expresses the Montalcino territory with purity and tradition. Drinking window: 2023-2033.

Country: Italy

Region: Tuscany

ABV: 14.5%

Grapes: Sangiovese

Deep red colour. Lifted aromas of fruitcake and tomato paste, cinnamon, cloves and smoky blackberry emerging too. Syrah spice complimenting the Bordeaux varietals and new oak component nicely integrated. Elegant dry tannin running with the complex spicy fruit from beginning to end of a long fine finish. Best 2023 to 2030.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch, Helderberg

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon 31%, Merlot 19%, Shiraz 32%, Cabernet Franc 18%

ABV: 14.5% 

An elegant perfumed nose of dark fruits, blackcurrant, cassis, spice, cinnamon and mocha. Quite tight and taut on the palate with a refreshing weight on the mid-palate and fine-grained tannins on the finish. Great special occasion food wine, opens up beautifully with decanting.

Country: France

Region: Bordeaux, St Julien

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon  Merlot  Petit Verdot Cabernet Franc 

ABV: 13.5%

Food Match: perfect with beef Wellington

The vintage is dense in colour, retaining a purplish-blue hint typical of wines that are slow to develop. Chewy and rich, with dried fruits and fresh herbs. Full and chewy.

Country: France

Region: St Emilion, Bordeaux

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: Merlot

The nose has layers of citrus and stone fruit aromas, and hints angelica, acacia flower and allspice. Flavours of lemon, yellow apple and nectarine follow through onto an elegant, balanced palate with delicate notes of greengage, papaya, yellow apple and passion fruit. The wine is light to medium bodied, with a fleshy texture and vibrant, integrated acidity. 

Country: South Africa

Region: Western Cape

ABV: 14%

Grapes: Chenin Blanc 53%, Chardonnay 24%, Semillon 19%, Viognier 4%

The blend is composed of signature white varieties from each property: Semillon, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, and Viognier. Semillon, matured in oak, provides structure and age-worthiness-drawing on Boekenhoutskloof's long-standing reputation for this grape. Old bush vine Chenin Blanc from the Swartland adds depth, texture and opulence, while cool-climate Chardonnay brings lift and precision. Viognier lends a subtle aromatic richness.

Tim Atkin's review: A new addition to the consistently impressive Boekenhoutskloof range, this is a pan-regional blend of Swartland Chenin Blanc complemented by 24% Chardonnay, 19% Semillon and 4% Viognier from elsewhere. Inspired by the whites of the southern Rhône, it's stony, savoury and lightly wooded, with aromas of laurel, thyme and white flowers and a palate of pear, citrus, peach and wet stones. Drink 2026 – 2031

Deep garnet  colour with flecks of pomegranate. Sweet strawberry, meaty and smokey tar aromas with black cherries and ripe wild berries. Full-bodied and concentrated with round and silky tannins. Juicy, long and savoury finish.

Country: Italy

Region: Piemonte

Grapes: Nebbiolo

ABV: 14.5 %

Food Match: Braised beef or venison dishes with a rich red wine sauce.

Undicicomuni" refers to the 11 (undici) communes (comuni) that make up the Barolo appellation, the Nebbiolo grapes for this wine come from across all 11 communes. Fermentation and maceration takes place for three weeks in stainless steel at a controlled temperature. Then there is 26 months of aging in large wooden casks followed by a further 6 months in concrete tanks.

It pours an intense ruby red with hues of garnet, with an intense aromatic range: blackcurrant, tobacco, coffee and graphite. This wine has a lingering taste and is warm, powerful, spiced, with balanced and velvet-smooth tannins.

Country: Italy

Region: Umbria

Grapes: Sagrantino

ABV: 15%

Food Match: Game, roast, stewed and braised meat, aged cheese

Made from the best selection of grapes grown exclusively in a vineyard on the hills of Colcimino. The oldest vineyard in Bevagna (Pg) situated in Colcimino at 350 m heigt, exposure West on sandy clay-calcareous. Plant density: 4000 per hectare.

Bright ruby red in colour. The nose is brimming with cranberry and raspberry fruit character, along with hints of game meat and smokiness. On the palate it is balanced, elegant and savoury with a mineral finish. 

Country: Australia

Region: Tarrawarra, Yarra Valley

Grapes: Pinot Noir

ABV: 13.5%

Food Match: Perfect with roast duck

This property has historical importance, being farmed by a pioneering family of the wine industry in the Uco Valley. The Italian José Zingaretti immigrated to Argentina at the beginning of the 20 th century, bringing along his knowledge of vine growing and winemaking from his homeland. He was one of the first settlers of Tupungato, which at the time was a remote and nearly inaccessible area. This wine comes from vines of more than 80 years old. Aged for 18 months in a combination of new, second and third use French oak barrels. 50% of the wine underwent full malolactic and 50% partial. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. Only 400 cases made. Drinking beautifully now or hold for up to 6 years.

Stunning old-vine chardonnay shows beautiful density and concentration Precise with a round, creamy texture. It’s full- bodied, refined, soft and fluffy. Fresh and bright. Intense, yet subtle with notes of pear and cherry blossom. Wonderful white with unique character.

Country: Argentina

Region: Mendoza

ABV: 14.5%

Grapes: Chardonnay

After visiting Argentina in 1989, Californian trail-blazer Paul Hobbs became deeply interested in both the terroir and Argentine culture, noticing the unique potential for Malbec and other varietals in the region. After meeting two kindred spirits, Andrea Marchiori and Luis Barraud, they founded Viña Cobos in 1997 and since then there has been no looking back. Utilising gnarly old vines, careful vineyard selection, very low yields and an unerring empathy for the raw materials, Viña Cobos craft intense yet balanced wines that showcase the elegance and beauty of this region. The wines from Cobos have branched into four different brands – Felino, Bramare appellation, Bramare Single Vineyard and the super premium Cobos. Binding all of the wines from Viña Cobos is the true identity of each variety and the unique terroir of Mendoza, truly world class wines from a world class producer.

Complex, precise and elegant Nebbiolo from the region's most well known producer

Country: Italy

Region: Piemonte, Barbaresco

Grapes: Nebbiolo

ABV: 14.5%

93
Drinking Window: 2024 - 2033
Antonio Galloni, September 2024
The 2021 Barbaresco is a gorgeous, deep wine. Although the aromatics are a bit
closed, the 2021 shows gorgeous depth and a touch more palate presence than is
typically the case for this bottling. Dark and enveloping, the 2021 will offer a number
of years of very fine drinking. It is an impressive, classy wine from Produttori del
Barbaresco.

Rich, complex and voluptuous Chenin stony soils, with a warm, dry climate and sea breeze unique to the Malgas region of South Africa. Fresh fruit and complex mineral  flavours, this wine carries on for a long time on the finish. 

Country: South Africa

Region: Malgas, Swellendam, Western Cape

Grapes: Chenin Blanc

ABV: 14%

Sijnn is prounounced 'sen', or 'seine'

Certified IPW sustainable

Deliciously layered aromas of black cherry and raspberry lift out of the glass, followed by exotic spice notes and a dark, rich loamy quality. This wine is like satin in the mouth—so supple. It toes the line between ethereal and ponderous in the most delightful way.

Country: USA

Region: Chehalem Mountains, Oregon

Grapes: Pinot Noir

ABV: 13%

If tasted blind, you would never in a million years guess that this wine was English! Perfumed, vibrant, juicy Pinot with violets, lavender, cherries, rhubarb, cinnamon, and pepper. Smooth and silky with a long finish. Excellent.

Country: England

Region: Grapes sourced from Essex Vineyards (Martin's Lane in Crouch Valley) wine vinified in Gavin Carver's winery in The Cotswolds

Grapes: Pinot Noir

ABV: 12.5%

Food match: Tagliatelle, con porcini e crema

A deliciously ripe and moreish red Bordeaux blend from South Africa's Cabernet capital of Stellenbosch.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

ABV: 13%

Grapes: 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, and 4% Merlot