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.
Australia & NZ
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Western Australia | 1 | 98 (TRR) | HK$3,488.00 | |||||
The Real Review (98)Bright mid-yellow colour, with an exuberant bouquet of grapefruit, cashew nuts and a faint smoky patina, the palate likewise flavoured and singing with a superb purity. Great refinement, intensity, line and length. A finesse wine, the grapefruit flavour so concentrated it gives an impression of sweetness—which of course it has none. A stunning chardonnay. |
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Western Australia | 1 | 98 (HWC) | HK$3,675.00 | |||||
Halliday Wine Companion (98)It’s been a joy to watch the evolution of Heytesbury over the past decade or so, as it's one of the great Australian chardonnays. Whatever vintage conditions have thrown at it, and with tweaks along the way, the nucleus remains steadfast: quality, excellent fruit and a second-to-none level of detail in the winemaking. This is an evocative wine. Pristine and sublime. Funky sulphides rockin’ it while a gossamer thread of acidity holds everything in line – the citrus flavours, the texture, the wine totally enveloping the oak and, while it’s a powerhouse of flavour, there’s a purity to this. It’s such a contrast. How does it achieve that? |
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Western Australia | 1 | 97 (HWC) | HK$3,125.00 | |||||
Halliday Wine Companion (97)If one wine typifies the current state of Australian chardonnay (complex, superfine, detailed and majestic) as much as a wine of place, Heytesbury could possibly be it. There’s a lot of fruit power this vintage, yet still, a tightly coiled style in youth. A millefeuille of flavour – grapefruit, lemon salt, white nectarine and complex savoury nuances, the oak and lees folded into the wine. There’s an intriguing zinc character too, a little flinty and funky with mouth-watering acidity. Moreish and compelling all the way through. Mesmerising. |
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Western Australia | 1 | 98 (TRR) | HK$6,330.00 | |||||
The Real Review (98)Deep red/purple colour with a very fresh, nuanced, aromatic bouquet loaded with blue and red fruits, cedar and high-toned flowers, violets to the fore. A totally gorgeous bouquet, very fresh and primary but also complex and detailed. Very fine tannins; extremely long carry. A supremely elegant, sublime wine that finishes right out with impressive extension. Clearly, the best Tom Cullity to date. (17% malbec; 1% petit verdot) |
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Western Australia | 1 | 99 (WAU) | HK$2,585.00 | |||||
The West Australian (99)Highly perfumed aromas strike immediately. There is that combination of fruit sweetness and fine chalky minerally tannins. Loads of blackcurrant and juicy plum with a dollop of chocolate and mocha cut with floral and dried herb notes. Bright and energetic at every turn with subtlety and elegance. Delivers with a degree of understatement and restraint yet gathers pace and momentum as it drives through to the finish. The tannins are more in the powdery space with that slightly aspirin-like oak influence bringing it all together seamlessly and harmoniously. This is classic cabernet in its varietal makeup with a firm spine and length. The malbec has brought a vibrant red fruit juiciness into the equation. The finest wine yet from Vasse Felix. It’s 2016 without the tannin and 2014 without the opulence. |
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Western Australia | 1 | 99 (WAU) | HK$1,205.00 | |||||
The West Australian (99)Highly perfumed aromas strike immediately. There is that combination of fruit sweetness and fine chalky minerally tannins. Loads of blackcurrant and juicy plum with a dollop of chocolate and mocha cut with floral and dried herb notes. Bright and energetic at every turn with subtlety and elegance. Delivers with a degree of understatement and restraint yet gathers pace and momentum as it drives through to the finish. The tannins are more in the powdery space with that slightly aspirin-like oak influence bringing it all together seamlessly and harmoniously. This is classic cabernet in its varietal makeup with a firm spine and length. The malbec has brought a vibrant red fruit juiciness into the equation. The finest wine yet from Vasse Felix. It’s 2016 without the tannin and 2014 without the opulence. |
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Hawke's Bay | 1 | 96 (TRR) | HK$1,965.00 | |||||
The Real Review (96)Intense and deliciously complex chardonnay with grapefruit, saline/oyster shell, ginger, nutty yeast lees and spicy French oak flavours. Impressive depth and cellaring potential. A remarkable success from a difficult vintage. |
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Hawke's Bay | 2 | 96 (TRR) | HK$3,525.00 | |||||
The Real Review (96)Deep, dark red/purple colour, excellent hue, and the bouquet is classic cabernet sauvignon: cedar, blackcurrant, blackberry, tobacco and a trace of seaweed or nori. Coffee grounds later. Concentrated and powerful, this is a majestic cabernet, with tremendous concentration, fleshy extract and drive. It fills the mouth to overflowing. A great wine in the making and a triumph for a straight cabernet sauvignon from this region. |
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Hawke's Bay | 1 | 97 (TRR) | HK$3,525.00 | |||||
The Real Review (97)Intense yet surprisingly accessible red with cassis, blackberry, cedar, vanilla, black cherry, and spicy French oak flavours. Powerful yet elegant wine with strong varietal identity. Should develop well with bottle age. |
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Victoria | 8 | 94 (HWC) | HK$1,625.00 | |||||
Halliday Wine Companion (94)A blend of pressings of Shiraz (62%)/Cabernet Sauvignon (33%)/Dolcetto (5%) assembled from barrels of 2006 vintage with some 'reserve' barrels of the best vintages over the past 10 years. It is neither fearsomely tannic or alcoholic, rather a medium- to full-bodied wine with licorice, blackberry and blackcurrant fruit flavours. |
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Victoria | 1 | 94 (WA) | HK$800.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (94)The blockbuster 2004 Shiraz Springflat’s inky/purple color is followed by a wine that pushes concentration to the limit. Made from tiny yields of 1.5 to 1.8 tons of fruit per acre, aged in 50% new and 50% 1 and 2 year old oak (half American and half French) barrels, it is a huge, rich, backward Shiraz that still assaults the palate and olfactory senses. Forget this big, structured, intense 2004 for 2-3 years and drink it over the following 15 or more. |
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Victoria | 1 | 95 (WA) | HK$1,030.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (95)The 2006 Springflat Shiraz is 100% varietal aged in 100% new French and American oak. The nose offers up an array of cedar, saddle leather, boysenberry, blackberry, and blueberry compote. This is followed by a sweetly fruited, opulent wine with layers of spicy flavors, earth notes, and spice box. Balanced and exceptionally long, this large-scaled effort will evolve for another 5-7 years and be at its best through 2031. |
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South Australia | 30 | - | HK$815.00 | |||||
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South Australia | 30 | - | HK$815.00 | |||||
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South Australia | 1 | 92 (HWC) | HK$2,000.00 | |||||
Halliday Wine Companion (92)Old-school Coonawarra wrapped within a sheath of contemporary tannin management. Smoother, perhaps, but the region's green olive scented tannins, sinewy and edgy, are strongly genetic. Otherwise, currant, bay leaf and an herbaceous undercarriage of mint, clove and bouquet garni push across a persistent linger. |
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South Australia | 1 | 96 (HWC) | HK$900.00 | |||||
Halliday Wine Companion (96)Strong purple-crimson; from the first whiff to the finish and aftertaste, the wine has remarkable cohesion, line and balance; there are hints of spice to the essentially black fruits, the French oak evident but seamless, the mouthfeel supple and velvety, the finish with a dry, savoury twist, just what was needed. Screwcap. |
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