TASTING REVIEWS

OZ WINES FROM RED RHONE

Searching the internet we find you reviews on the wines we stock.

On Decanter Premium, Matt Walls' top 20 Australian wines made from red Rhône varieties. Below are the ones we stock...

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Charles Melton, `Nine Popes` Barossa Valley 2018, Australia
94 points, (£70.66)
With spicy caramel licks on the nose, this has good weight and presence, teamed with well-balanced acidity and a long finish. Elegant, complex, impressive, well-made wine; one of the best Grenache-based blends in Australia. Long finish. The elegant and juicy strawberry and blueberry fruit is very precise and defined, all spiked with cinnamon oak spice. Fur-coat tannins. This will age very well. From Grenache planted in 1927. Aged in barriques (70% French, 30% American) 25% new.

MMAD Vineyard, Blewitt Springs Grenache 2022, Australia
94 points, (£42)
Rose, pomegranate and violets, very aromatic. Fluid, light in tannin and only medium-bodied. Gentle grip on the palate, with bright strawberry and ripe raspberry fruit throughout. Soft, appealing and very drinkable. Very elegant and very well balanced. Matured for 14 months in concrete, foudre and old puncheons.

S.C. Pannell, `Old McDonald` Blewitt Springs McLaren Vale Grenache 2022, Australia
93 points, (£45)
A full-bodied, dense style of Grenache; powerful and tannic. Chewy tannins and a long, pure finish. A touch of eucalyptus to the berry fruits. Grown at 80m altitude near Blewitt Springs. Fermented in eight-year-old wooded vats, with a 12-15 day maceration and no punching down, just pumping over.

Willunga 100, `Trott Vineyard Blewitt Springs` McLaren Vale Grenache 2022, Australia
92 points, (£28)
Particularly fragrant, with rose and lavender, pomegranate and blueberry. Soft and yielding, plump, juicy and easy-going style. Firm acids ride in on the finish, with soft but tense tannins. Violets continue the floral style on the finish. Grown on grey loamy sands. 

Henschke, `Mount Edelstone` Eden Valley Shiraz 2018, Australia
97 points , (£153)
Grown in Eden Valley. It has a lovely lifted spicy freshness on the nose, a beautiful aromatic display encompassing violets, liquorice and roasted Indian spices. There's a very elegant, seductive, caressing feel on the palate, with great concentration and without heaviness. It's very well balanced; the oak is present but not distracting from the pure black fruit. Excellent.

John Duval, `Eligo` Barossa Shiraz 2018, Australia
95 points, (£46)
Grown across various Barossa Grounds, with a majority of Barossa Valley fruit and some Eden Valley. Dense and intense, with earthy liquorice and black fruit. A full-bodied wine that's creamy on the palate, with very ripe tannins. There's mouth-coating fruit and tannin, with a huge concentration of fruit and well-judged oak work that doesn't intrude, even at this early stage. Very long finish. Very typical high-end Barossa in its huge intensity and vibrant fruit.
 
John Duval, `Annexus` Barossa Grenache 2022, Australia
96 points, (£45)
The beautifully poised 2022 Grenache Annexus from the Eden Valley is shy right now but will be something special given the time. Right now, it delivers understated meaty and spicy aromas with a dark cherry undertow and oak nicely couched in behind. Fabulous focus and energy follow in a seamless and understated package yet this shows exceptional density of fruit of focus that drives a long, seamless finish.

Henschke, `Hill of Grace` Eden Valley Shiraz 2019, Australia
95 points, (£440)
The expressive and finely-tuned 2019 Shiraz Hill of Grace is generously proportioned but still holds its cards quite close to its chest at this early stage of life. There is distinctly ripe chocolate and cocoa to start before liquorice, black olive and spice begin to rise. With excellent shape and composure, the seam of al-dente tannins provides both youthful drinkability and the backbone to assist with significant ageing. A strong but not superlative vintage.
(Available on allocation only. Please speak with your sales representative.)

John Duval, `Annexus` Barossa Valley Mataro 2022, Australia
94 points, (£45)
The more ethereal 2022 Mataro Annexus is immediately seductive, delivering a beautifully balanced blend of sweet blackberry and liquorice lifted by savoury, earthy spices. Effortless textures with lovely initial vibrancy open into more fleshy flavours well-defined by al-dente tannins. It's a little reserved right now but has the integrity to age well.
Current vintage: 2021

John Duval, `Entity` Barossa Shiraz 2022, Australia
94 points, (£83)
The stylish 2022 Shiraz Entity offers fine and detailed aromas of dried meats and dark cherry with a strong seam of crushed cloves. It is dry, mid-weight and quite Rhône with meat and spice flavours, with a fresh line of acidity leading to a very long and refined finish. The 2022 is charming and should age well.
Current vintage: 2021

John Duval, `Eligo` Barossa Shiraz 2019, Australia
94 points, (£63)
The bold and expressive Shiraz Eligo, blended from Barossa Valley and Eden Valley fruit, is rich yet finely balanced with its chocolate and blackberry aromas lifted by black tea and cocoa tones. It's pretty muscular in texture, with liquorice and Christmas cake flavours supported by strong, drying tannins, which draw out the finish. There's excellent ageing potential here.
Current vintage: 2018

Henschke, `Mount Edelstone` Eden Valley Shiraz 2019, Australia
94 points, (£155)
This sturdy, strong 2019 Shiraz Mount Edelstone has all the ingredients for a long life ahead with a little flair thrown in. It is a distinctly savoury wine, with layer after layer of earthy, meaty tones underpinned by generously musky plum aromas. The excellent density of flavour and firm, chewy tannins follow. Peaty, wood smoke and clove flavours linger over the finish. The delicious overall flow and drinkability will hold for some time to come.
(Available on allocation only. Please speak with your sales representative.)

John Duval, `Plexus` Barossa Shiraz/Grenache/Mourvèdre 2022, Australia
93 points, (£29)
The delightful 2022 Plexus, a blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvèdre, has superb fruit purity. While starting a little shy, it builds momentum with time. Old leather and roasted spices and meats begin before plummy richness builds and offers strong support. This is elegance personified, and it has a lovely lightness of touch throughout, although with solid tannins in support. It will age well in a bottle.
Current vintage: 2020

Henschke, `The Wheelwright` Eden Valley Shiraz 2019, Australia
93 points, (£101)
From 1968 plantings, the Wheelwright is a relatively new addition to the Henschke range, which has very much come of age in 2019. The Shiraz The Wheelwright delivers a powerful yet well-controlled core of blackberry, woodsmoke and soy sauce aromas with significant layers of dried herbs and charcuterie. It is sturdy and focused with a strong tannin backbone before opening out with expressive earthy, meaty olive tapenade tones. Excellent shape and balance drive an exceptionally long, seamless finish.

Giant Steps, `Tarraford Vineyard` Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2023, Australia
96 points, (£35)
Mostly P58 clone. Lovely fruit intensity here. This is a superbly balanced Chardonnay with a lovely dynamic range, with powerful citrus and some pear and white peach fruit, with lovely fruit, a fine grapefruit-like acidity, and some subtle toasty, spicy notes in the mix. There’s some richness, but it finishes alert and bright with amazing precision on the finish. Thrilling, with weight and complexity, and also some generosity.
Current vintage: 2022

Giant Steps, `Applejack Vineyard` Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2023, Australia
96 points, (£52)
This is so intense: lovely lemon and pineapple fruit with a lovely chiselled acid line, showing pear, lime and grapefruit, as well as a hint of more exotic apricot/pineapple around the edge. There’s a natural density to this wine. So lovely.
Current vintage: 2022

Giant Steps, `Sexton Vineyard` Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2023, Australia
95 points, (£55)
Lively, bright and intense with linear citrus fruit. There’s some nice lemony sourness under the pear and white peach fruit, with amazing intensity to the bright fruit. Lovely acid line here: precise, and also has a touch of structure. It’s very primary and intense now, with massive potential for development.
Current vintage: 2022

Giant Steps, `Primavera Vineyard` Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2023, Australia
95 points, (£45)
Nice precision and delicacy here. Floral and bright with nice grip, but nothing heavy at all. Cherries, raspberries, some wild strawberry, as well as a touch of tomato, with nice flow across the palate. Very fine and bright, showing a bit of structure. Such prettiness.
Current vintage: 2022

Giant Steps, `Applejack Vineyard` Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2023, Australia
95 points, (£55)
Lovely density here, and a bit of wildness. Iodine, spice and some cured meat savouriness as well as bright cherry and strawberry fruit. This is really fine with some edges to it, in the nicest way. Nice grip and weight with nice fruit presence.
Current vintage: 2022

Giant Steps, `Sexton Vineyard` Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2023, Australia
95 points, (£55)
Great concentration here, with nice intensity. Robust red cherry and berry fruits with a touch of strawberry, and well integrated savoury characters. It’s a complete wine, with concentration and harmony, lots of fruit, and some structure. There’s flesh that covers all the bones in a really nice way.
Current vintage: 2022

Giant Steps, `Fatal Shore` Coal River Valley Pinot Noir 2023, Australia
94 points, (£42)
This is quite powerful with a real density of sweet raspberry and cherry fruit, with a touch of pepper, and some spicy oak in the mix too. Lovely concentrated, well-defined fruit with a bit of grip on the finish. Give this time to settle down, and I think it will be lovely.
Current vintage: 2022