Longview Longview Queenie Pinot Grigio Pinot Grigio/Gris 2024
K1 Geoff Hardy Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
G 92
G 92
Deep ruby. Intense blackberry, cassis, choco mint, mocha, an Australian nod of eucalypt and appealing maltiness. Smooth and glossy with ample sweet fruit dusted in baking spice. Supple flow across the palate, steered by fine tannins and well-integrated acidity. A well balanced, well rounded wine. Drink now–2030 La Prova Fiano Fiano2024 G 92 Vibrant and lifted nose – semi-tropical fragrances, custard apple, lime juice, a waft of honeysuckle, with a terrific apple-juicy palate, and fine powdery mouthfeel, a faint dash of peppery spice seasoning the finish. A genuine feel for bringing a distinctive Hills vibe to the variety. 13.4% alc Drink now–2027 Lobethal Road Shiraz 2023 G 92 Medium-deep ruby. A savoury style, redcurrant, balsamic strawberry, rooibos with a mutter of cured meat. Medium-bodied with a plush core, concentrated berry fruit knitted with sweet rooibos, turmeric and nigella seeds. Chalky tannins outline a well-balanced wine of finesse. At 13.5% alc, sometimes less is more. Drink now– 2032 Lobethal Road Bacchant Chardonnay 2023 G 92 Lemon edged in gold. A beguiling nose, everchanging – lemon curd, red delicious apple, crème caramel and brandy snap. Mouth-filling and plush, flambé peach, lemon curd and vanilla meringue on the palate – like the latter, it melts with contact. An attractive sprinkling of toasty vanillin oak, holds your attention for just that moment longer. Opulent at 12.5% alc – a paradox worth drinking. Drink now–2028 Lobethal Road Rosé Rosé 2024 G 92 A pale pink Pinot Noir Rosé with lovely, fragrant notes to begin, white-topped strawberry, a faint spearmint twist as well, with the aromatics sliding easily into the palate, well curated fruit sweet, and a decent grip in the mouth, flavours lingering with smart acidity carriage. 12.7% alc Drink now–2026 Lobethal Road Sauvignon Blanc 2024 G 92 Pale with straw hue. Classically aromatic – lifted pink grapefruit, lantana, pine-lime and hints of lawn clippings and carraway seeds. A lovely freshness to this wine, with balance but restraint showing a degree of elegance in what is usually a rather boisterous varietal. The touch of fruit sweetness makes friends with the powdery textured finish. Drink now–2025
Classic cut apple-fragrant pear aromatics, with attractive fruit tingle on the palate. Lively acidity underpinning with a bright lift of spice midway, and a pithiness to the finish for a moreish, summery style. 12% alc Drink now–2029 Longview Fresco Nebbiolo/Pinot Nero/Barbera 2022 G 92 Underscored with a sign of its style, ‘Vino Novello’, there’s decent evidence of its majority Nebbiolo stake, dark rose, roasted orange skin, some root vegetable as well, yet manages to stay fresh and youthful in the palate, spritely acidity and buoyant mouthfeel, tannins supporting the underlayers. Crunchy in the finish. Plenty to like. 13% alc Drink now–2030 Mt Lofty Ranges Vineyard S&G Shiraz Shiraz 2021 G 92 Fleshy notes, with a decent display of crushed plum and a sprinkle of pepper and bay leaf, an underlying sweet fruit note, some oak in support, with mouth-filling structures, tannins noteworthy amongst them. A solid style with plenty of potential. 13.5% alc Drink now–2034 Nepenthe Apex Chardonnay 2022 G 92 Clear lemon. Yellow fruited with vanilla macaron and splash of amaretto in the distance. Well-concentrated, flavours of Meyer lemon, grapefruit and yellow nectarine shimmer across a taut line of acid. A thin sheet of beeswax lines the palate for a charred finish – the end result, a multi-dimensional wine. Classy drinking. Drink now–2030 Nepenthe Apex Shiraz Shiraz 2022 G 92 From the Charleston district, charry, earthy with darker plum-like fruits, deeply embedded, flavour rich and tannin supported, bright structural acidity powering the palate upwards and onwards. Plenty to like and enjoy in a medium- to fuller- bodied style. 13.5% alc Drink now–2034 Petaluma Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2023 G 92 Petaluma’s yellow label Chardonnay has developed its own varietal statement over several decades, this latest iteration slotting right into that fuller flavoured style, ripe fruited, white floral fragrant, peach and roasted cashew aromas to start, all echoed in the palate with an extra French oak layering courtesy of barrel fermentation (25% new) and 9 months’ maturation. While this builds a decent weight in the wine, there’s also a recognisable under-layer of acidity driving its finishing energy. Satisfies its reputational and stylistic distinctions. Drink now–2028
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The Vintage Journal – Regional Focus
South Australia 2024
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