Wine Advocate (92)

The 2008 Onkaparinga Vineyard Syrah is very deep garnet-purple in color, revealing notes of tar and tires over fruits of the forest conserve, warm black currant, licorice, loam, vanilla, cedar, meat and damp leaves. Ripe and fleshy in the mouth, it has a solid backbone of high acid and medium-firm fine tannins, finishing long and earthy. It should be best from 2013 to 2020+.

Wine Advocate (98)

The exquisite 2006 Syrah Piggott Range is more structured yet. Thick, dense, and tightly wound, all the components are there for future greatness. Only patience is required.

Vinous (93+)

(84-year-old vines) Saturated ruby. The most aromatically complex of this year's set of grenache bottlings, displaying red and dark berries, cherry, rooty sassafras, smoky herbs and a sexy floral quality. Rich, palate-staining raspberry and boysenberry flavors are given shape by fine-grained tannins, which gain power with air. Packed with dense fruit but slow to show itself right now, finishing with a late note of exotic floral pastilles and very good youthful grip. This could use a couple years to unwind.

Decanter (98)

Quiet, controlled with a spellbinding timbre. Neverending, and phenomenal in terms of its quality.

James Suckling (99)

Incredibly complex aromas of baking spices, fresh red fruit and a fine and elegant, floral edge, as well as red cherries, raspberries and red plums. This is phenomenal, so precise and concentrated with such detail and power, delivered with elegance and precision. The palate is super long. The best vintage made at Clonakilla to date! Perfection! Drink now, but better from 2026. Screw cap.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (97)

Clarity and nuance, silky tannins, herb-strewn, full of life and character and nuance, a whole other level of Cabernet Sauvignon, reflecting this unusual site. Blue fruits dominate over the darker cassis, adding freshness and keeping the rich concentration at arms length until the layers build through the palate. Smoked oak on the finish but it is barely discernable against the depth of fruit and minerality. Love this. Harvest April 13 and 16, 3.96ph. Just under 1,900 bottles produced.

Vinous (96)

This decadently delicious 2020 Chardonnay immediately impresses with explosive aromas of vanilla cream, florals and just-picked nectarines with fantastic aromatic weight and volume. Packed full of marzipan, nutty oak and apricot flavours with a voluptuous texture, there is a perfectly balanced core of tangy acidity which keeps the energy high. A long, ripe and detailed finish tops what is a stunning package.

Nestled in the rich Southern McLaren Vale region, the Coriole Lloyd Reserve Shiraz 2013 is an exquisite embodiment of Australian excellence. This pre-eminent Shiraz, crafted by prominent winemaker Coriole Vineyards, charms with a bold, full-bodied profile encapsulating intense fruit flavours dappled with notes of savoury spice and dark chocolate. Each grape is attentively selected from the oldest vineyard plantings, dating back to 1919, ensuring a superior quality yield. The meticulous fermentation process in open-top vessels, followed by ageing in French oak barrels, bestow a distinguished depth and complexity that leaves a lingering palate impression.

Bearing the name of the Lloyd family, who established Coriole in 1967, the Coriole Lloyd Reserve Shiraz 2013 carries a legacy mirrored in its striking character and robust structure. Unquestionably, it's a testament to Coriole’s enduring commitment to create wines that captivate with their elegance and remarkable drinking pleasure.

Wine Advocate (89+)

Merlot has taken a beating in the world marketplace, but there is no question there are some good ones, and the 2005 Merlot John Zilm may turn out to be an outstanding example with another year or so of bottle age. Aged 16 months in 100% new French oak, it exhibits a deep ruby/purple color, good uplift, excellent definition, hints of sweet blackberries, plums, red currants, mocha, and coffee beans, a lovely texture, fine purity, and serious concentration. This delicious Merlot can be enjoyed over the next 7-10 years.

Wine Advocate (89+)

Merlot has taken a beating in the world marketplace, but there is no question there are some good ones, and the 2005 Merlot John Zilm may turn out to be an outstanding example with another year or so of bottle age. Aged 16 months in 100% new French oak, it exhibits a deep ruby/purple color, good uplift, excellent definition, hints of sweet blackberries, plums, red currants, mocha, and coffee beans, a lovely texture, fine purity, and serious concentration. This delicious Merlot can be enjoyed over the next 7-10 years.

Halliday Wine Companion (98)

81% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot, 6% cabernet franc, 3% malbec. Wild-fermented and matured for 18 months in French oak (40% new). The colour is faultless, as is the wine. It has waves of complexity, like one of Margaret River's surf breaks, changing shape as the luxuriant cassis swells on the mid-palate, then finishes with ripe, textured tannins as the wave goes on to crash on the shore. The overall ripeness is perfection.

James Suckling (99)

This is a superb edition of this revered, cabernet-based blend with such complete, seamless and elegant feel, yet there’s such depth of flavor, too. Aromas of fresh redcurrants, red and violet flowers, subtle spice, fresh earth, paper bark, fresh-picked thyme and sage, red berries and some cedary notes. The palate is stunning and has a brand of elegance with power that is found in only the greatest wines. Pristine mulberries, red plums, blueberries and red cherries sail through layers of fine tannin, into an unwaveringly long and vibrant finish. An exceptionally concentrated and convincing Diana Madeline release, this is one of their finest. A blend of 79% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot, 6% cabernet franc and 5% malbec. Delicious now, but his will bloom from 2028. Screw cap.

Halliday Wine Companion (98)

87% Cabernet sauvignon, with 7/3/2/1% merlot/cabernet franc/malbec/petit verdot. Matured for 15 months in barrique, 45% new. Cassis and red licorice on the nose, bay and salt bush, too. The palate is salty and fine with layers upon layers of spice and texture. The tannins are like finely textured gills, stacked as delicately as the folds in a mushroom. The length of flavour unfurls and extends across the palate, taking so long to fade that this entire tasting note is possible off one sip. The rest are just for pleasure. Drink it now, or in 40+ years from now… both will be possible.

Vinous (94)

The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Diana Madeline is stylish, poised and precise boasting an intense and enticing core of graphite, blackberry, and black olive aromas. Classically structured, there is immense density to the dark, cedary fruit flavour and tannins, with underlying vitality and freshness. A long, tight and sinewy finish bodes well for the future but it clearly needs time to fill out.

Halliday Wine Companion (95)

57% malbec, 37% petit verdot, 6% merlot, hand-picked on 11 Feb '17, when a total eclipse occurred, turning the moon red. Wild-fermented, matured for 9 months in French oak (10% new). It's a delectably juicy red berry wine with minimal interference from tannins, but will be no pushover as it ages.

Wine Advocate (94)

This estate’s most renowned offering is their old vine (90+ years) Shiraz called The Dead Arm. The unfined/unfiltered 2000 The Dead Arm Shiraz is one of South Australia’s finest wines of the vintage. A perfume of grilled steak intermixed with blackberries, new saddle leather, earth, pepper, and melted licorice rises from this awesome red. With great power, richness, and no hard edges, it is still young and primary, but should hit its peak in 3-7 years, and last for two decades or more.

Wine Advocate (95)

D’Arenberg’s most famous wine is its flagship, The Dead Arm Shiraz. The 2005 The Dead Arm Shiraz is sourced from ancient head-pruned vines. It was aged for 22 months in a mix of new and used French and American oak. It is opaque purple/black with an expansive perfume of toast, smoke, spice box, mineral, pencil lead, tar, licorice, blueberry, and blackberry. Full-bodied, opulent, and super-concentrated, this structured, lengthy wine will benefit from 3-5 years of cellaring and drink well through 2025.

Vinous (94)

Saturated ruby. A highly perfumed, spice-accented bouquet evokes ripe dark fruits, pipe tobacco, mocha and candied flowers. Palate-staining blueberry, cherry liqueur, licorice and fruitcake flavors show excellent depth as well as vibrancy. The floral and spice notes return on the impressively long, focused finish, which is framed by smooth, late-arriving tannins.

The Real Review (95)

Light, bright lemon colour, with a restrained aroma which suggests lightly-toasted cashew nut and almond, while the palate is intense and nicely concentrated, with length and penetration, purity of fruit and lovely clarity of lemon and grapefruit flavour, which lingers very long on the aftertaste. A seriously good chardonnay and great value.

Halliday Wine Companion (97)

The price of this wine reflects the piercing brilliance of the bouquet and, in particular, the palate. There is some residual sugar, but the acidity totally obscures it. If you buy it, keep some bottles for a minimum of 10 years, allowing the treasure trove of secondary flavours to be liberated.

Wine Advocate (91)

Displaying a similar color as well as personality and depth, the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Ashmead exhibits a more scorched/roasted character to its nose, sweeter, more pliable and open-knit flavors, and nearly as much aging potential as the cooler vintage conditions produced in 2002. A beautiful, full-throttle, gutsy Cabernet Sauvignon, it can be drunk now and over the next 10-12 years.

Wine Spectator (97)

Big and powerful, brimming with tarry, spicy black cherry, dark plum, blackberry and chocolate flavors. Rich and gooey like a warm flourless chocolate cake, yet it finds a plush balance that keeps it from veering off into heaviness. This has grace, harmony and refinement, without losing an ounce of power. Drink now through 2025. 600 cases imported. -HS

Experience the rich heritage of Australian wine with the Fox Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 1998, an exquisite vintage crafted in the celebrated McLaren Vale region. The maestros at the award-winning Fox Creek Estates have meticulously cultivated this sumptuous varietal in the alluvial, nutrient-rich terrains, with emphasis on sustainable farming practices.

The Fox Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 exudes a harmonious blend of blackberry, capsicum and violet aromas, complimented by bewitching notes of mocha and French oak vanillin stemming from the laborious 22 month barrel ageing process. This medium-to-full-bodied wine is bewitching on the palate with its perfectly balanced flavour profile and well-integrated tannins.

Offering a remarkable cellaring potential, the Fox Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 captures the true essence of Australian winemaking, delivering an unwavering quality that has positioned it amongst the world's most sought-after wines.

Halliday Wine Companion (94)

Dense stygian colour; top example of a full-bodied McLaren Vale loaded with blackberry fruit and dark chocolate, yet not hot or heavy; good extract and oak.

The Real Review (96)

Really pale and youthful in the glass with plenty of steely green hues. Slatey and minerally on the nose, there's also citrus blossom, lime zest and a touch of melon skin. Flavours are focused and precise, there's lashings of lemony, limey goodness, a lick of wet stone along with a bright and crunchy acidity that gives great drive and length to the wine. A super expression of riesling.