Showing 16–28 of 28 results

• White Wine

  2018 The Florita Riesling, Jim Barry

  £3350

  The 2018 Florita is a wine of immense purity and drive that is bursting with intense aromas of lemon, lime and citrus blossom. The tightly wound palate delivers laser focussed acidity and crisp lime juice at its core and shows all the hallmarks of Florita Riesling.

  The famed Florita Vineyard is synonymous with the classic grape variety and was planted with Riesling grapes by Leo Buring in 1962. In 1986, the Barry family acquired the 32-hectare property. Florita’ is Spanish for ‘little flower’ and the first release of this micro-batch of premium Riesling was in 2004; it was the fruit of years of patience. Individual rows are selected where the terra rossa and loam soils barely cover the deep limestone below and the vines deliver a wonderful elegance. The Clare Valley climate is continental, with a high diurnal temperature difference. The cool nights allow the Riesling vines to preserve the crisp natural acidity and delicate flavours.

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• White Wine

  2021 The Florita Riesling, Jim Barry

  £3350

  Jim Barry’s iconic and outstanding single-vineyard Riesling, The Florita, stands tall at the top of the tree for Clare Valley Riesling.

  Located fifteen kilometres south of Clare township in the tiny village of Watervale, Florita – Spanish for ‘little flower’ – comes from a famous Riesling vineyard planted to Palamino in 1946 for making Fino Sherry but was replanted to Riesling in 1962. This was the birthplace of Leo Buring Watervale Riesling and the Florita vineyards, where legendary winemaker John Vickery sourced his grapes for his great Watervale Rieslings of the 1960s and 1970s.

  The 80-acre vineyard was bought by Mark, Peter and John Barry in 1986. First released as the ‘Florita Riesling’ in 2004 by Jim Barry Wines, this micro-batch Riesling is made from grapes hand-selected from individual rows. Its best fruit comes from vines planted in shallow loamy soils and the vineyard has good air-drainage which alleviates the risk of frost. A wine with a reputation second to none for consistency and a true benchmark wine.

  The 2021 is a simply astonishing incarnation that Riesling lovers would be remiss to not have in their cellar. Drink 2027 – 2050 +

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• White Wine

  Liqueur Muscat, Skillogalee

  £3850

  This old vine Muscat is one of our all time favourite wines.  Exceptional quality.

  This Muscat is produced in a similar method to tawny port, with a blend of different vintages of sweet wine. These separate wines are fermented, fortified and left to age for decades in oak puncheons using a solera method. While released as non-vintage, each bottle contains a blend on muscat going back many decades. The resulting blend of fortified wine is sweet, dark, and with a higher alcohol component than typical still wine.

  The current blend is made from a blend of vintages predominantly late 1990’s, with a little older material to contribute some aged, rancio characters of butterscotch and complex fruit, with some younger wine to give freshness and lift.

  It is bright, red-amber in colour with a light young sweet raisin nose. The palate shows nutty raisin apricot flavours, very full and sweet but not cloying. The finish is lingering – very smooth and liqueur like!

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• White Wine

  2008 The Florita Riesling, Jim Barry

  £3900

  This legendary dry Riesling from Jim Barry has matured under optimum conditions and displays the complexities that fine Australian Riesling develops over time.

  The Florita Story

  This story is best told by famous Australian wine writer, Huon Hooke and head of the Barry Family, Peter Barry who below tell the wonderful story of Florita…..

  It starts in 1946, just after the war, when Leo Buring bought land at Watervale and planted Pedro ximénez for sherry – the preferred wine of Australians at the time. He named the vineyard Florita, which is Spanish for ‘little flower’ – a reference to the sherry flor (or flower), the film of yeast that covers the dry flor sherry as it matures in its ullaged casks.  Public tastes shifted, table wine became fashionable, and in 1962 Buring’s winemaker John Vickery began to remove Pedro and plant riesling. “He started to make riesling (wine), which began to be seen as the future of Australian white wine,” says Barry. Indeed, Vickery and the Leo Buring brand became almost synonymous with riesling.   “In 1986 Philip Morris (the tobacco company which owned the Leo Buring brand at the time) had six years supply of riesling in its cellars, and no-one was drinking it – chardonnay was the new fashion. They decided to sell the Florita vineyard.

  My brothers and I went to the auction. I was 24.  Mum said ‘You’re not allowed to buy it’. She said we already had plenty of vineyards. We told Dad he’d better buy it, and that would let us off the hook.
  Southcorp (the precursor of Treasury Wine Group) owned the Florita trademark at the time, and although the Barrys began using the grapes immediately, they couldn’t use the name.
  “I had to wait eight years until the registration period was up, but then Southcorp renewed it for another 10 years, so I had to wait 18 years all told, and I registered the name Florita two days after it lapsed.

  Eighteen years is a long time to wait for a drink.”

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• White Wine

  2009 The Florita Riesling, Jim Barry

  £3900

  This legendary dry Riesling from Jim Barry has matured under optimum conditions and displays the complexities that fine Australian Riesling develops over time.

  The Florita Story

  This story is best told by famous Australian wine writer, Huon Hooke and head of the Barry Family, Peter Barry who below tell the wonderful story of Florita…..

  It starts in 1946, just after the war, when Leo Buring bought land at Watervale and planted Pedro ximénez for sherry – the preferred wine of Australians at the time. He named the vineyard Florita, which is Spanish for ‘little flower’ – a reference to the sherry flor (or flower), the film of yeast that covers the dry flor sherry as it matures in its ullaged casks.  Public tastes shifted, table wine became fashionable, and in 1962 Buring’s winemaker John Vickery began to remove Pedro and plant riesling. “He started to make riesling (wine), which began to be seen as the future of Australian white wine,” says Barry. Indeed, Vickery and the Leo Buring brand became almost synonymous with riesling.   “In 1986 Philip Morris (the tobacco company which owned the Leo Buring brand at the time) had six years supply of riesling in its cellars, and no-one was drinking it – chardonnay was the new fashion. They decided to sell the Florita vineyard.

  My brothers and I went to the auction. I was 24.  Mum said ‘You’re not allowed to buy it’. She said we already had plenty of vineyards. We told Dad he’d better buy it, and that would let us off the hook.
  Southcorp (the precursor of Treasury Wine Group) owned the Florita trademark at the time, and although the Barrys began using the grapes immediately, they couldn’t use the name.
  “I had to wait eight years until the registration period was up, but then Southcorp renewed it for another 10 years, so I had to wait 18 years all told, and I registered the name Florita two days after it lapsed.

  Eighteen years is a long time to wait for a drink.”

  Purchase & earn 39 points!Add to Basket
• White Wine

  2008 The Virgilius Viognier, Yalumba

  £4250

  Yalumba, the pioneer of Viognier in Australia, has devoted 20 years to the growing and making of this rare and exotic Rhone variety.   The Virgilius is Yalumba’s most distinguished Viognier – a wine that shows power with restraint. As Yalumba’s most premium and enchanting white wine, it is loved by wine lovers looking for something beyond the more conventional offering.

  The nose on this 2009 Virgilius delivers a lifted and exotic aromatic profile of honeysuckle, dried apricot and tropical fruit on the turn followed by a hint of citrus and spice as endnotes. Rich mouth filling flavours of ripe apricot, honeysuckle, tropical fruits and spice. Aftertaste of ripe apricot, honeysuckle and spice – the acidity is incredibly fine, almost taking it into top chardonnay territory; amazing!

  At its best with food, The Virgilius complements a wide range of flavors, particularly dishes with spice and richness.

  Purchase & earn 43 points!Add to Basket
• White Wine

  2012 Trevarrick Riesling, Skillogalee

  £4500

  “Trevarrick” was the original name of the property when it was first settled by John and Anne Trestrail in the 1850s. More than a century later, in 1970 this magnificent piece of land was planted to vines and Skillogalee was born. With each individual contour block on the estate harvested and vinified individually, the Trevarrick name is reserved for those contours which exhibit exceptional quality and varietal character.

  The grapes for this wine were selectively harvested from the highest altitude, earliest ripening contour on the property at around 500m. The stony, thin soils and topography of this part of the vineyard produce unique, high-quality grapes bursting with varietal character.

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• White Wine

  2011 Piccadilly Chardonnay, Grosset

  £4850

  Since the first release of Grosset Piccadilly in 1993, these wines have made a powerful statement about the potential of the Piccadilly Valley in the Adelaide Hills, a sub-region so cool that it is often considered marginal for table wine. ‘It’s a sub-region that takes time to understand’, says Grosset, ‘and the wines can be exquisite’.

  There’s a delicacy about the 2011 Grosset Piccadilly Chardonnay that is rare with Australian chardonnay: it is delightfully fragrant with white flowers and fresh herbs. The palate is fresh, vibrant and tangy with intense white peach and nectarine flavours that show depth and purity. There’s succulence, a taut structure, and bright zesty acidity to finish. Although restrained, the wine builds in the glass.

  Only 600 dozen produced

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• White Wine

  2015 ILR Reserve Semillon, Brokenwood

  £5495

  This is, without a doubt, one of the best Semillons produced anywhere in the world.  Consistently regarded as the definition of Semillon and it has the ability to age for decades.

  At 6 years of age on release, the colour is just starting to show some development with yellow tints complimenting the green edges. Lifted lemon curd and floral notes heading to beeswax, brioche and toast. Lively lime juice, lime cordial characters are backed by a superb zesty acidity. The magic of Hunter Valley Semillon is on display with texture, fruit weight and great length from a wine that sees no oak. The ILR Reserve Semillon is only released from the best years and 2015 is a beauty. Drinking well now but will improve for many years to come.

  The fruit for the 2015 ILR Reserve is sourced from Murphy’s Vineyard on Wilderness Road, on the banks of Black Creek in Lovedale.

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• White Wine

  2009 Piccadilly Chardonnay, Grosset

  £5500

  Since the first release of Grosset Piccadilly in 1993, these wines have made a powerful statement about the potential of the Piccadilly Valley in the Adelaide Hills, a sub-region so cool that it is often considered marginal for table wine. ‘It’s a sub-region that takes time to understand’, says Grosset, ‘and the wines can be exquisite’.

  Followers of the Grosset Chardonnay will notice a consistency of style especially between the most recent three vintages of the wine. Jeff sees these as a return to the clearly defined style that he made in the 1990s: finer, lean, tighter and slightly lower in alcohol. Often shy and restrained on release and needing patience and time to reveal themselves, the Piccadilly Chardonnays come into their own by being more age-worthy than most of their peers.

  The 2009 Grosset Chardonnay is exuberant with tangy white peach and nectarine flavours, vibrant, juicy fleshy texture and zingy acidity that cleanses. There’s impressive integration of oak and fruit at a young age, the richness and concentration you’d expect, plenty of weight and a lively raciness that binds it all together.

  The Grosset Piccadilly Chardonnay is handpicked, barrel fermented in French barriques and then left to mature in those barrels for nearly twelve months, followed by a further twelve months in bottle before release.   After 11 years in bottle this wine is singing from the rooftops and just shows the magnificence of the Piccadilly Valley in the Adelaide Hills.

  Only 590 cases produced.

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• White Wine

  2021 Reserve Chardonnay, Xanadu

  £6900

  The Reserve range continues to be the best of the best of what Xanadu can produce in a given vintage. This is the 11th consecutive release of Reserve Chardonnay, 100% of the fruit for this wine is from the estate’s oldest iconic Chardonnay vineyard, the Lagan Estate.

  The bouquet of this powerful, yet elegant Chardonnay displays fresh pear and lemon/lime characters with underlying hints of roasted cashews and frangipani adding complexity.  The sophisticated palate is medium-bodied with a wonderful purity of fruit, offering pear puree, zesty grapefruit flavours and a quartz-like, almost crystalline, mineral edge to the structure. Pristine fruit and tangy acid focus the wine to a crisp, lingering finish

  Purchase & earn 69 points!Add to Basket
• White Wine

  2018 Wolta Wolta Clare Valley Riesling, Loosen Barry

  £7200

  The friendship between Ernst Loosen, of the Dr. Loosen Estate in Germany, and Peter Barry, of Jim Barry Wines, Australia, began in 1995 at the London Wine Fair. Forged out of mutual respect for the noble variety Riesling, this collaboration of ideas pays homage to the wine making techniques used by the Loosen family for generations, and the vineyard practices of the Barry family.

  The German-style Riesling made in Australia is called Wolta Wolta, (Aboriginal for ‘good water’) in honour of one the Barry family’s most significant and successful land purchases, which later became known as Lodge Hill. The Australian-style Riesling, made with grapes from the Erdener Treppchen Vineyard in Germany, is called Walhalla, (pronounced Valhalla) named after the majestic hall ruled over by Odin in Norse mythology.

  It was no simple task for an Australian winemaker to make a German-style Riesling and vice versa, but when each winemaker can draw on forty years of experience of their counterpart, the possibilities are genuinely intriguing, and even though Peter and Tom Barry were uncertain they could make such a different style of Riesling, they were delighted with the outcome.

  This project is not about sales. This is a project of passion, designed to test the skills, explore the possibilities, and hopefully, get people thinking about Riesling in a different way.

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• White Wine

  2017 Wolta Wolta Clare Valley Riesling, Loosen Barry

  £7200

  The friendship between Ernst Loosen, of the Dr. Loosen Estate in Germany, and Peter Barry, of Jim Barry Wines, Australia, began in 1995 at the London Wine Fair. Forged out of mutual respect for the noble variety Riesling, this collaboration of ideas pays homage to the wine making techniques used by the Loosen family for generations, and the vineyard practices…

  Purchase & earn 72 points!Add to Basket