Showing 1–15 of 33 results

• White Wine

  2014 Tarraford Vineyard Chardonnay, Giant Steps

  £3200

  Chardonnays from the Tarraford vineyard are exceptional and the best description I have ever seen writer is by Australian wine writer Mike Bennie, so here it is:

  The One That Goes All Minerally. Huge mineral feel, indeed, you paste this into the section under Wine Minerality in an encyclopaedia. All pebbles and talc in perfume, sure, some citrus, citrus blossom, faint bread dough notes, but you’re drawn to the flint and element rocky notes primarily. The palate does the same, flint, wet slate, smooth pebbles rolled around the palate, olive brine, green apple juice and lime comes in too. Feels quite firm despite a sense of juiciness and being dart-shaped and long. Finishes with the faintest kiss of salted nuttiness. Just beautiful. Poised and fine.
  95 points, Mike Bennie

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• 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

  2015 KBS Single Vineyard Chardonnay, Stonier

  £3395

  Stonier is one of Australia’s leading producers of premium Chardonnay and Pinot Noir crafted from a selection of the Mornington Peninsula’s oldest vines. Each wine showcases the region’s cool maritime climate and the winery’s unique southerly position on the edge of Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.

  The KBS Vineyard (named after the founder Kenneth Brian Stonier) produces Stonier’s flagship Chardonnay, with notes of sweet lemon, smoked paprika, chalk, buttery brioche, white peach and a whip of sea spray.   One of the Worlds truly great Chardonnays.

   

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• White Wine

  2020 Block 6 Chardonnay, Hay Shed Hill

  £3400

  Hay Shed Hill is one of a small and prestigious group of pioneer vineyards that have established Margaret River’s reputation as a world-class wine producing region.

  Located in the heart of the Wilyabrup Valley, the premier sub-region of Margaret River, The Hay Shed Hill Block Series wines are made from small parcels of fruit from individual blocks on the vineyard to showcase the best of Hay Shed Hill.

  In the glass the wine has mineral aromatics with background savoury flinty notes. The fruit is in the fresh white pear spectrum with perhaps some citric elements. The palate is vibrant and light. The old vine depth of fruit provides a complexity not seen in most Chardonnay – there is always more to find in the wine without it being overworked or over-blown. This is a beautiful wine with depth of flavour and texture that will stand up in a fine dining situation.

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• White Wine

  2011 Peninsula Chardonnay, Paringa Estate

  £3500

  The Penisula range of wines from Paringa estate is the first tier of the estate’s wines and are designed (and do!) to over deliver in quality for the price you pay.   Classic Mornington Peninsula characters of grapefruit with vanilla and ripe peach are present and because of the nine years of age, the texture and richness of the wine has deepened whilst still retaining amazing freshness on the minerally finish.   A cracker and we have done the maturing for you!

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• White Wine

  2010 Peninsula Chardonnay, Paringa Estate

  £3500

  The Penisula range of wines from Paringa estate is the first tier of the estate’s wines and are designed (and do!) to over-deliver in quality for the price you pay.  2010 produced excellent parcels of Chardonnay and this aged beauty is no exception.   Rich and honeyed with texture and weight imparted by the French oak barrels.  Ripe peach, lemon with (still) fantastic freshness.   So easy to drink!

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• White Wine

  2010 Tarraford Vineyard Chardonnay, Giant Steps

  £3600

  The Tarraford vineyard has some of the oldest chardonnay in the Yarra Valley, and that is reflected in this deliciously intense and structured 2010 vintage. The palate is very textural and complex, (judicious use of lees) full of lemon curd, grapefruit and impressive minerality. Lovely toasty notes finish this wine, and it has certainly aged very well and will drink very well for the next few years.

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• White Wine

  2012 Arthurs Creek Chardonnay, Giant Steps

  £3600

  The most restrained of the single-vineyard chardonnays from Giant Steps, this has an air of power to it.    The 2012 Arthurs Creek Chardonnay is a wine of wonderful texture and intensity has is representative of its old vine vineyard. Marked by punchy, pineapple and citrus aromas, this is a medium-bodied Chardonnay with ample richness and texture. Custard and citrus flavours finish long and mouthwatering.  This wine is a rare beast as it is no longer made.   A delicious taste of history!

   

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• White Wine

  2012 Maragle Chardonnay, Eden Road

  £3650

  The Eden Road Maragle Chardonnay is a stunning wine and it’s often compared to Grand Cru Chablis in terms of its style, texture and flavours.

  The grapes used for this Maragle chardonnay come from a small vineyard in the Maragle Valley, south of the Tumbarumba village, at an altitude of 400 metres above sea level. It is a unique site that generally produces more powerfully structured chardonnay compared to other vineyards in the region.

  The aroma presents a complex, yet pristine notes of grapefruit, citrus blossom and white peach, with a touch of struck match character. The gorgeous palate also reveals pear, green apple and pristine minerality, mouth-watering freshness that is the alpine snowy mountains. On the palate it is beautifully long, powerful, driven with elegance & restraint.
  The winemaking is kept very simple in order to express the terroir of this special Maragle vineyard. The fruit is handpicked and whole bunch pressed directly to French oak without settling. The juice is then simply fermented and matured in French oak with some ‘battonage’ stirring for 12 months.

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• White Wine

  2015 The Virgilius Viognier, Yalumba

  £3750

  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 2015 Virgilius Viognier opens with intense aromas of early season just-picked apricots, cardamom and fresh ginger. Lifted ginger spice is layered on the palate with mineral texture and complex apricots and cashew nut savouriness. The trademark Viognier lusciousness of the palate is clearly evident in this wine. It is complex while at the same time showing purity and restraint that will unwind slowly in the glass to begin a sensory journey.

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

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• White Wine

  2010 The Florita Riesling, Jim Barry

  £3800

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

  The 2012 Florita Riesling has an ultra reserved pristine nose of lovely lifted kaffir lime leaves and musky, floral notes with a hint of fresh lemongrass. The palate is all about delicacy, power, finesse and
  balance, with a huge amount of length and structure coming from the natural acid backbone and the generosity of the lime citrus centred fruit.
  A magnificent cellar worthy Riesling.

  The Florita has an incredible story, and we urge you to read it below in the ‘Producer info’ section.

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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.”

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