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.

The Devotus Pinot Noir Reserve Single Vineyard 2018 hails from New Zealand's acclaimed Martinborough region. This opulent, distinguished wine is meticulously handcrafted, striving for richness and depth. The boutique vineyard composes merely 3 hectares, and is solely committed to the art of perfecting Pinot Noir. It safeguards though intersperses only three specific Dijon clones within its rich, free-draining soil property. Don McConachy and Valerie Worsdale, the passionate owners, take painstaking effort to hand-pick each specimen at the right time, creating an intimate blend of structure, concentration, and power.

The Devotus Pinot Noir Reserve Single Vineyard 2018 undergoes fermentation with native yeasts alongside gentle hand plunging. Traditional Burgundy methods are blended seamlessly with modern techniques to structure its sumptuous palate. This full-bodied, complex pinot noir displays notes of deep red fruits, smoked meat, and luscious earthy tones, culminating in a lasting, silky finish.

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

James Suckling (98)

This pinot has an x-factor that sets it apart. There’s an almost peppery edge to the violet, blueberry and red-cherry nose with sappy and earthy elements, as well as roasted game and fragrant baking spices. The palate has a very plush, attractive and fresh array of vibrant and detailed pinot fruit on offer. Long and precise. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

The Real Review (96)

Deepish, bright, youthful red/purple colour, with a lovely fragrant bouquet of red and dark cherries, strawberry and rose petals. It's complex and foresty too, but shows more primary fruit and perfume than usual for a young Escarpment pinot. Dried flowers, dried herb, savoury underbrush aromas. Very complex and profound in the mouth, with a very long carry. The tannins are in excellent harmony. An outstanding vintage for this vineyard. (70% whole-bunches)

Wine Advocate (95)

The full-bodied, rich 2019 Kupe Pinot Noir is a lovely example of how size doesn't have to mean a loss of elegance. Bold black cherry and plum flavors combine with nuances of cola spice and mocha to yield ample complexity, while the palate is plush and velvety, seamlessly extending through a lingering finish. While delicious now, I expect it will drink well for more than a decade.

James Suckling (96)

Intensely spicy and perfumed with concentrated notes of purple plums, cherry stones, rosemary, neroli, cloves, cigar box and ground coffee. The tannins are firm and tightly-knit, providing a solid frame to the dark fruit. Sensual and distinctive. Try this from 2024. Screw cap.

Real Review (97)

Intense, dense wine with cassis, blueberry, blackberry, dark chocolate, mixed spice and nutty oak flavours. Concentrated wine that is beautifully structured making it accessible now but with obvious potential

James Suckling (95)

A juicy and savory 2021 with dried strawberry, meat, mineral and earth undertones. Medium to full body. Chewy tannins and layered. Slightly smoky at the end. Charcoal. Very drinkable but better in 2025. Screw cap.

Vinous (92)

The 2020 Pinot Noir Bannockburn is welcoming as well as rich, savory and sinewy, delivering a plump cloud of both lifted and brooding fruit: a portion of whole-cluster fermentation has brought herbal and violet high notes alongside red and black cherry. There's excellent concentration despite this being the entry to the Felton Pinot range, and fine, lightly furry tannins on the medium-long finish. This could be approached now, but it’s better to wait a couple of years to let the components settle.

Wine Advocate (94)

This year, my favorite of the Felton Road releases is the 2018 Block 3 Pinot Noir, which balances the richness and power of the vintage with bright red-fruit flavors and ample complexity. It's medium to full-bodied, broad-shouldered and muscular without being inelegant, powering to a long, gently dusty finish tinged with cocoa and cola.

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.