Australia

Halliday Wine Companion Awards - Top Rated Chardonnay 2019

97 Points - James Halliday "The very close-planted vineyard adds an extra layer of power and complexity that one expects from the best Farr Chardonnays. The vintage, too, has played a role. This stands tall in the pantheon of top-end Aus chardonnays, planting its own stake in the ground through sheer length."

95 Points - Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front  "From a high density planting of chardonnay on an exposed cote at Geelong. It’s so settled and so pure. It pleases from the outset and all the way along the line but it really sparks up as it passes through the finish. Grapefruit, white peach, lime spider and a mass of crackly spice notes. It’s not a showy wine, it has no need to be, but it’s not low key either. It’s like old money in that sense; it’s not gaudy but it still tastes rich."

97 Points - James Halliday "The vineyard was planted in '94 to clones 114 and 115, believed to have mutated into a single 'Sangreal' clone. Always made with 50-70% whole bunches, and 60-70% new oak maturation for 18 months. While the power of the wine is typical Farr, this vintage bestows a measure of linearity, a sinuous line to the palate that links and loops around the complex flavours of forest floor/spice and wild strawberry."

93+ Points - Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front "It’s a beautiful chardonnay. Tight, controlled, complex and distinctive. Stonefruits bound through lemon curd, meal, oak-spice and mineral. There’s a toastiness too, almost a charred peach character, though the flavours all come so immaculately packaged that trying to separate them is as difficult as it is unnecessary. The quality is high, the length impressive, its every step assured."

100 Points - Robert Parker "My notes essentially read the same every year, even though the bottlings are non-vintage and I taste the most recent releases. Consistency and greatness are the norm at this Rutherglen winery. The average age is 7-10 years for the regular cuvees, about 70 years for the grand cuvees, and the ancient rare cuvees date back to soleras from 1890. The Muscadelle (Tokay) reveals caramel, toffee, fig, prune, raisiny notes, an incredible, unctuous texture, and amazing zesty acidity which keeps it from being cloying. It is redundant to keep repeating the same tasting notes, so readers will have to take my word for it ... this is one of the world’s most remarkable dessert wines, and is worth every effort to latch on to a half bottle or so."

99+ Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown (erobertparker.com) "Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2010 Hoffman Vineyard Shiraz possesses an extraordinary nose of cassis, crushed blackberries, earth, Bovril and yeast extract with licorice, spice box and dried herbs hints. Full-bodied, rich and densely packed, with a lovely backbone of ripe tannins and great freshness, the long finish here is just incredible. A true "wow" wine, this complex beauty certainly has the potential to hit "perfection" with a little more time in bottle."

95 Points - Robert Parker "The exotic, full-throttle, high velocity, mouth-staining, unctuously textured, dense ruby/purple-hued 2003 Grenache Old Vines Blewitt Springs is classic southern Australian Grenache. Pushed to the limit, but not over the top, it is a spectacular wine."

93 Points - Robert Parker "As usual for this cuvee, the 2004 Grenache Blewitt Springs possesses an extraordinary, exotic, flamboyant personality that causes Roman Bratasiuk to say it’s his “Dolly Parton-styled wine.” Terrific notes of blackberries, raspberries, and rich kirsch liqueur are accompanied by an opulent, flamboyant wine with tremendous viscosity and richness as well as a lusty, heady finish."

93 Points - Josh Raynolds "Deep ruby. Explosive raspberry, blackberry and blueberry scents, along with suave Asian spices and fresh rose. Mouth-filling red berry flavors offer impressive clarity and silky texture for such volume. Velvety tannins add shape to this dense, strikingly sweet fruit bomb. I'd be tempted to drink it now, just to wallow in the seductive fruit."