Issue #132, September 2020
New & Exclusive to The Vinorium
"We believe Australia’s best Cabernet Sauvignon comes from Coonawarra, which is why over fifty percent of our vineyards are planted to this variety."
In 1890 John Riddoch founded Coonawarra, the history of which is inextricably entwined with the Riddoch and Rymill families. His grandson, John Riddoch Rymill, was a distinguished polar explorer, whose son Peter and his wife Judy, both farmers and keen equestrians, established the Rymill Coonawarra Winery in 1990.
Rymill Coonawarra has two vineyard sites situated at the northern and southern ends of the Coonawarra region. Originally planted in 1974, the Riddoch Run Vineyards are 15 kilometres north of the Penola township and have been developed on a section of John Riddoch's original pastoral lease. Home to the winery, the 100 hectares of premium vineyards are principally planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.
Twenty kilometres south of the Riddoch Run Vineyards and five kilometres south of the Penola township, Three Mile Lane is a 55-hectare site, chosen for the terra rossa soil profile and has been primarily planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc, with smaller plantings of Merlot and Petit Verdot.
Three Mile Lane is home to the esteemed single vineyard release, Sandstone.
"The Coonawarra and Cabernet combination is a gift from nature: an exceptional mix of natural elements – a cool climate and the perfect soil. Coonawarra’s Terra Rossa soil is unique, being a mixture of red clay and fertile loam overlaying deep limestone."
"The Coonawarra and Cabernet
combination is a gift from nature"
Shannon Sutherland - Winemaker & General Manager
The talented team at Rymill skilfully blend traditional and modern practices to give us a contemporary take on the classic style of Coonawarra Cabernets:
“At Rymill, we’re putting a lot of focus into balancing the fruit with the oak and ensuring that the oak style and toast integrate with fruit that is destined for the final wine. Rather than following recipes, we are looking at each parcel of fruit and matching it with the best vinification to ensure that the wine shines.”
As a fully certified sustainable producer, Rymill are also preserving Coonawarra for the future generations. Sustainability requires full commitment in the vineyards without taking any shortcuts. Shannon Sutherland, the chief winemaker and general manager at Rymill, gained much experience working in many corners of the world - the Napa Valley, Beaujolais, Canada, the Hunter Valley to name a few. Shannon explains:
“I’m back to the drawing board with wine and viticultural trials. This research is enabling us to craft stunning wines. It all begins with the soil and how we can impact it less with reduced spraying and slashing with the use of cover crops. In the dormant winter months, we run sheep in our vines and have reduced our water use significantly. In 2018, 2019, and 2020 vintages these trials have been released as small-batch wines and the experience of these trials will then make their way into our core range. Reducing our impact on a changing climate is paramount, but so too is gazing ahead 20 years to predict that varieties we should be planting, and modern techniques that lessen the impact we make.”
We have been looking for a great Coonawarra producer who shares the same ethos as Team Vinorium. Moreover, Rymill charmed us with their multi-layered wines brimming with flavour and effortlessly balancing richness and elegance. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do…
"The abundance of blackcurrants, blueberries, liquorice, tar, graphite and sweet five spice is intoxicating."
Rymill The Surveyor Special Edition
Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
Winemaker "The Surveyor pays homage to John Riddoch Rymill, who led the British Graham Land Expedition to Antarctica in 1934-37, where he discovered and surveyed the Antarctic Peninsula. A complex nose with alluring dark mint, five-spice, and blackcurrants. Stylish, yet wonderfully intense wine. Lovely youthful tannins, oak, and dark ripe fruits, over a richly, structured finish. Careful cellaring for ten to twenty years will reward those with patience. 100% Coonawarra."
97-98 Points - Magdalena Sienkiewicz "Sampled following four hours of decanting. The abundance of blackcurrants, blueberries, liquorice, tar, graphite and sweet five spice is intoxicating. Complexity continues with mint, ink and cigar box. The palate is denser, riper and wonderfully plush. The sweet fruit rains down and washes with a mineral richness. Cranberries and graphite meld with fresh bay leaf and crushed dried herbs. The structure is superb and richly layered which indicates that this stunning wine will reward further cellaring and it is yet to unveil all its complexities."
"Dense and unctuously structured, it will support long years of drinking pleasure."
Rymill Sandstone Special Edition
Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
96+ - 97 Points - Stuart McCloskey “The bouquet is brooding and requires a good 4-6 hours in the decanter before tackling. Aromatic with a lovely floral perfume, dried herbs, mint, bay leaf, graphite – there’s a salty / mineral feel to the nose which intrigues the senses. Medium-bodied, cool-climate feel with the sweet fruit cloaked with dried herbs and spices. There’s a crispness to the fruit – cranberry with juicy acidity. Iodine and a real marine feel to the finish. The tannins flow beautifully with the fruit and offer just the right level of support. Detailed and everything seems very natural. Very satisfying and incredibly long. My score is unkind – I will retackle in a few weeks as the original sample bottle showed much better. Too much work and not enough time to enjoy wine which takes its toll! Drink now through to 2025”.
97 Points - Magdalena Sienkiewicz "Sampled after two hours of decanting. Exuberant nose filled with dark cherries, mulberry, crème de cassis and a hefty dose of dried herbs, mint and tobacco. Beautiful notes of cedar and cigar box emanate with time in the glass. Again, the palate mirrors the perfume with a great savoury drive and a generous addition of rich minerals. The acidity is extremely well-balanced which brings a wonderful lift to this dark and expansive Cabernet. Tannins are fine-grained and beautifully integrated adding another layer of complexity. Dense and structured, it will provide many years of drinking pleasure."
£29.95 per bottle
"Classic Claret-esque and reminds me of
Château Lynch Bages from 2004"
Rymill The Classic Maturation Release
Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
96 Points - Stuart McCloskey “The perfume has developed wondrously over the course of the day (4-6 hours decanting is a must) with black raspberry, plum, violet, bay leaf, white pepper, lead pencil, cedar, and dusty earth unfurling. The palate starts with sweeter fruit notes and falls to mineral, cedar, dried herbs and tobacco. There’s lots of brightness thanks to the streak of acidity – graceful and light on its feet which I enjoy. Classic Claret-esque and reminds me of Château Lynch Bages from 2004. Dusty tannins on the finish. A lovely wine which will appeal to those seeking mature sophistication (without crippling one’s wallet). Drink now through to 2023.”
96 Points - Magdalena Sienkiewicz "Sampled after two hours of decanting. Deeply coloured and highly perfumed, this is a very exciting release from Coonawarra’s famed Terra Rossa soil - a home to some of the finest Aussie Cabernet Sauvignons. Expressive nose brims with blackcurrants, eucalyptus and lavender. Liquorice, cedar wood and a whiff of leather emerge with aeration. The palate is rich and follows the aromas beautifully as it expands further and reveals elegant savoury earthiness, star anise and hints of dark cocoa. Silky supple tannins linger and accentuate great structure. This is an utterly delicious Cabernet offering bags of flavour, quality and value."
£21.95 per bottle
Rymill Cabernet Sauvignon Three Pack
1 x Rymill The Surveyor Special Edition Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
1 x Rymill Sandstone Special Edition Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
1 x Rymill The Classic Maturation Release Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
The 2017 Pinot Noir from Hoddles Creek was a hit with our customers who described the wine as: “The taste is perfection. Definitely now in my top 3 wines of all time.” The new 2018 release has just landed…
Hoddles Creek 1er Cru Pinot Noir 2018
James Halliday "Bright, clear colour; a highly perfumed/scented, spicy bouquet leads into a beautifully structured and weighted palate. Hints of forest add to the complexity and simultaneously the length of the red-berried palate."
Gary Walsh (The Wine Front) "Perfumed, slight mintiness over red berries and red cherry, mineral/earth stuff, spiced biscuit. Light to medium-bodied, well-defined, bright and fine, succulence of fruit but with restraint, super fine emery tannin, spiced fresh strawberry and earthy bunch in the aftertaste, which is pretty long. Understated, but confident."
£30.95 per bottle
"It’s bloody outstanding." - Gary Walsh
Hoddles Creek Estate Pinot Noir 2019
96 Points - James Halliday "Hand-picked and sorted, wild-fermented, 21 days on skins, 10 months in French oak (25% new). Deep colour; the bouquet and palate flow with black cherry/berry fruits, violets and spices lurking in its depths. The palate has abundant power that will sustain the wine for years to come. The richness of the plush fruit looked better and better on retasting."
Gary Walsh (The Wine Front) "Nose in glass, and first impression is that this is a great vintage for HCE Pinot. Darker fruit profile, but with raspberry in there too, plenty of spice and perfume of dried rose, some lead pencil and cedar happening. It’s medium-bodied, savoury and fruit sweet, almost earthy, and packed with gravelly tannin and bright cherry acidity. The finish is long, spicy, dried herb and cherry-laden, beautiful tannin pushing it out. It puts me in mind of 2013 with its grip and deep fruit. It’s bloody outstanding."
£18.95 per bottle
Congratulations Soumah Wines
Their 2018 Equilibrio Chardonnay receives 'Best in Show' & 97 Points at Decanter World Wine Awards 2020
We are delighted to announce that Soumah's 2018 Equilibrio Chardonnay received ‘Best in Show’ (97 points) at the 2020 Decanter World Wine Awards, the world’s largest and most influential wine competition. This year, 56 countries submitted 16,518 wines for judging and these were tasted by 116 (socially distanced!) top wine experts including Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers. Of the wines tasted, only 50 received the highly sought after ‘Best in Show’ accolade, which is the highest award at DWWA.
2018 EQUILIBRIO CHARDONNAY
‘We are very vineyard-focused and wanted this wine to represent everything a premium Chardonnay should, celebrating the acid and balance as much as the fruit. Our Equilibrio has to be full of everything but with no edges; it’s a tightrope walk, and nothing is allowed to topple the balance,’ says Brett Butcher, Soumah’s vigneron.
The result is a wine that is opulent, generous, and composed with good oak integration all wound together with a citrus and nectarine, creamy freshness.
Soumah Equilibrio Chardonnay 2018
Best in Show (97 Points) at 2020 Decanter World Wine Awards
97 Points - Decanter "Among all of the different regions where Chardonnay has impressed in Australia, the Yarra is perhaps the one where the fruit itself charms most readily from the off. This steel-green wine carries its oak very lightly, and the fruit sings out: nectarine, peach and dessert apple all draw the drinker into the glass. On the palate, the wine is soft, tender, almost juicy: its perfect ripeness apparent in that limpidity of expression, and in the seamless incorporation of vibrant and rounded acidity into a natural and succulent poise. The oak, once again, is almost invisible: a swelling of tone rather than flavour. The only danger with deliciousness of this order is that you might be tempted to drink it all too quickly. Fine quality raw materials suggest there's no hurry here."
Weekend Special £32.95 per bottle
** Offer Ends 9:00am Monday **
98 Points - Stuart McCloskey “The concept behind Soumah’s Equilibrio range is to promote the very best barrels, clonal mix and new oak integration to create a few cases that will benchmark the potential of each vintage. The nose is steely, full of freshness and is signing from the rooftops with waves of energy. The palate is brooding, sensual and perfectly made. Mineral and cool climate influences. Incredibly pure with super clean citrus at its centre. Very Burgundian but with a charm all of its own. The step up in quality is abundantly clear. Sophisticated. Salted citrus on the incredibly long finish compliments the creamy oak overlay. Do not overchill and decant for 20-30 minutes. Drinking now to 2030. Bottle age will reward those who are patient.”
98 Points - Magdalena Sienkiewicz "The nose is closed but shows glimmers of its purity - cold steel, minerals, wet stones with touches of salinity. The palate is taut and will unveil so much with 3-5 years of bottle age. Nonetheless, the palate offers extraordinary depth particularly with aeration (decant for 30 minutes). Citrus leads to a never-ending finish and creamy overtones. Long on class and elegance. Burgundy fans will find much pleasure in this wine and discover it’s very own, distinctively sophisticated personality. It has a bright future ahead, but only if you are patient enough."
Soumah Equilibrio Pinot Noir 2019
97-98 Points - Stuart McCloskey “The most intense Pinot Noir of the trio. The dark fruit is lightly spiced and the most seductive of the trinity – sweet cherry and orange peel are unmistakable. The palate is incredibly fresh and juicy. I love the infusion of cranberry and redcurrant combined with the iron rich finish. Ripe and showing a more exotic side to Soumah’s winemaking. Lots of finesse and already showing bags of charm and character, but its glory years are yet to come. I am going to be harsh and award 97-98 points. It’s not there yet but I have no doubt it will be within 5-8 years”.
£35.95 per bottle
Soumah Hexham
Pinot Noir 2018
97 Points - Stuart McCloskey
“I love the bouquet which is so inviting with a mix of soured red fruits, dried orange peel and an entire pantry full of sweet spices – there’s a little Christmas feel to the aromas which I find wistful. The flavour spectrum is immensely pleasing and follows a similar pattern to that of the nose. Sweet and sour fruit intermixed with a Smörgåsbord of spice cuddled with filigree tannins. Fleshy, ample and mouth-filling with palate drenching satisfaction. Very moreish is an understatement. The best Aussie Pinot Noir you are likely to find at twenty-quid. Simply delicious and faultless for the money. Drink now to 2025, but there is no need to wait.”
£19.95 per bottle
Soumah Upper Ngumby Pinot Noir 2018
96–97 Points - Stuart McCloskey
“The nose is more classical – herbal, rusty metal, cranberry, warm earth, leather and tea. The flavour profile is expansive and impeccably pure. Less flamboyant compared to the Hexham but the open-knit complexity is a delight. Finely tuned with a delicacy and a gentleness which I really enjoy. I am intrigued to see how this develops over the coming 5 years. Ambitious yet sensitive winemaking. Unforced and natural. Admirable length and will offer immediate pleasure”.
£19.95 per bottle
Winemaker "The Yarra Valley with its hot but short summer, and cool nights throughout, could be the ideal location for Nebbiolo. After some research, we planted a number of clones on a north-west slope to give the large purple bunches every opportunity to ripen slowly in the autumn breeze. We hand-picked the fruit and fermented the juice in tank. After fermentation, we left the wine on skins for 90 days to help soften the tannins. We then racked the wine to seasoned puncheons (500l barrels), where it aged gracefully for 18 months. The wine has a light crimson colour with the bouquet of violet and rose, with a faint tobacco and tar foundation. It is elegant in the mouth, almost light with red berries and truffle, and finishing with firm tannin supporting the ultimate length of the wine."
£21.95 per bottle
Soumah Hexham Chardonnay 2018
97 Points - Stuart McCloskey “I love the nose with its steely freshness – racy and cool climate, sweetened with a whiff of poached pears. The palate is much fuller than the Upper Ngumby and will appeal (enormously so) to those seeking a richer style. There’s a lovely combination of depth and mouth-watering freshness. The fruit is evidently sweeter and fills the mid-palate gloriously. Stony minerality keeps the wine in perfect check. This is a chardonnay on full parade, just bumptious and proud to be. A touch of salinity on the super long finish. Bloody brilliant – it’s as simple as that. Drink now to 2025.”
£19.95 per bottle
Soumah Upper Ngumby Chardonnay 2018
96+ Points - Stuart McCloskey “The Upper Ngumby vineyard is within the confines of Yarra Glen, sloping gently east. It is protected from the late afternoon sun by the Christmas Hills, rising up to the west. The fruit was barrel fermented with 100% wild yeast, matured on lees for eight months with some secondary fermentation to create depth and finesse, which team Soumah succeed effortlessly. The nose offers a mix of lemon zest, minéralité and ozone. Serenely pure in two words. The palate is long and sophisticated. Full of drive, vigour and energy – lovely freshness and very moreish. This will flourish with more time in the bottle, drink now to 2025.”
£19.95 per bottle
Soumah Wild
Savagnin 2015
Winemaker "This is an ancient variety having been around since the first Millennium and is a parent of many of today’s modern grapes. We have been successful making our Savarro from this variety but wanted to see what a wine made from this ancient grape would have tasted like a thousand years ago. So we set forth to create a minimal intervention wine with 100% full solids, wild barrel fermentation. This natural process has developed a degree of untamed attitude. The wine still has the trademark citrus acidity but is fused with the brooding flavours of age old tradition."
£21.95 per bottle
Winemaker "An apricot and spicy ginger bouquet following through to a textured, rich, apricot and musk palate while finishing clean, with a great line of length. Our climatic advantage of warm days and cool nights, coupled with planting numerous Viognier clones, creates layers of intensity. A small amount of HTK clone planted at 9,000 vines per hectare adds to the concentration. The fruit was hand picked, whole-bunch pressed and fermented in barrel. Our ‘Golden Lox’ has to be picked just right. Picked too late; no structure. Picked too early; no apricots. And, ripening very fast; we have less than a 24 hour window to get it just right!"
£18.95 per bottle
Soumah d'Soumah Chardonnay 2019
94++ Points - Stuart McCloskey “Clearly, young is stating the obvious but I love sampling embryonic wines which provide pleasure today and in the future. The Soumah team picks this particular Chardonnay as early as they can to ensure a fresh line of citrus fruit and crisp natural acidity, which and if read alone would offer a degree of understatement. The joy of this young wine comes from its silky structure and palate feel which are achieved through barrel fermentation (specifically maturing gracefully for eight months prior to bottling). The nose offers a little poached pear and apple with a light sprinkling of sweet spice. The palate is crisp, clean, full of energy and lovely precision. Stony / minerals rather than dry. There’s a chewy grip which is admirable. Impressive with a few years of improvement ahead of it. Certainly, worth buying.”
£15.95 per bottle
Other Fantastic Chardonnays
Eastern Peake Intrinsic Chardonnay 2018
97++ to 98 Points - Stuart McCloskey “Different and rightfully individual, but I can see glimpses of my old friend. The nose is evocative and builds with more aeration. Grilled, creamy nuts, buttery pastry, crème pat, fresh vanilla pod underpinned with confit lemon, crisp orchard fruits and the most striking mineral freshness imaginable. The palate is a little subdued but that’s ok with me as this beauty will last a decade or more. It’s textural, satiny, fleshy and elegant in a muscular sense. I love the salinity, purity and that same buttery pastry. The acidity is racy and the pithy structure chewy and delightful. Supremely sophisticated and yet again, in a class all of its own by an indescribable sense of completeness. One of the highlights of my year and I am pinching three dozen for sure. Do not overchill, decant for 20-30 minutes and ideally serve in Zalto Bordeaux glassware or similar. Drink now to 2030+ (I believe this will be 99 points in 5-8 years)”
£28.95 per bottle
Mulline Portarlington Chardonnay 2019
2021 Best Chardonnay Wines - Wine Companion Awards
97+ - 98 Points - Stuart McCloskey “The bouquet is inviting with poached apples and pears (lightly spiced), lemon oil and lots of sea spray which builds fabulously with more aeration. A wine of great delicacy with the balance between fruit, structure and acidity pitch perfect. The palate is chiselled and laser-like with racy acidity. Saline, lemon, green apple and flint. Very sophisticated and intellectual, but natural all the same. The focus and purity feel unforced – very contemporary. Bottle age will develop this wine into an absolute beauty. It certainly has the pedigree and structure to offer at least a decade. Oh so graceful and the finish lasts for minutes… I predict this will score 98 to 99 points with a few years bottle age.”
£32.95 per bottle
Pegasus Bay Chardonnay 2017
97+ Points - Stuart McCloskey “Reductive at first but diminishes with a little aeration. I’ll start with my conclusion; overall a Chardonnay which is flamboyant, generous and thoroughly moreish, which will please those who are seeking a fuller style of wine. The value is off the charts – I believe most would be happy to pay north of thirty-pounds. With aeration (20 minutes or so) the wine unfurls with notes of creamed cashew, lemongrass, freshly juiced lemons, spice and wet, hot stones. Layer-upon-layer of fruit washes across your palate. Wonderful creamy richness juxtaposed with grip and acidity. Oodles of finesse with a finish which is endless. A real showstopper with the quality and structure to age gracefully over the next decade. A WOW for the money. Incredible value. Served with Zalto Bordeaux glassware.”
£22.95 per bottle
Nocturne Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2018
97 Points - Stuart McCloskey “Struck match, citrus, lemon and orange peel, flint, wild mint, spice and an unmistakable twang of pink grapefruit unfold from the glass. Like the Cabernet – the balance is exceptional. Crystalline purity is the signature along with a soft, powdery mouth feel. The palate follows a similar line with confit lemon, lemon grass and spice all fabulously infused with floral notes. Finesse more than oomph, nonetheless this is an exquisitely composed Chardonnay. Expressive in a reserved sense and will provide a complete drinking experience in 5-8 years. Gracious, and all the better for it. Do not overchill and ideally decant for 20-30 minutes. Served using Zalto Bordeaux glassware.”
£27.95 per bottle
Hoddles Creek 1er Chardonnay 2017
95 Points - Campbell Mattinson, The Winefront "This is swish. Straw-yellow in colour, stone fruit riddled, shy on the nose but textural and alive on the palate. A gentle creaminess, spice notes, slate even, honeysuckle and toast. Extremely pure. Flowing robes of flavour. Grapefruit-like bite to the aftertaste, as a distinct positive. It’s still gathering itself but already it’s a treat to drink. A beautiful, beautiful wine."
Was £30.50 per bottle
Now £28.50 per bottle
View over 60 Magnificent Chardonnays
Standish The Schubert Theorem 2018
" So saturated in flavor, so long and full of energy. The vinous intensity on the finish is spectacular. This is something really special."
Anthill Farms was launched in 2004 by partners Webster Marquez, David Low and Anthony Filiberti who all previously worked at Williams Selyem. The trio are deeply committed to producing handcrafted, high quality, cool climate single vineyard Pinot Noir, Syrah and Chardonnay sourced from vineyards in Northern California.
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