Our New Aussie Exclusives

 Wine Companion - Best New Winery of The Year 2019

Fruit from a single vineyard in the Coal River Valley, 60% barrel fermented after a 4 hour skin soak, 40% skin fermented for two weeks and pressed to oak, all natural yeast, partial malolactic ferment while maturing on lees. Bottled unfined and unfiltered

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97 Points - Stuart McCloskey “A thrilling, single vineyard Shiraz which has been meticulously crafted by the skilled hands of Craig Stansborough. The site is around 260-280m above sea level with vines planted in 2000 and is own rooted, clones are heritage and 1654. The nose is heady and aromatically perfumed with intense black raspberry, crème de cassis, bramble and fennel seed. The warm earth notes keep it grounded (forgive the pun!) as do the cedar notes. Vanilla kicks in after many hours in the decanter (we decanted for 6). Read more...

Exclusive to The Vinorium

98+ Points Stuart McCloskey "The aromas waft from the glass with consummate ease… Touches of smoked, grilled meat, redcurrant, liquorice, dried orange rind, blood orange, spice (black pepper & cinnamon) and rose hip. Very Burgundian. The palate is medium bodied with tannins as long and fine as one could imagine. As with their Chardonnay – This wine shows an amazing level of control. Not a millimetre is out of place. The fruit conveys a cool-climate, saline elegance which is far from sparing. Unfurling, charming, precise and certainly built for the cellar (5-10 years). There are two Aussie Pinot Noirs which I go to and this is one… Such is the brilliance, Paul & Gilli should pay Burgundy a tutelage visit. For now, I award 98+ points but I believe this will increase over the coming years. This is a fantastic Pinot Noir and a benchmark against which other Aussie wines should be measured. Decant for one hour and serve using Zalto Burgundy glassware"

 Wine Companion - Best New Winery of The Year 2019

95 Points - Campbell Mattinson "From the Derwent and Coal River Valleys. It's both intense and textural with effortless acidity and gorgeous length. Orange oil, lemon, fennel and honeysuckle flavours put on an exotic show. It will of course age but there's significant pleasure to be had right now."

Exclusive to The Vinorium

Jaysen Collins (winemaker) - "I grew up across the road from a famous old school winemaker who was known to be one of the best blenders of his generation. So for years I followed this ideal in the wines I was making. For a hands off winemaker, you actually feel like you are doing something. One day pondering life, the universe and everything I thought about why I hadn’t challenged this notion. Grenache and friends work well together – I’ll just pick them within a few days of each other, chuck it all in one fermenter and let the ferment rock it in its own way. So my theory is that the different varieties bring something complimentary but they also bring something individual – so equal but opposite reactions in the ferment. I then remembered my high school physics and worked out it’s actually the same way a rocket works. Go figure."

  Top Rated Cabernet Sauvignon - 2020 Wine Companion Awards

98 Points - James Halliday "From a single vineyard owned by the Zerk family, planted 1880 to 1890, making it one of the oldest cabernet vineyards in Australia (and the world). Wild yeast-open fermented, hand-plunged, 8 days on skins, pressed to French hogsheads (44% new), on lees 17 months. This is pure and simple cabernet, elegant, long and finely structured. A great cabernet vintage for this great vineyard."

 Wine Companion - Best New Winery of The Year 2019

95 Points - Campbell Mattinson "Squeaky clean yet laden with character. Stalk, spice, nut and leaf matter notes steer a savoury course but the core of cherry-berry flavour is bright, juicy and ripe. The fundamentals are covered, the flair is then applied. Dry, herb-flecked tannin tethers the finish to the future."

Jaysen Collins (winemaker) - I always get mesmerised when I see a flock of birds floating and drifting in the wind. It brings a sense of freedom and joy to me. I knew the bluebird is the symbol of happiness so I had a concept for the label – I just needed the wine!

So with this idea floating about in my head, I set out to make a great drink that brings a true sense of delight. I found an east facing vineyard in the shallow soils of the Adelaide Hills that just gets the morning sun – no baked flavours here. I got rid of the stalks and just fermented this as whole berries. Just before coffee in the morning and after a cold beer in the afternoon I quickly give it a plunge by hand, nothing too serious or strenuous. It’s bottled early to catch the brightness I’m looking for, meaning it’s dangerously drinkable whenever you need a pick me up.

94 Points - James Halliday "80% cool-fermented in stainless steel, 20% as cloudy juice in used French oak. This gives a tactile flavour expression equalled by few other Australian sauvignon blancs. It's not about Marlborough, but the Loire Valley/Bordeaux of France at half the price."

Living wine relying on ancient knowledge and intuition. Energetic wine of expressive character and lo-fi technique. Domaine Simha Amphorae wines are crafted in white clay fermentation vessels. Derived from the cosmic golden ratio, the ovoid shape promotes a gentle passive convection current. Wine is energised by constant motion and naturally maintains a stable temperature. Micro porosity allows wine to breathe and evolve over time. Intricate geometric patterned Amphorae labels reference the exquisite architectural beauty of jali screens carved in stone.