Victoria

Owen Latta (Winemaker) "Quite a challenging vintage; a good start to the season followed by a long slow finish. Harvested early May, 12.8 Baumé. 5% whole bunch, indigenous yeast and no adjustments. 16-18 months in 4-10 year old barriques. SO2 added post Malo and prior to bottling. This wine took time to blossom but is now one of our favourites. Also Norman’s last solo vintage!

Our tasting note to follow...

Owen Latta (Winemaker) "A nice start to the growing season with good rainfall in winter and spring and then everything stopped in summer to become a warmer short season. Intense in the vineyard with extreme drought conditions causing low yields. Interesting fruit. The wines were very forward in their youth but showed potential for longevity. Nice to revisit this and think about the season."

Our tasting note to follow...

Campbell Mattison, Wine Companion “Carbon copy of the excellent '15 release. Dark cherry-berry flavours, inlays of woodsy spices, mint and wood smoke as highlights. It's fresh, fleshy, pumped with fruit but more than a little savoury. It finishes firm and strong; it's in top form.”

Morgan Dunn, The Australian "White pepper and bold blue fruits on the nose with perhaps a nod to the northern Rhone with a bare hint of smoked meat and graphite. Dry tannins are regimental but not too serious; there’s focus and drive but the juiciness of the fruit and acidity add a playful element like sailors on shore leave."

98 Points - Stuart McCloskey “The nose is immensely grown-up and would not be out of place in a Grand-Cru white Burgundy line-up. A wondrous bouquet of honey, beeswax, citrus, apple, jasmine flower, and limestone. The palate is equally captivating, tensile and the biodynamic principles provide an almost perfect sense of naturality. Balletic is its movement from fruit to structure. So glorious and completely unforced. The wine’s intricacy is quite remarkable, and the complexity offers an intense, satisfying experience. This is a flat-out great wine regardless of its origins. Deeply impressive and will be mesmeric in a decade. Decant for 20 / 30 minutes and served using Zalto Bordeaux glassware. Do not overchill…”

Gourmet Traveller Wine 'Best buy wines to cellar' - "Cobaw Ridge produces scintillating wines in which charisma is never lacking. This pinot noir asserts many things from the glass, with wild-edged herbal, spicy, pickled cherry scents and a palate that spreads luxuriously with brambly, blackberry flavours. So much going on, so unique. It’s fun to approach, but will be all autumn scents and flavours with 5-10 years of maturity."

 Alan Cooper, Founder & Vigneron “Very much typical of our Syrah from a cooler year, aromatic on the nose, savoury spice and a fine dusting of black pepper to finish. The essence of granite. Focussed and expressive of our amazing terroir. The classic iron fist in a velvet glove. Huge latent power and structure to burn. This wine will reward you even more with age!”

Gourmet Traveller Wine 'Best buy wines over $30'  "It’s really hard not to think of the great syrahs of the northern Rhône (St-Joseph, Hermitage) when tasting this exceptional, nervy, peppery, thrillingly dark-fruited syrah. And even harder to ignore what great value it is in comparison to them."

I love the salinity, purity and that same buttery pastry... Supremely sophisticated and yet again, in a class all of its own

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)”

Owen Latta (Winemaker) "Dream season! Easy year in the vineyard with no pressure on to get anything done great quantities per acre. Amazing grapes. Beautiful for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Coghills Creek. 15% whole bunch indigenous yeast and no adjustments. 12 months in 4-10 year old barriques. SO2 added post Malo and prior to bottling. From the get go this wine was ready to roll and has made heads turn. It has aged gracefully and is singing its song loud at the moment."

Our tasting note to follow...

Owen Latta (Winemaker) "A great beginning of the season from a dry winter with not a lot of rain and not much rainfall to follow up in the spring. Some good early summer rain helped the vineyard to finish. The year became cool for a late April Harvest. Good yields but very small bunches caused by the drought. 10% whole bunch indigenous yeast and no adjustments. 12 months in 4-10 year old barriques. SO2 added post Malo and prior to bottling. We have found some excess stock of this wine in the cellar, hence the value price."

Our tasting note to follow...

Owen Latta (Winemaker) "Again another season similar to 2008, back to back. Warmer, short and easy in the vineyard with a couple of good patches of rain. Extreme drought conditions with a few days of extreme heat across Victoria at the time of the black Saturday fires. Extremely fortunate there were no fires in this part of the world. It’s a voluptuous pinot with a line that rides right down the middle, plenty going on here.

Our tasting note to follow...