Category Archives: Awards

50 years of The Armagh

Certain names resonate strongly within Australian wine history and Jim Barry is one of them. It was Jim Barry’s drive that helped shape South Australia’s Clare Valley as a benchmark producer of world class Riesling, iconic Shiraz and cemented it as one of Australia’s premier wine regions. Here we take a look at the story of the Armagh vineyard.

 

2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the planting of the iconic Armagh vineyard, a wine that has achieved extraordinary success and is regarded as one of Australia’s highest quality wines (check out Robert Parker’s point scores below).

 

The vineyard was named after the adjoining hamlet of Armagh, established by Irish settlers in 1849 and named after the lush rolling hills of their homeland. Jim Barry planted the 3.3 hectare vineyard in 1968 with Shiraz grapes.

 

20 years later South Australia had a glut of red wine – mainly Shiraz – and a Vine Pull Scheme was taking hold, however the Barry family decided the Armagh block of Shiraz should remain and become the icon red for Jim Barry Wines akin to Grange and Hill of Grace.

 

The vineyard is planted on its own roots on grey sandy abrasive topsoil over clay subsoil and receives an average rainfall of 600 millimetres per year. Such is The Armagh vineyards suitability that minimal intervention is needed to maintain yields below 4 tonnes per hectare, which produce rich and concentrated fruit of the rare quality required to produce wines with ageing potential.

 

The vineyard lies on a northwest facing slope which acts as a natural sun trap, ensuring the fruit is always fully ripened at harvest time, resulting in low-yielding vines that produce less than 27 hectolitres per hectare.

 

Awards

2013: 96 Pts; Robert Parker, 2016

2012: 98 Pts; Robert Parker, 2018

2010: 99 Pts; Robert Parker, 2016

2009: 96 Pts; Robert Parker, 2013

2008: 94 Pts; Robert Parker, 2013

2007: 96 Pts; Robert Parker, 2011

2006: 97 Pts; Robert Parker, 2016

2005: 96 Pts; Robert Parker, 2013

 

Speak to your account manager for more details of any of The Armagh wines in stock.

 

Tramin Takes the 90’s On Robert Parker

Following recent trip to the Alto Adige, Monica Larner, writing for Robertparker.com tasted a range of wines from the area, including those from Tramin – below is what she thought.

Cantina Tramin, founded in 1898, has 310 member winegrowers who follow its strict directives on the cultivation of the vines and covers 260 hectares of vineyards situated on the sunny slopes at an altitude of 250-850 metres above sea level. These vineyards are an integral part of the enchanting and picturesque landscape of the Alto-Adige region of northern Italy. In 2011, Cantina Tramin gained the “Double Stella”. This is given to a winery for achieving the prestigious “3 Bicchieri” 20 times and is awarded by the Gambero Rosso.”

95pts

Tramin, Terminum Alto Adige Gewurztraminer DOC 2013

“The air-dried 2013 Alto Adige Gewürztraminer Terminum (375 ml) really pops from the glass with honey, toasted almond, brown sugar and candied fruit. The grape is deeply fragrant in its natural state, but this expression of Gewürztraminer is dried into raisins before going into the press. This results in a larger scope and more evident opulence and richness. Late harvest fruit is also affected by noble rot or Botrytis Cinerea and this precious dessert wine offers soaring complexity and finesse as a result. Only 2,700 bottles were produced.”
(Monica Larner, 07/17)

93pts

Tramin, Stoan Alto Adige DOC 2015

“The 2015 Alto Adige Stoan is a very satisfying blend of 65% Chardonnay with 20% Sauvignon, 10% Pinot Bianco and 5% Gewürztraminer. The wine achieves pretty balance, based primarily on the robust and creamy nature of the Chardonnay that serves as the wine’s foundation. Upon that solid base, it offers bright floral intensity that comes from the Sauvignon and that small part of Gewürztraminer. The Pinot Bianco serves as the glue that binds these elements together with seamless transitions. The 2015 vintage was a bit warmer than average and there is extra richness and texture as a result. This is an excellent Italian white.”
(Monica Larner, 07/17)

92pts

Tramin, Nussbaumer Gewurztraminer Alto Adige DOC 2015

“Cantina Tramin promises fine results with Gewürztraminer and has shown a special focus on this fragrant grape these last years. The 2015 Alto Adige Gewürztraminer Nussbaumer is a rich and thickly textured wine with important depth and persistence. The wine glides smoothly over the palate. It offers candied peach, passion fruit, honey and candy-like flavours. It also shows an enormously perfumed bouquet with white rose and fragrant Indian jasmine. Some 70,000 bottles were produced.”
(Monica Larner, 07/17)

Wine Merchant – Top 100

Hallgarten has come out on top as The Wine Merchant Top 100 competition’s leading supplier, with 19 wines in the Top 100, another 35 Highly Commended and Ktima Gerovassiliou Malagousia 2016 winning the trophy for Best White Wine!

All of the winners from Hallgarten’s portfolio…

Trophy – Best White Wine

Ktima Gerovassiliou, Malagousia 2016

Top 100

Ktima Gerovassiliou, Malagousia 2016

Ancilla, Lugana DOC 2015

Barros, 10 Year Old Tawny NV

Berton Vineyard, Reserve Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

Carpineto, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva DOCG 2012

Château Ksara, Reserve du Couvent 2014

Finca Os Cobatos, Godello Blanco 2016

Frescobaldi, Tenuta di Castiglioni 2014

Gaia Wines, Wild Ferment Assyrtiko 2016

Idaia Winery, Ocean Thrapshathiri 2015

Paringa Estate, Estate Pinot Noir 2010

Piatelli Vineyards, Trinita 2011

Poderi Parpinello, Isola del Nuraghi IGT Cagnulari 2014

Saint Clair Family Estate, ‘Pioneer Block 5’ Bull Block Pinot Noir 2014

Saint Clair Family Estate, Omaka Reserve Pinot Noir 2014

San Marzano, Negroamaro Salento IGP ‘Vindoro’ 2012

Santo Isidro de Pegões, Touriga Nacional Reserva 2015

Swartland Winery, Bush Vines Syrah 2014

Teusner, Joshua 2015

Highly Commended

Berton Vineyard, Eden Valley Chardonnay Reserve 2015

Calico Mane, Zinfandel 2014

Champagne Bernard Remy, Brut Blanc de Blancs NV

Château du Domaine de l’eglise, Pomerol 2011

Château Lestrille, Le Secret de Lestrille Bordeaux Superieur 2010

Collavini, Refosco Colli Orientali del Friuli DOC ‘Pucino’ 2015

Colomba Bianca, ‘Kore’ Nero d’Avola 2016

Feudi di San Gregorio, ‘Cutizzi’ Greco di Tufo 2015

Groot Constantia, Pinotage 2015

Ktima Biblia Chora, Ovilos 2016

Matias Riccitelli, Vineyard Selection Cabernet Franc 2012

Matias Riccitelli, Republica del Malbec 2014

Michele Chiarlo, Nivole Moscato d’Asti 2016

Oveja Negra, Winemaker’s Selection Malbec Petit Verdot 2015

Poderi Parpinello, Vermentino di Sardinia DOC Sessantaquattro 2015

Saint Clair, Pioneer Block 17 ‘Plateau’ Merlot 2014

San Marzano, ‘Tramari’ Primitivo Rosé Salento IGP 2016

Schloss Johannisberg, Riesling Kabinett Trocken Red Seal 2015

Swartland Winery, Bush Vines Chenin Blanc 2015

Teusner, The Riebke Shiraz 2014

Tramin, Pinot Bianco Moriz 2016

Tramin, Nussbaumer Gewürztraminer DOC 2015

Viña Echeverria, Chardonnay Gran Reserva 2015

Viña Perez Cruz, Chaski Petit Verdot 2013

Zorzal, Eggo Tinto de Tiza Malbec 2014

Ca’Rugate at the tre bicchieri tasting

Today we are part of the great and the good in the plush surroundings of the Church House Conference Centre at Dean’s Yard in Westminster – which is an interesting place to be during a General Election campaign.

We’re here for the annual Gambero Rosso tre bicchieri tasting and I’m showing off the award-winners from our wonderful Ca’Rugate winery. Based in Brognoligo di Monteforte in the heart of the Soave Classico region, Ca’Rugate is one of my all-time favourite producers. We started working with them about four years ago (we couldn’t believe our luck!) and since then it has been a real thrill to introduce their wines to our customers. They made their name with their amazing selection of Soave wines (check out their history of tre bicchieri awards), but in recent times they have won just as many awards for their Valpolicella wines.

Today I am showing the Monte Fiorentine Soave Classico 2015, the Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso 2015 and the Punta Tolotti Black Label Amarone 2012.

Award-winners to the left of me, award-winners to the right of me, but punters are queueing up at my table – and it’s definitely not because of my good looks. Word has got out and everyone wants to taste the Soave. It lives up to its reputation, caressing and undressing the palate with a seductive allure of hazelnuts and cream, cut through with a water-on-pebbles minerality. My job is sooo easy when the wine is as good as this.

But just as gratifying is the reaction to the reds. One particular wine “counsellor” becomes my best pal by bringing over client after client to taste the ravishing and voluptuous Amarone, surrendering themselves to the heady concoction of blueberries, blackberries, cherries and spicy oak. The tasters look at me in awe. Nothing to do with me, I tell them; it’s all the work of Michele Tessari and his team.

The Ripasso is equally well received. It is the subtle touch of sweetness on the finish which lingers on the palate which causes everyone to pause, stop, gaze into a faraway space and reflect on the beauty of what is in their mouth. The senses surrender.  It is the way the taster looks at you as if to say; “Thank you” which brings the smile to your face.

It was at the beginning of the 20th century that Amedeo Tessari, Michele’s great grandfather, first sensed the quality of the land and began making wine. Amedeo, a modest man,  would probably have felt out of place among the finery of Dean’s Yard. But his legacy lives on.

The wines continue to beguile.

 

SUGRUE PIERRE BRUT, TROUBLE WITH DREAMS, 2013 ONLY SPARKLING TO TAKE HOME GOLD AT INAUGURAL IEWA

Sugrue Pierre Brut, Trouble With Dreams 2013 has become the only sparkling wine to win gold at the inaugural IEWA, coming first out of 32 English sparkling wines.

The IEWA (The Independent English Wine Awards) announced its results on Saturday 18 March following rigorous judging from winemakers, Masters of Wine, sommeliers, buyers, merchants, journalists and educators.

The fourth vintage of Sugrue Pierre Brut, ‘The Trouble With Dreams’ comes from the 2013 harvest, sourcing fruit from Storrington Priory Vineyard, this is the first vintage where the majority of grapes came from the exceptional Mount Harry Vineyard, near Lewes in East Sussex.

The Independent English Wine Awards is a new world-class, independent wine competition created to reward, promote and celebrate the best of English wine. ‘The IEWA’ is aimed at the consumer, to raise awareness, inform, engage, promote and ultimately help increase sales of English wine and assist the continued development of the industry. Of course it is also an exercise in celebration: of excellence, achievement, growth and really great wines.

 

 

 

 

https://twitter.com/HDNwines/status/846334823371362304

Lake Breeze, Arthur’s Reserve 2012, Wins Winestate Wine of the Year 2016

Arthur’s Reserve 2012, from Langhorne Creek’s Lake Breeze Wines, has come out on top against 10,000 wines from across Australia and New Zealand to be named Winestate Wine of the Year 2016.

The award, presented on 24 November in Adelaide, is the lb-2 second time Lake Breeze has come out triumphant after winning in 2010, with its 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Arthur’s Reserve is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, with small amounts of Petit Verdot (9 per cent) and Malbec (5 per cent) picked from 40-50 year old vines from the Follett family’s own vineyards on the Langhorne Creek flood plain.

Small open fermenters were used with maceration times varying from 8 to 12 days, before the wine is aged in French Oak for 21 months.

The resultant wine shows classic blackcurrant aromas with violets, mint and savoury characters. The palate has great depth and silkiness and shows wonderful intensity and length of flavour.

Speaking to The Lead, South Australia, Lake Breeze Winemaker, Greg Follett said: “The good news is that the 2013 has already won a trophy in Sydney for the best blend of the show so it’s proving to be a consistent wine from year to year”

“It’s one of our better performed wines and certainly the 2012 vintage was hugely successful for us for Cabernet in particular.

“The result is fantastic for us. There’s not too many wine awards these days where the phone starts ringing and you get an automatic boost in sales but having said that, we’ve already fielded a few inquiries and we don’t have a huge amount of stock.”

Follett said the award was also recognition of the Langhorne Creek region 65km southeast of Adelaide, which was sometimes overlooked in favour of its higher-profile neighbours, McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley.

“Within the industry it’s fairly well-known and regarded but to the general public we fly under the radar a bit because we’re spoilt for wine regions here in South Australia,” he said.

“We’ve certainly been punching above our weight in the wine shows for years, so the quality has always been here.”

lb-3

Each year Winestate evaluates around 10,000 wines in 12 categories from all regions in Australia and New Zealand using an audited and independent judging process.

Winestate Publisher, Peter Simic, commented: “To be the overall winner the wine has to be head and shoulders above its peers in that category compared with the winning wines in other categories. In this case the Lake Breeze Lake Breeze Arthur’s Reserve 2012 stood above all others.”

And the Best New Zealand Producer of the Year is… Saint Clair Family Estate!

Saint Clair, pioneer in the Marlborough wine industry, has been awarded the accolade of Best New Zealand Producer of the Year at the AWC Vienna International Wine Challenge 2016.

The AWC Vienna is the largest officially recognised wine competition in the world, with over 12 thousand wines entered from 41 different countries in 2016.

The landmark award win has also coincided with the local and prestigious Air New Zealand Wine Awards Gold medal winners, with Saint Clair achieving Gold medal status for a variety of wines at various price points.

The winery’s consistent recognition in a variety of wine competitions, both locally and internationally, is a clear indication of the quality present across the entire range; reinforcing Saint Clair’s position as a leading New Zealand wine producer.

saint_clair_1

 

LARRY CHERUBINO WINES SHINE

QANTAS EPIQURE HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION AWARDS
Halliday has spoken, and once again its excellent news for Western Australian wine, with Larry Cherubino Wines awarded Best Value Winery of the Year in the 2017 Qantas Epiqure Halliday Wine Companion Awards. Recognised as one of the Australian wine industry’s highest honours, Halliday’s Best Value Winery award recognises producers whose portfolio confidently displays that most holy of unions – outstanding wines and great value for money.
The 2017 guide features 35 wines from the Cherubino stable – 28 of which received the all-important ‘value’ rosette across Cherubino, Laissez Faire, The Yard, Pedestal and Ad Hoc. This is a superb endorsement of the drive for consistency that winemaker Larry Cherubino has made his mission. “To us, it’s part of what we represent, to make wines that people want to drink and in turn, keep them coming back” the winemaker says. “This award is great in demonstrating that what we are doing is not only valuable to our customers but also to the regions we grow and source our grapes from. This recognition drives me to keep pushing myself to grow better grapes and make the wines that we want to drink”.
After 25 years in the industry, Cherubino’s knack for achieving elegance and consistency across region, vintage and price point certainly isn’t going unnoticed. Having taken out Halliday’s Winery of the Year along with multiple awards and medals in recent years, this recent award reinforces the story of Cherubino. “Wine is constantly evolving. We are always learning and having to change and we will always work hard to make sure we continue to chase both quality and value’.
“First up, in 2011 [Cherubino’s] eponymous winery was honoured as Winery of the Year. Second, in 15 years he has traversed all the challenges and practices of the issues [of modern winemaking]. And he has done it in style.” – James Halliday, 2017 Halliday Wine Companion

AUSTRALIAN WINE COMPANION 2017 EDITION
2017 Best Value Winery – Larry Cherubino Wines
2013 Cherubino Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon – 97 points
2015 Cherubino Pemberton Sauvignon Blanc – 96 points
2015 Cherubino Margaret River Chardonnay – 96 points
2015 Laissez Faire Porongurup Riesling – 95 points
2015 Laissez Faire Frankland River Fiano – 94 points
2015 Laissez Faire Margaret River Field Blend – 94 points
2014 Laissez Faire Porongurup Pinot Noir – 90 points
2015 Pedestal Margaret River Semillon Sauvignon Blanc – 95 points
2014 Pedestal Margaret River Cabernet Merlot – 93 points
2014 The Yard Frankland River Acacia Shiraz – 94 points
2015 Ad Hoc Great Southern Wallflower Riesling – 94 points
2015 Ad Hoc Margaret River Straw Man Sauvignon Blanc Semillon – 95 points
2015 Ad Hoc Pemberton ‘Hen & Chicken’ Chardonnay – 92 points
2015 Ad Hoc Pemberton ‘Hen & Chicken’ Chardonnay – 92 points
2014 Ad Hoc Frankland River Avant Gardening Cabernet Malbec – 93 points
2014 Ad Hoc Frankland River Middle of Everywhere Shiraz – 94 points