(2017) Quite a deep colour, the most fragrant floral and jasmine edges to that buttery wax development. The palate has great richness, but shot through with pure shimmering mineral acidity. Delightful.
(2017) Wonderfully developed nose, with loads of toastiness, minerals with that touch of petrol/paraffin, and a lightly earthy character all joining the limey fruit. In the mouth, beautifully honed, river stone minerals and salts and endlessly long. Fabulous and probably still capable of another 10 years of cellaring: these wines really do need age.
(2016) It's as much about aroma and texture as it is about flavour in this dry, exotically-fruited and spiced interpretation of Gewurztraminer, with only 12.5% alcohol to retain juicy freshness, it stops way short of Gewurz tendency to be a little over-powering, and yet the lychee and Nivea cream aromas and fruit and spice flavours are terrifically expressive.
(2016) Matured in puncheons, one-third new. A much flintier, complex sulphide nose, from a higher vineyard, 100 metres higher than the M3 Chardonnay, as they have "chased vineyards further up the hill." Toast and sweet barrel notes, the palate has gorgeous sweet ripeness, but juicy orchard fruit and touches of peach before a savoury lemon and salt acidity. Note: price and stockist quoted is for 2014 at time of review.
(2016) From an east-facing vineyard at 380m above sea level, this certified biodynamic wine is made with no cultured yeasts or enzymes, and is given full malolactic fermention, 20% new oak, 60 old oak and 20% in concrete 'eggs'. Lovely golden colour, and a lovely honeyed, very open and so gently nutty oxidation. A touch of honey on the palate too, and a creaminess and delicacy is gorgeous, balanced and long into the apple and nutty finish.
(2016) A blend with an unusually high 60% proportion Viognier alongside Roussanne and Marsanne. Lovely aromatics, has that lanolin waxiness, but also deep peach and touches of butter from barrel ferment, then a little floral aromatic, but the palate, has a fine creaminess of flavour and texture, and very good acidity. Chewy, but still fresh, not at all over-bearing, with its fragrance and freshness, juicy to the last drop. Note price and stockist quoted at time of review is for the 2013 vintage
(2013) >From the Stonewell Valley in Barossa, this wine came from a long, cool vintage resulting in a modest 13% abv. The grapes were whole-bunch pressed and fermented and aged for 11 months in French oak, 20% of which was new. It has a brilliant gold/green colour and a quite delightful nose: subtle jasmine and lightly smoky mineral notes overlay subtle but ripe nectarine and pear. There's a hint of toast somewhere in there too. On the palate this has weight and richness, the full-bodied texture and layering of vanilla pierced by super-sharp lemony acidity and the core of cool, mineral-flecked apple and taut white fruit building. Very precise and focused stuff, this has a brilliance, a luminosity about it.