We have three elite names in the spotlight this week, all being shown across our Friday and Saturday tastings!
Come Friday night (19th), join Huw Kinch, estate manager and head winemaker at New Zealand's acclaimed Pyramid Valley, as he stands guard at the tasting table from 4:30 to 6:30pm! Every year, these Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs stand comfortably in our top tier of Kiwi choices; each one hailing from either their original Waikari Estate site in North Canterbury (rocky limestone and clay soils at high altitude, bringing a distinct sense of power and drive), or their Mānatu site in Central Otago (soils of loess over deep gravel and deposits of pedogenic lime, bringing more savoury and floral characteristics) which they acquired in 2018. Indeed, there'll be three Chardonnays and three Pinots to enjoy (full lineup below) - we hope you can come join Huw and hear how things are growing over there across the pond!
Then Saturday (20th), we have an awesome combined tasting planned, with the wines of Giant Steps and Stargazer all on pour from 12 to 2pm! Not much needs to be said about these two legendary Aussie names; only that they stand tall as just about the best examples of what their respective regions (Yarra Valley and Tasmania's Coal River Valley) can produce at their peak. On the Giant Steps side of things, we'll be pouring three separate Chardonnay and Pinot duos; the entry-levels, the Bastard Hill Vineyards, and the Applejack Vineyards. For Stargazer, we've got their latest releases of the Tupelo Alsatian-inspired white blend, Single Vineyard Riesling, Palisander Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, plus their Pinot Noir/Meunier/Gamay Rada blend. It's a tasting that's sure to take us to some very flavourful heights - we're excited to see what you make of them, but if you can't make it along, they'll all be on special for the next week, if tempted!
Pyramid Valley - Specials & Tasting
Friday 19th September (4:30 to 6:30pm)
Hosted by Estate Manager & Winemaker Huw Kinch
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The Lineup -
North Canterbury Chardonnay 2022 - $50 on special ($57 RRP)
"Intense and appealing chardonnay with white peach, fresh herbs, citrus/lemon curd and a subtle green apple flavour. Deliciously textural wine with a silken and ethereal influence together with a contrasting juicy acidity." - 95 Points, Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review
North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2022 - $59 on special ($67 RRP)
"On the nose, it is spicy, leading with star anise and fennel, clove and orange peel. 100% destemmed, the wine has all the exoticisms of stems. The handling of the fruit during fermentation is incredibly gentle. The cap is wet daily with juice and plunged only once or twice during the peak of ferment. There’s sour cherry and strawberry top, fresh tobacco leaf and a creamy black tea character laced through the finish. A wine of several parts. Complex, textural, fresh.” - 92 Points, Erin Larkin, Robert Parker Wine Advocate
'Mānatu' Central Otago Chardonnay 2023 - $62 on special ($69 RRP)
"A bouquet showing both complexity and youth, scent of fresh yellow stone fruits and grapefruit peel then layers of wood spice and leesy barrel ferment qualities. A mix of brazil-nut butter and smoky spices then a stony mineralised soil quality. On the palate a dry wine with a citrus drive reflecting the ideas of grapefruit and peel then a green peach and apple quality. Fine tannins from both fruit and oak and a backbone of acidity frame the wine well. Taut and youthful with a positive reduction highlight - so plenty of time to cellar, no rush to open." - 95 Points, Cam Douglas MS
'Manata' Central Otago Pinot Noir 2021 - $75 on special ($85 RRP)
"Manata is a vineyard in Lowburn, Central Otago which has been cultivated as a market garden for 150 years to produce soils that are high in organic matter. Dense, rich and concentrated pinot noir with cassis, ripe plum, and mocha flavours. Seductive, accessible and tantalisingly complex wine with development potential." - 96 Points, Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review
'Angel Flower' Pinot Noir 2023 - $165 on special ($189 RRP)
"Planted in 2000 at 11,111 vines per hectare, the 0.7-hectare Angel Flower plot is the cooler, more exposed Pinot block on the Pyramid Valley property. It’s a stunning, steeply sloped, north-facing block located at the southern tip of the estate. After 21 to 27 days on skins, the wine matured in French oak for 18 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. It’s a dazzlingly good Pinot: generous, full and complex with lovely balance between savoury elements, pure fruit and mineral tension. Sheer class." - Bibendum Wine Co.
'Lion's Tooth' Chardonnay 2023 - $170 on special ($198 RRP)
"The biodynamically farmed Lion’s Tooth is a steeply inclined, east-facing site on soils described as having a “nut and crumb structure and great mineral fertility”. It’s the classic limestone and clay of the area. Combined with lengthy hang-time facilitated by the cool La Niña growing season, soil and site distinction pave the way for a powerfully built Lion’s Tooth of drive, tension and dense but nuanced flavour. The wine shows alluring charm, perfect pace and profound complexity." - Bibendum Wine Co.
Giant Steps & Stargazer - Two Australian Greats on Special + Combined Tasting
Saturday 20th September (12 to 2pm)
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The Lineup -
Giant Steps Estate Pinot Noir 2024 -
$35 on special this week; $39 RRP
"A 50/50% mix of upper and lower Yarra estate and grower fruit. 30% whole bunches. A very bright crimson purple. Pretty and complex with aromas of red cherry skins and rhubarb together with some pink peppercorn spice and a light savoury edge. More approachable than the '23. As a young wine, the medium-bodied palate is spicy, silky and long. It'll probably age well but it's so good to drink now that there's no need to bother!" - 95 Points, Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion
Giant Steps Estate Chardonnay 2024 -
$35 on special this week; $39 RRP
"An even split of upper and lower Yarra fruit; both estate grown and from growers. Less mlf than last year. Smells fleshy with aromas of stone fruits, together with a little pink grapefruit and light citrus notes. It's both approachable and gentle, even as a young wine, but the balance for drinking now or cellaring in the short to medium term is absolutely spot on." - 95 Points, Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion
Giant Steps Bastard Hill Chardonnay 2024 -
$75 on special this week; $85 RRP
"A 11.5ha vineyard planted in '87 in Gladysdale at 400m with roughly 60% planted to chardonnay. Precise and mineral driven, with aromas of just-ripened orchard fruits, lemon zest and a touch of struck match. A slow but steady burn on the very persistent palate, culminating in a long, structured and saline finish. This will age slowly but surely over the next decade. There's only 200 dozen made in '24, illustrating the lengths that Giant Steps are taking to protect the brand." - 97 Points, Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion
Giant Steps Bastard Hill Pinot Noir 2024 -
$85 on special this week; $95 RRP
"This is pretty as a picture. Blue and red berries, slips of spice, smoked cedar tucked in; it’s Pinot Noir in naked form, the bones clear but so too the flesh. This result is exquisite. It glides slowly through the start and then gradually, like a river through the rapids, increases its speed to the rush of an exaggeratedly long finish. This Pinot Noir is minerally, almost gravelly. It has flesh and perfume. It delves into secret herbs and spices territory. It’s a wine in perfect form. The tautness, the perfume, the flesh; everything is elite." - 97 Points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
Giant Steps Applejack Chardonnay 2024 -
$85 on special this week; $95 RRP
"Reserved, powerful, super complex nose, smoky, spicy, citrus oils and juice, into stonefruit, into an earthen aspect. This is for the cellar and this is super. Aftertaste brings grapefruit and apple skins, texture, mineral, stones. Outstanding Applejack Chardonnay. Intense and pure but with layers of character. Reserved power. One of the most characterful Applejack chardonnays I’ve tasted. No new oak. It’s not exaggerated or in your face but this just has all the extras." - 97 Points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
Giant Steps Applejack Pinot Noir 2024 -
$94 on special this week; $105 RRP
"Darkly fruited and more intense than the '23 with aromas of wild blackberry, raspberry, briar, and just a hint of sous bois. On the palate, this is as concentrated and mouth-filling as the bouquet suggests it will be, culminating with succulent, grippy tannins on the long, tapering finish. It's a touch more 'sauvage' and a little less floral than normal but, even in this warmer vintage, one of Australia's most celebrated pinot noirs is in impressive form." - 98 Points, Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion
Stargazer Tupelo White Blend 2025 -
$35 on special this week; $39 RRP
// Pinot Gris 39%, Pinot Blanc 30%, Gewürztraminer 24% and Riesling 7%
"The unusual blend mirrors the famous Alsatian 'Gentil' styles marrying the body of Pinot Gris. the exuberance of Pinot Blanc with the spicy aromatics of Gewürztraminer and the finesse of Riesling. Pale yellow in colour with green flecks. the nose is perfumed and lifted showing honeysuckle and jasmine notes with dried pear spiciness and a hint of honeyed beeswax. There is a glossy texture to the palate, with the richness framed by subtle phenolics providing both persistence and length." - Samantha Connew, Winemaker Notes
Stargazer Rada Pinot/Gamay Blend 2024 -
$35 on special this week; $39 RRP
// 50% Pinot Meunier, 44% Pinot Noir and 6% Gamay
"Around 16% whole bunch and 6 months in old French oak puncheons. Bright ruby with notes of red fruits, dried cranberry, rosehip tea, dried citrus rind, spice, glacé cherries, distant struck flint, and dried wildflowers. I really like the whiffy wildness of the carbonic gamay in the mix here. Spacious and fruit-pure on the palate with a curtain of gentle, powdery tannin and some nice sour cherry vibes on the fade out." - 94 Points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
Stargazer Single Vineyard Riesling 2025 -
$35 on special this week; $39 RRP
"Pale yellow with green hints in the glass, the nose shows plenty of spice – freshly grated nutmeg and cardamom pods – along with the trademark Tea Tree apple skin character, and a honeysuckle floral note. On the palate there is plenty of wild fennel crunch combined with a and delicate chamomile laciness. The acid on the palate is salivating and zesty with a positive phenolic edge working seamlessly with the residual sugar to provide shape and balance." - Samantha Connew, Winemaker Notes
Stargazer Palisander Pinot Noir 2024 -
$65 on special this week; $72 RRP
"An exuberant nose of red cherry, pomegranate, violets, sarsaparilla, and thyme. The lifted pretty aromatics give way to similar vibrant spice on the palate. There is plenty of lush generous fruit alongside juicy red cherries, supported by clove, nutmeg and five spice. Soft velvet like tannins work with the bright acid to contribute to a sustained length of flavour.” - Samantha Connew, Winemaker Notes
Stargazer Chardonnay 2024 -
$65 on special this week; $72 RRP
"Pale straw in colour, on the nose it is all bright fresh lemon peel and ripe white peaches. Custard pastry and cashew nuts with subtle flinty layer add a secondary layer under the primary fruit. The generous stonefruit upfront on the palate is framed by judicious use of oak, with long flavours of almonds and honeycomb finishing with a pink sea salt briny drive.” - Samantha Connew, Winemaker Notes
If you wish to buy any of these wines, please use the links above
Alternatively, email us at sales@thewineemporium.com.au, or contact us on (07)32521117 if you have any questions.
// Special prices valid until Thursday the 25th of September