We've got another luxurious looking weekend planned for you all to enjoy at the tasting table! Saturday will sweep in a whole assortment of fantastic whites, reds and champagne, including Jacquesson, Deep Woods, Strelley Farm, the iconic Mount Mary Quintet, and two acclaimed Lowestoft wines including their new Jimmy Watson Award winning Pinot Noir! Not often can we pop open such a frequency of brilliance across several different styles, varietals and regions, so don't miss out on this one (Saturday 18th) running from 12 to 2pm
And for all the gin lovers out there, Gold Coast fan-favourite Wildflower Distillery are back in the house on tasting this Friday (17th) from 4 to 6pm, with both the Dry Gin and Pink Gin, hosted by the exuberant Shane Robinson - if you haven't tried them yet, he's here to show you their magic.
See you all on the weekend!
Tasting Lineup - Saturday 18th from 12 to 2pm
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Jacquesson Cuvée 746 Extra Brut NV - $166 on special ; $185 RRP
// Disgorgement in October 22 - Dosage 2gr/L
Chardonnay 57%, Pinot Noir 22%, Pinot Meunier 21%
"The 746 is a blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, finished with a very low dosage at less than a gram per litre which lets all the purity of the fruit to come through. For the 2018 harvest in Aÿ, Dizy, Hautvillers (68%), Avize and Oiry (32%), the previous winter was exceptionally rainy, this was followed by a mild, stormy spring. The weather changed from June onwards, becoming fine and dry, resulting in a particularly early harvest: we started picking on 30 August and finished on 11 September. The vines were in perfect health and the harvest was abundant with an excellent degree of ripeness and moderate acidity. The resulting wines are particularly fine and elegant." – Notes from Jacquesson
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2022 Deep Woods Estate Chardonnay - $23 on special ; $26 RRP
"Pale straw with a golden hue. White flowers, nectarine and lemon peel aromas with warm toasty almond biscuit. This wine displays juicy white peach flavours with an underlying citrus freshness. This is a medium bodied Chardonnay with vibrant notes of candied lime peel and rich roasted cashews." - Winemaker Notes
"Bright yellow with a touch of lime at the edges. White peach fruit and a touch of flinty reduction on the nose. Quite powerful in the classic Margaret River way but has ample fresh fruit and saline minerals to balance that. Acidity works in concert with a hint of phenolics to carry it long. A lot of bang for buck here." - 92 Points, Stuart Knox, The Real Review
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2022 Deep Woods Reserve Chardonnay - $72 on special ; $82 RRP
"Pale straw with flashes of brilliant green. The nose is complex and alluring showing a flinty minerality of river stone, sea breeze and chipped shell woven together with ripe citrus and a rich, nutty undertone. The palate is a triumph of medium-bodied power and persistence. Intense flavours of scratched lime, white nectarine and peach roll in layers across the tongue. Fine-grained oak underpins the expressive Gin Gin clone characteristics with a delicious, chewy texture drawing out the long finish." - Winemaker Notes
"This 2022 Reserve Chardonnay leads with almond meal, toasted peach, apple skins and preserved citrus. There are hints of sandalwood, clove, cut fennel and star anise. The fruit in the mouth plumes around the skeleton of phenolics that shape the flavor through the finish. It is textural and complex, detailed and fleshy. This is very good! Will be better!" - 96 Points, Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
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2020 Deep Woods Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon - $83 on special ; $95 RRP
"Superb power here. Dense blackcurrant with bay leaf, gravel, dark chocolate and black olive flavours sweeping through, floral notes lifting above. It's both structured and svelte but the serious density of fruit here, in the context of vigour, is a dramatic marker of its quality, and potential longevity. This wine is not inexpensive but, it could easily be argued it's worth every cent, relative to its competitors, from here and abroad. In short, it's a fantastic red wine, full-bodied and rock solid." - 96 Points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
"The 2020 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was just (one week ago at the time of writing) awarded "Best in Show" at the 2022 Decanter World Wine Awards. Not bad for a little winery in Western Australia's southwest. The wine is not little, though. It is birthed of a warm, low-yielding vintage that produced lushly fruited, abundantly tannic wines that are as powerful as they are attractive. Perhaps that extra swathe of tannins puts it in a different class, however the fruit remains pure and, although plentiful, is expertly wedged into every nook and cranny in the mouth. This is a superb wine. A brilliant example of Margaret River Cabernet in a great year." - 95 Points, Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
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2022 Strelley Farm Pinot Noir - $29 on special ; $33 RRP
"A blend of 37% Derwent Valley, 34% Tamar Valley, 23% East Coast and 6% Coal River Valley fruit. Small parcels were fermented separately in open top fermenters with twice daily cap management. Ten months maturation in new (20%) and seasoned French oak prior to blending and bottling. Light garnet hue, with perfumed aromas of ripe plum, raspberry and dark cherry supported by subtle oak spice. On the palate, bright and juicy red fruit flavours upfront are underscored by a dense core of dark cherry and supple oak tannin." - Winemaker Notes
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2021 Lowestoft 'La Meilleure' Chardonnay - $92 on special ; $105 RRP
"The fruit is very powerful and expressive. Tasman Peninsula is where the penguins like to hang out… it’s cold, windy, salty, producing fruit with tension and laser like acidity. East Coast fruit can be very powerful if left to hang to “optimum ripeness”. We tend to pick earlier for the best results. Quite a lot of the lovely struck match/mineral sulphide in this wine comes from the East Coast portion. The sprinkling of Tamar Valley fruit in this wine is from one of our best sparkling blocks. It had a lovely pithy oyster shell character that we thought worked well in the blend. The fruit sourcing is 45% Coal River Valley, 25% Tasman Peninsula, 25% East Coast and 5% Tamar Valley." - Winemaker Notes
"Pale straw in the glass with aromas of white peach, nectarine and grapefruit with a nice match/sulphide nuance and hints of soft spice, oatmeal, white flowers, nougat, lemon curd and clotted cream. There is impressive detail, clarity and composition here with a long, wonderfully expressive pure flow across the palate on rails of mineral and stone. A picture of tension and release. Beautiful drinking." - 97 Points, Halliday Wine Companion 2024
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2021 Lowestoft La Maison Pinot Noir - $119 on special ; $135 RRP
// Jimmy Watson Trophy Winner & James Halliday Trophy for Best Pinot Noir!
"Vibrant crimson with ruby hues. A complex mélange of raspberry, pomegranate and cherry blossom aromas. Densely structured red fruit supports a supple, lingering palate of dried herbs, aniseed, cherry and subtle oak spice. Fine whole bunch tannin lifts the wine, with unequivocal poise, tension, vibrancy and length." - Winemaker Notes
"Pinot from the close-planted vines (8300 per hectare) at Lowestoft planted in 1986; matured in French oak (35% new) for 10 months. Pure red plum and dark cherry fruits strut their stuff here with hints of five-spice, sous bois, dried raspberry, cranberry, black tea and vanilla, with light roast game further in the distance. Savoury and true with excellent fruit depth and purity, chalky tannins providing support. I’d expect this to cellar admirably." - 96 Points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
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2021 Mount Mary Quintet - Available for $205
// 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 6% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot
"The 2021 is a Quintet to sit comfortably alongside our famed 1990, 2015 and 2019 renditions. The nose offers red cherry, violets, spice and some earthy undertones. The palate is driven by red fruits, intertwined with spicy French oak; however it is really the quality of tannin that defines this wine on the palate. Not since the 2013 vintage have we seen this quality and quantity of fine grain tannin present, giving this wine such an appealing structure and persistence through the palate. It will age tremendously well for at least 3 decades." - Winemaker Notes
"This is a special Quintet (and I don't say this lightly) from the first. Aromas of blackberries, blackcurrants, dark cherry skins and crushed violets. A whisper of pencil-shaving oak. An elegant, concentrated, pure and structured wine that will become even more special with time. As I was tasting it, Radiohead's opening track from Kid A came to mind. Everything in Its Right Place, indeed." - 98 Points, Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion
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- Also Available from Mount Mary (not on tasting -
If you wish to purchase 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 // Prices valid until Thursday the 23rd of November