A trio of top names from the three great Victorian regions of Beechworth, Macedon Ranges and Heathcote in a special spotlight today!
Before we dive into those, we have a master from Margaret River joining us for a midweek tasting come Wednesday 23rd September - Bruce Dukes and his brainchild estate Domaine Naturaliste! Renowned for his astute viticultural touch (having graduated with a master's degree in oenology when he attended the University of California), Bruce combines his love of science and thorough knowledge of Wilyabrup's microclimate into delicious coastal-influenced creations. The Artus and Purus pair, in the eyes of many, sit as some of our country's finest Chardonnay at their price point, while Cabernets like Rebus (fragrant and fruitful) and Morus (structured and lingering) are each outstanding after settling over some years in bottle. Come by 5 to 7pm come Wednesday, and hear the intricate ins and outs of each label from Bruce himself!
As for our notable Victorian arrivals, we have the always limited Bindi (Gisborne, Macedon Ranges) with their cult favourite efforts, including the leesy Glenhope and Kostas Rind Chardonnays, plushly-textured Dixon and Darshan Pinot Noirs, and some limited availability on the very special Block 8 Pinot - filled to the brim with complex dark cherry, spice and herbal personalities that push and pull in tandem.
Domenica (Beechworth) have impressed us more than ever before with their Estate Chardonnay and Shiraz releases this year. The Chardonnay is textbook Beechworth, speaking beautifully of its cool surroundings with a captivating throughline of apricot, ginger and zesty citrus, whereas the Shiraz is blessed by black olive, smoky charcuterie and gently chewy tannins. We've also secured a small allocation of their very limited Nebbiolo - seeing maturation in a mix of seasoned oak, concrete eggs and amphora, it feels precise and densely packed with forest floor right now, with plenty of years ahead of it to evolve further.
Finally, it's a regret of ours that we haven't drawn more attention to Syrahmi in previous years - this small production house in Heathcote is the creation of Adam Foster, who left his career as a chef behind in 2004 to focus entirely on crafting minimal intervention Shiraz from the Cambrian/granite soils of the region. Fermented with wild yeasts, the Once in a Lifetime and Home Block Shiraz both hail from a terrific season in 2021, and impress with a Rhône-esque sense of smoke, pepper, dark chocolate and roasted nuttiness. The Home Block, in particular, remains of limited availability!
All selections on special for the coming week.
Discovery Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon 2026
$24 on special this week ($27 RRP)
// 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 10% Semillon
"There’s texture, flavour, brightness and good fruit flavours within – lots of lemon and mandarin, a touch of lime and barely a hint of tropical fruit, more gooseberry, if anything. There's a succulence and mouth-watering, neat acidity keeping it bopping along, a layer of creaminess and more. Nice one." - 95 Points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion (2025 Vintage)
Discovery Syrah 2023
$25 on special this week ($28 RRP)
"Highly appealing from first sniff. Lovely aromatics – all pepper and spice, red fruits with mint and licorice. While good fruit is at its heart, this is deliciously savoury with some charcuterie/salami coming through. The tannins are textural and a little grainy, the palate fuller bodied but not heavy, and there’s good acidity throughout." - 93 Points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion
Floris Chardonnay 2024
$32 on special this week ($36 RRP)
"Enticing thanks to the light florals, spice and tangy, citrusy fruit. It’s tightly focused, reined in by lots of natural acidity. You could call this perky, certainly refreshing; in time, this will garner more complexity, but delicious today, too." - 94 Points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion
Rebus Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
$49 on special this week ($55 RRP)
"Matured for 12 months in French oak (40% new). The bouquet is a fragrant mix of cassis and cedar/cigar box, the intense palate with a tapestry of flavours of cassis and savoury bay leaf. Yet it has the lightest of tannin touches encouraging a quick return to the glass." - 97 Points, James Halliday
Artus Chardonnay 2023
$58 on special this week ($65 RRP)
"If Purus if a glass box in a Scandanavian forest, this is the stuffed drawing room of a stately home, adornment in abundance, a feast for the senses. The one with the lot. Gin Gin unchained. Popcorn and curry leaf, grapefruit pith and yellow nectarine, grilled pineapple and nourgat. Glorious." - 96 Points, Nick Ryan, Weekend Australian
Purus Chardonnay 2024
$58 on special this week ($65 RRP)
"This one has a precise purity and freshness about it, showing lots of white peach, a little nectarine, citrus, and a sort of lemon curd–brioche combination. The palate has a slight savoury chalky confluence that comes together and then drives with great purpose through to a long finish. This is the most stylish expression of Margaret River chardonnay that captures the awesome power of the fruit from this region." - 97 Points, Ray Jordan
Morus Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
$85 on special this week ($95 RRP)
"This was a good year in Margaret River, delivering fruit of tremendous intensity and good structure. In this case, it's been captured in this superb cabernet sauvignon that demonstrates the awesome power of the region, but with finesse, refinement, and a real polish on the finish. Black fruits, bay leaf, and graphite on the nose. A palate that shows almost a sweet fruit middle, but then the structure wraps around it and carries it forward with tremendous intensity. Totally seamless and integrated, with a sustained lingering finish." - 98 Points, Ray Jordan
Dhillon Glenhope Chardonnay 2025
$36 on special this week ($42 RRP)
"This new project has given us the opportunity to enjoy making another Macedon Ranges Chardonnay, this time from the north of the region on granite soil. The grapes come from 25 year old vines and the wine is made in the usual Bindi way; 100% wild yeast barrel fermentation, 30% new oak, and ageing for ten months on solids and lees. The wine is bright and combines citrus, white flowers, nectarine and complex nutty/mealy elements. The palate is fresh, tight, chalky, gently creamy and intense. It will gain increased texture and complexity with five years cellaring and be delicious beyond." - Winemaker Note
Kostas Rind Chardonnay 2025
$70 on special this week ($79 RRP)
(Limited availability)
"This is a very fine Kostas Rind, coming from the volcanic soils over clay on the lower Bindi Chardonnay plantings from 1988. Destemmed berries go into the press and the juice is taken straight from the tray into the barrels, around 25% of which are new small French oak. The fermentation occurs without yeast addition and the wine remains on all lees for ten months until just prior to bottling. This is the 35th harvest from these vines and the soils and plants are in excellent health, in particular after two decades of a dedicated focus on building humus and microbiological life. This wine is fresh and fragrant and very fine. There are lemon and lime aromas working alongside white flowers, some oak spice and flint and mealiness from lees ageing. Given time, aromas of cashew and almond emerge. The palate is vibrant and racy with lovely texture and grip driving a long, flowing finish. Perhaps seven years are required to see this win approach its peak where history tells us that it will remain for a decade or so." - Winemaker Notes
Dixon Pinot Noir 2025
$70 on special this week ($79 RRP)
(Limited availability)
"The Dixon comes from part of the original 1988 planting of Pinot Noir at Bindi and some of the 2001 Kaye vineyard. As always, it's bottled a little earlier than the other five Bindi Pinot Noirs; at ten months rather than 15. The wine is made with destemmed fruit and wild yeast in open fermenters and matured in small French oak barrels, about 20% new in 2025. There is a seductive interplay between red and dark cherries and red and dark plums in this delicious and age worthy wine. On opening there are earth, ginger and roses lifting and with air the nose gains a racy red berry lift. Already it is smooth and harmonious. There is bright energy through the palate with gently grippy, chalky tannins carrying the fruit through a beautifully balanced, long finish. Four more years will see added complexity and such is the balance and underlying freshness in this wine it will drink well for at least six years after that." - Winemaker Notes
Darshan Pinot Noir 2024
$165 on special this week ($185 RRP)
(Limited availability)
"A bit more volume this vintage, which seems to suit Darshan, filling out the palate with more definition and roundness to the tannins. It’s still a refined style, light and fresh with sweet cherries and spice, pips also, a touch of Campari and Italian herbs, plenty of savoury inflections and a lingering finish." - 96 Points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion
"Medium-deep, bright red-purple colour. Balsamic herbs and Campari, cherry liqueur and root vegetables to sniff, the palate refined, elegant, subtle and beautifully textured, with a succulent sweet fruit core. Finesse aplenty, with line and length." - 96 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Darshan Pinot Noir 2023
$165 on special this week ($185 RRP)
(Limited availability)
"Such a pretty wine; there’s a lightness of touch on the palate and wonderful perfume with the aromatics. Wafts of red roses, autumn leaves, incense and raspberry leaf. The palate is light with soft, silky tannins and cleansing acidity, and while you wouldn’t really call this complex, you would say it’s a lovely drink." - 95 Points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion
"Medium-light ruby/tile red with the faintest trace of purple; lovely mossy, undergrowthy, leaf-litter bouquet; the palate light-bodied and soft textured, with a core of fruit sweetness, easy harmony and gentle tannins." - 95 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Block 8 Pinot Noir 2024
$165 on special this week ($185 RRP)
(Very limited availability)
"Lots of flavour – from macerated plums and cherries, Middle Eastern spices and a slight wild aroma (like bresaola) to cedary oak and quince pomace. Full bodied, densely packed tannins and lots of refreshing acidity. Another year or so in bottle will see this change dramatically." - 96 Points, James Halliday
"Block 5 seems to do the heavy lifting, Block 8 the sleeper. One, two combo. While the notes read like ‘brooding’ the wine tastes like ‘vibrancy and purity’. Yes, some sheen of fine, brown spice oak seasoning, but dark cherry, black plum fruit is the mainstay. There’s undergrowth, truffle, dried Italian herbs in tow. It places itself as distinctly complex, detailed in its matrix of fruit, spice, savoury and wood; something to pause on and reflect. Serious, beautiful wine" - 96 Points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
Estate Shiraz 2025
$49 on special this week ($55 RRP)
"Domenica Estate Shiraz comes from 30-year-old cane pruned vines, growing on steep granitic soils at 450m elevation. The south-facing slope encourages fruit with structure, tension, tannin, and complexity. A medium to full bodied wine, with powerful fruit underpinned with violets, earth and white pepper. This is a classic cool climate, granite soil syrah. The deep core of fruit is balanced by fully ripe, structured tannin. The harvest conditions provided a wine of early approachability, presence and intensity, with the necessary power and structure to age into a classic." - Winemaker Notes
"Deep red laced with purple; intense aromas of graphite, black pepper, fresh-turned earth, violets, tar and underlying blackberry. The wine is medium-full bodied and very intense, with concentrated flavour underpinned by ample but gentle tannins and concluding with prodigious length. A cracking shiraz of great energy and vitality. And amazing value for money!" - 96 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review (2024 Vintage)
Estate Chardonnay 2025
$53 on special this week ($60 RRP)
"The juice fermented in a mixture of 600 litre demi-muids and 228 litre barriques. As usual, the new oak component is around 20%. This year has produced a wine of purity and true representation of site. Stone fruit, white flowers and ginger aromatics lead to a mineral driven entry. The light toast, larger format oak brings depth and texture in the mid-palate, allowing the fruit to expand and carry through the full length of the wine." - Winemaker Notes
The Chardonnay this year is captivating in its purity and its expression, we're very excited about it! Something most fascinating about Peter's fermentation process for his Chardonnay is the "topping up". Rather than manually visiting each barrel throughout vintage, each is connected via the bunghole to an elevated vessel. As fermentation bubbles over, wine travels up to the vessel, and back down again. Constantly moving, constantly alive, perfectly temperature-controlled and very low-maintenance for the tiny team of two at Domenica. We applaud Peter and Erin for their innovation and continued dedication to excellent value, top quality wines that speak of their place -
Our Notes
Estate Nebbiolo 2024
$75 on special this week ($85 RRP)
(Limited availability)
"Fruit is sourced from un-irrigated bush vines that were planted in 1946. 50% crushed and 50% whole berries intact. Maturation in seasoned Austrian and French oak foudre and puncheons, egg and amphora. Black and crimson berries lead the charge with poppyseed, acai and pizza olives. Holy basil, granite and raspberry straps weave throughout. Fruit brightness is magnified on the palate, with an emphasis on mulberries and some powdery dry tannins that give way to forestry and woody herbs. There is an exultancy about this wine; you cannot deny its precision. A wonderful site expression and depiction of the slightly warmer conditions whilst keeping focus and drive at its centre. It’s jubilant and should be enjoyed with something like veal scallopini. Drink now–2035" - 96 Points, Andrew Caillard MW, The Vintage Journal
Once in a Lifetime Shiraz 2021
$62 on special this week ($69 RRP)
"The 2021 Syrahmi Once In A Lifetime is a highly nuanced in a modern-style Heathcote frame, with dark earth, red cherry and licorice aromas that build in the glass. Densely packed yet also fresh and light on it’s feet thanks to fresh acidity. Willowy in shape, young and vibrant, kept tight thanks to meaty tannins driving a ling singular finish. The tannins in particular are thrilling and will see this wine soar in future years." - 95 Points, Angus Hughson, Vinous
"Yes, the name is from the Talking Heads song, and yes, the tune will now play on repeat in your head for the rest of the day. Thank you, Adam Foster. From a top vintage, a wine of some class. Dark purple plum in hue. Tasted before release and already well integrated with a distinctive Heathcote personality in plush, ripe black fruits boasting a rich layer of spice, sage, cacao, a mineral-edged earthiness, bracken and briar. Unfolds with a relaxed air, unhurried, with tannins lithe and abiding. You may find yourself enjoying this early or cellaring for later." - 95 Points, Jeni Port, Halliday Wine Companion
Home Block Shiraz 2021
$160 on special this week ($180 RRP)
(Limited availability)
"The 2021 Shiraz Home Block is a unique Heathcote expression with a strong mineral-inflected aromatic core lifted by wood smoke, white pepper and bouquet garni. Compact, confident and focused, it is richly tannic yet also energetic, with a slick texture. The wine is incredibly tightly wound, harmonious and only just peeking out from under its shell. I like this considerably more than the 2019 vintage, as it offers greater breadth of flavor and underlying power with an immaculate finish." - 98 Points, Angus Hughson, Vinous
In every nook and in every cranny this is a crackerjack bottle of shiraz. It blooms with black pepper; it carries subtle mescal notes; it’s washed through with sweet plum; it’s lined and cushioned by roasted nuts, velvet cream, redcurrants and salted dark chocolate. It’s fresh, vibrant, dense and peppery; it cleanses and it completes. The tannin here is a fine, integrated mesh, and comes studded with yet more spice. In all respects this wine is powerfully seductive. Indeed it is persuasion itself." - 96 Points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
If you wish to purchase any of these wines, please use the links above
Otherwise, if you have any questions, please contact us on (07)32521117 or email sales@thewineemporium.com.au
// Special prices valid until Saturday the 26th of September