Similar to last week's proceedings, we're proudly keeping tasting matters on home soils come Friday and Saturday, with new vintage showcases coming from legends of both Mornington Peninsula and McLaren Vale!
Tomorrow (Friday 14th) will bring through the bright charm and consistently noteworthy value of Moorooduc Estate! This fan-favourite was established in 1982 by surgeon Richard McIntyre, who took the step away from the medical world to begin planting his own vineyards at an empty paddock sitting atop an ideal hill in the township of Moorooduc. Having evolved his own personal approach to the vine over the last 40 years, he emphasises hand-harvesting during picking and soft pruning methods during dormancy to best grant their vines the delicate treatment they deserve. Together with daughter Kate (who became a Master of Wine in 2010) and viticulturalist Jeremy Magyar, this trio are a true Victorian powerhouse, producing Pinot Noirs of racy fruit and savoury edge, and Chardonnay of both crispy and creamy delights. Between 4:30 and 7pm, we'll be pouring their Devil Bend Creek Estate-level, and single vineyard 'McIntyre' Pinot to make up an awesome trio of reds, alongside Estate Chardonnay and a delectable skinsy Pinot Gris! All options on special for the coming week to make it all the sweeter.
Saturday (15th) follows suit with one of Australia's benchmark organic and biodynamic names, Yangarra! With the property first planted in 1946 by the Grenache-devoted Smart family, these iconic unirrigated bush vines that speckle their sandy soils through Blewitt Springs were bought and given their name by the Jackson Family (purchasing the land in 2000), and further shaped by the incredible talent of Peter Fraser. Now dedicated entirely to Peter's memory after his passing last year, these comfortably remain some of the country's best expressions of Grenache, and we look forward to raising a glass to his legend between 12 and 2pm come Saturday. We hope you can join us - the iconic High Sands (achieving another row of near-perfect scores with the release of the 2024) will no doubt be the shining star, but elsewhere you'll find the pristine amphora-fermented Ovitelli Grenache, entry Old Vine Grenache, two Shiraz of exceptional balance in the entry label and Kings Wood single vineyard, and balanced off with the waxy Roux Beaute Roussanne (also aged within amphora eggs) and gently zippy Grenache Blanc. Brilliant, the whole lot.
Devil Bend Creek Pinot Noir 2025 -
$32 on special this week ($36 RRP)
"The stable, warm, and dry conditions of the season resulted in wines with exceptional phenolic ripeness, concentrated flavours and firm ripe tannins with remarkable brightness and intensity. Bright garnet in colour with a juicy nose of red cherry fruit, hints of cinnamon, cardamom and black pepper spice dusted over pink rose petals. On the palate the red fruit is juicy and tangy with firm, fine silky tannins and a fleshy vibrant finish. A delicious mouthful – will match very well to a little chilli or Moroccan spices on grilled lamb cutlets." - Winemaker Notes
Estate Pinot Noir 2023 -
$43 on special this week ($50 RRP)
"Deep red with a tint of purple; flowery and fresh green herbal aromas, the palate is intense and full, with ample cherry and plum flavours laced with dried herbs, a lovely core of sweet ripe fruit, the finish lingering on well with fine, drying tannins. Delicious!" - 93 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Pinot Gris on Skins 2025 -
$45 on special this week ($52 RRP)
"Bright salmon pink in colour with a juicy nose of red cherry, raspberry, strawberry fruit. Rosehips and pink rose petals, rhubarb and a herbal hint of crushed thyme and lavender. On the palate the wine is fresh and bright – cherry juice and pomegranate molasses combine with tangy acidity and firm, fine grained tannins. The wine finishes long and fresh with lingering red strawberry and balsamic notes. A terrific match to a charcuterie plate or a spicy tomato rougaille from Mauritius." - Winemaker Notes
Estate Chardonnay 2024 -
$45 on special this week ($52 RRP)
"Light straw yellow hue. Nectarine, nougat and oyster brine aromas. Supple and flowing palate with density and drive. Ripe stone fruit, hazelnut nougat and oyster shell notes carried by fine acidity. Long, lingering finish that invites another sip" - 92 Points, Stuart Knox, The Real Review
McIntyre Pinot Noir 2023 -
$79 on special this week ($89 RRP)
"The 2023 Moorooduc McIntyre Pinot Noir is subtle and supple, with cherry, tobacco, anise, red apple skins, sumac and paprika dolce. In the mouth, the tannins are pliable and sleek and extend the fruit flavors long into the finish. This is a sophisticated wine, one that leans not on the sweet fruit that makes up the body of it; rather, that feels to foreground the structure and spice notes, making for intriguing, thoughtful drinking." - 94 Points, Erin Larkin, Robert Parker Wine Advocate
'Circle' Grenache Blanc 2024 -
$23 on special this week ($26 RRP)
"All estate-grown biodynamic and organic fruit, matured in ceramic egg and old French barrels. Golden apples, Meyer lemon, a herbal mint/sage/cypress note, sappy florals and a little brown spice. This is full of both flavour and vital energy, the palate built on leesy texture, a subtly pithy chew and gentle but active acidity. It’s exciting to see McLaren Vale's whites gather in strength and diversity – long may it continue." - 93 Points, Marcus Ellis, Halliday Wine Companion
McLaren Vale Shiraz 2023 -
$30 on special this week ($35 RRP)
"As usual, from six blocks across the estate, with half from sandier soils and half more influenced by ironstone. There’s also 4% viognier in the mix. The inclusion is not unusual, but a slightly higher proportion warranted disclosure. It’s a co-ferment, so the integration is seamless. There’s a certain suave ease to this, both in fragrance and calm glide across the palate, though it sits in a mid-weight zone. Ripe red fruits more than black, warm spices, a trace of hardy herbs, the ferrous influence discreet. It’s a charming wine, undemanding in all the right ways, and, while ready to go, it should drink well over the next five years or so." - 93+ Points, Marcus Ellis, Halliday Wine Companion
Old Vine Grenache 2024 -
$45 on special this week ($50 RRP)
"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
Roux Beaute Roussanne 2024 -
$52 on special this week ($59 RRP)
"Ewe Bewdy. A couple of months on skins. Hangs out in amphora. Proper. It’s a wine to keep coming back to, there’s things to check in on. I mean you always come back to a bottle, per se, but the thing is this one delivers curiosity. It’s good, but doesn’t surprise or uplift in the way amazing wine may. It’s solid. Built on alternating waxy and chalky texture, a plushness, but then also a sense of ‘watery’ and while the perfume flourishes with florals, citrus dried and fresh, exotic spice, the palate is more subdued, if not muted, though pear and citrus, dried and fresh again, also make a presence felt. It’s squeaky and tight in the finish. It does a lot, but there’s a sense of wanting more." - 93+ Points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
Kings Wood Shiraz 2024 -
$52 on special this week ($59 RRP)
"From the same sand and ironstone block employed each vintage, fermented wild with 20% whole bunches, about 20 days on skins; 2500L French and Austrian foudre for 18 months. Always such a complex nose, fruit intense but with spice and savoury detail. Tapenade, blackberry pastille, cracked pepper, crème de violette, lavender, dark rye bread, bresaola, wild fennel seeds and panforte. So much complex and engaging detail here, layered, available, not cloaked by oak, and never forced. The tannin structure is refined and this is sapid in delivery, made for the table. A superb release." - 96+ Points, Marcus Ellis, Halliday Wine Companion
Ovitelli Grenache 2024 -
$75 on special this week ($85 RRP)
"The 2024 Ovitelli Grenache is a confluence of two important elements: the first is the warm year defined by amplitude and florals, and the second is the process of maturation, whereby this wine is matured exclusively in concrete egg, which emphasizes the austerity of the tannins and enhances the focus of the palate. Together, the wine looks both supple and tightly coiled, and it bears all the hallmarks of aging impressively well over the week it has been open, and decades into the future too. This is a super wine." - 97 Points, Erin Larkin, Robert Parker Wine Advocate
High Sands Grenache 2024 -
$275 on special this week ($309 RRP)
"The 2024 High Sands Grenache includes a little component of whole bunches for the first time. This component was vinified as 100% whole bunch, and this was added incrementally until the desired outcome was achieved—the total was only around 10% in the end. For me, the nose is fresher and more fragrant, the palate has more capaciousness, and the perfume translates with seamlessness and eloquence on the palate. The oak component is invisible (perhaps just a factor of the fruit character of the year, as the proportion of "new" or "how much" has not changed), and the fruit is a product of the sensational 2024 vintage. Wow. This is an important evolution in the history of this great wine, and while not all are developments that a (any) winemaker may choose, this one is both obvious and genius. This is an unbelievable wine. This is inherently McLaren Vale, which is emerging as a unique proposition in the global realm of fine Grenache." - 99 Points, Erin Larkin, Robert Parker Wine Advocate
"Deep red-purple colour with a complex bouquet comprising dried cherry, earthy/stony notes, cola and dried herbs, while the flavours of black cherry, plum and spice build in the mouth, leaving a long tail of cola and herb tonic, the tannins lavish but fine and supple, and in superb balance swirling around the core of sweet fruit. Power and elegance combined. A very intense, top-level grenache that will age superbly, although it drinks remarkably well right now." - 98 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
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 Thursday the 20th of August