It's about that time again for us to sing the praises of some notable bottles that have made their home on our shelves lately! Before we get into it, it was just over a month ago when a few of our staff members took a day trip down to Ballina to visit our friends at Seven Mile Brewing, and concoct our very own Wine Emporium Hazy IPA! We have named it 'Quick Chats' - a small tribute to the many short but sweet conversations we share everyday with our cherished regulars. These are just freshly canned, and will be on pour tomorrow (Friday 24th) between 4:30 and 6:30pm, providing a perfect crispy end to a long week of work. Hope to hand you a glass of this flavourful little number - we're very proud of it!
Bream Creek have released their new allocation of their treasured Estate Pinot Noir - undoubtedly one of Tasmania's finest, all too quick to disappear each year, and oh so tremendous for the price! The wonderful work from Toby and Emmanuelle Bekkers has come through with their soft and plush Petit Chablis, powerful Syrah Grenache blend and unique McLaren Vale Cabernet, each one on special! For other racy mineral-driven whites, there's the incredibly-valued Christophe et Fils Petit Chablis, and Loire Valley Touraine Sauvignon Blanc from cult name Domaine Ricard.
There was a shipment of great new USA output this past week too, with the new 2022 vintage of Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, and top-ups from Au Bon Climat in their Santa Barbara Chardonnay, Pinot Noir andlimited 'Nuits Blances au Bouge' single vineyard Chardonnay! Moving over to South Africa, the much sought-after Chardonnay and Pinot Noir duo from Hamilton Russell have also arrived in very limited quantities. Finally, some very singular white wines from Azores Wine Company, whose vines grow on the volcanic soils of Pico Island (Azores archipelago of Portugal). The freshness and saline length of their Arinto dos Acores is difficult to put in words, and their Terrantez do Pico (a varietal that was saved from near extinction) is as rich, layered and impressively aromatic as any maritime climate white we've ever come across.
Take a browse below, and see if any take your fancy!
Bream Creek Pinot Noir 2025 -
$45 on special this week ($50 RRP)
(Limited availability)
"A delightfully fresh bouquet of flowers, red fruits (cherries, plums, raspberries), cedar and spice. The palate is similarly fresh and lithe, showcasing similar flavours, subtle and integrated tannins and a long finish carrying red fruits, a hint of cocoa and spice." - Winemaker Notes
Emmanuelle Bekkers Petit Chablis 2023 -
$53 on special this week($59 RRP)
"It’s no secret that we aspire for the Bekkers red wines to be an emblem for McLaren Vale at the “pointy end” of the fine wine world. Emmanuelle’s Chablis project aims to provide our followers with Chardonnay of a similar calibre. Since 2012 Emmanuelle has travelled back to France each vintage to make wine in Chablis for release in Australia. As you can imagine fruit from these famous vineyards is difficult to source. We are fortunate to have formed some great friendships in the region. For early drinking, the unoaked Bekkers Petit Chablis is an introduction to the unique Chablis wine style. This is no buttery, oaky Chardonnay. Citrus flavours and smoky minerality are underpinned by great natural acidity." - Winemaker Notes
McLaren Vale Syrah Grenache 2021 -
$85 on special this week ($95 RRP)
// 64.5% Syrah and 35.5% Grenache
"It’s the depth of colour that draws the intake of breath, and setting the pace of the wine that, through some vinous magic simultaneously offers elegance and power. Plum, blackberry and black cherry provide the fruit flavours, welded together on the lingering finish. Drink now to 2038." - 98 Points, James Halliday
McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 -
$115 on special this week ($130 RRP)
// 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc
"Hand picked from the steeply sloped, contour-planted proprietary Clarendon site, a '90s vineyard originally planted in the 19th century that promises much excitement in the future. Emmanuelle and Toby Bekkers believe this part of McLaren Vale is ideal for cabernet (this has 10% cabernet franc, too), yielding varietally on-point, elegant wines. It’s hard to argue with that based on this evidence. Fragrant, classically leafy but ripe, poised and elegant, with mulberry, currant, pencil shavings, pepper, cedar, a maritime kombu/nori note and a lilt of violet. It’s deeply flavoured but so pure, elegant and unforced. This takes McLaren Vale cabernet to new heights." - 97 Points, Marcus Ellis, Halliday Wine Companion
Christophe et Fils Petit Chablis 2023 -
$49 on special this week ($55 RRP)
"This Petit Chablis comes from a few parcels near his winery located on the plateau that sits just above the Grand Cru slope and the great vineyard, Montée de Tonnerre. This wine is exceptional every year and quite frankly I have yet to taste a better Petit Chablis especially at the price – the 2023 vintage in Chablis has again produced wines with a nice tight crispness and good verve – this always has great zest and drive!" - Andrew Guard, Importer
Domaine Ricard 'Les Trois Chênes' Touraine 2023 -
$44 on special this week ($49 RRP)
"This cuvée comes from old vines, primarily Sauvignon Blanc (the oldest dating back to 1947), planted on south-facing clay- limestone slopes bordering the banks of the Cher River. The grapes are hand-harvested and sorted. The wine ferments slowly for three months in barrels at 17°C in our cellar. This wine, with its pale yellow hue and golden highlights, reveals intense aromas of ripe fruit and floral nuances. On the palate, it is distinguished by a lively and supple attack, accentuated by the influence of the oak barrel. Furthermore, it presents a beautiful acidity and a lingering finish of ripe fruit flavors, mineral notes, and floral aromas." - Winemaker Notes
Au Bon Climat Santa Barbara Chardonnay 2023 -
$75 on special this week ($85 RRP)
"Santa Barbara County’s climate and terroir consistently enable Au Bon Climat to produce balanced and lively Chardonnays year after year. Our 2023 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay is sourced from five carefully farmed vineyards: Bien Nacido, Los Alamos, Rancho Real, Gold Coast, and North Canyon. Throughout September and October, the fruit is handpicked and sorted in the vineyard, then whole cluster pressed. The juice is quickly settled, chilled, and transferred to barrels for primary fermentation and malolactic fermentation. The following summer, the lots are blended and the wine is bottled, after 8 months of sur lie barrel aging in neutral François Frères barrels. A bouquet of citron, apple blossom, and chamomile culminate in fresh floral notes on the nose. Bright acidity and flavors of grapefruit and baker's yeast make this wine a joy to drink now and a versatile option for food pairing." - Winemaker Notes
Au Bon Climat Santa Barbara Pinot Noir 2023 -
$75 on special this week ($85 RRP)
"We hand harvest, ferment in small lots, perform daily manual punch downs, and age in François Frères French oak barrels for 8-12 months. This small barrel aging imparts depth and complexity to our Pinot Noir. This wine is a trademark of pinot's coming from Santa Barbara County with classic fruit aromas followed by an earthy depth. Aromas of red currant, blueberry, and blood orange greet the nose, followed by subtle hints of bay leaf, white pepper, and wet stone. The palate is well-balanced, with just the right amount of tannin and acid, resulting in superb structure and a delightful mouthfeel." - Winemaker Notes
Au Bon Climat 'Nuits Blanches Au Bouge' Chardonnay 2022 -
$148 on special this week ($165 RRP)
(Limited availability)
"The fruit for “Nuits-Blanches” Chardonnay traditionally represents the best of Bien Nacido Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley. Blocks such as “K” and “M” are part of the original plantings at Bien Nacido in 1973. The fruit produced from these old vine plantings brings incredible depth, nuance, and balance to the wine. Planted all to UC Davis clone 4, this clone in the cool Santa Maria Valley yields grapes low in pH at a ripe sugar level. A low pH Chardonnay will age better, integrate oak better, and pair with food better." - Winemaker Notes
"The 2022 Chardonnay Nuits-Blanches au Bouge is zippy and lively, with a notable spine of propulsive acids and mouthwatering salinity. There's also ample weight and suppleness to counter that vibrancy. Toasted hazelnut, bread dough, chamomile and yellow apple broaden in the glass, but this one keeps skipping along, framed on the finish by tight phenolics and palpable grip." - 92 Points, Billy Norris, Vinous
Chateau Montelena Chardonnay 2022 -
$165 on special this week ($189 RRP)
(Limited availability)
// 16 Months in 100% French Oak (35% New), w/ 2 months in Stainless Steel
"After a chilly, early start to the growing season, we successfully reached spring with a generous crop and without frost damage. Summer arrived early but was mostly benign aside from a few hot days in July. That said, the lingering effects of the drought required even more consideration of soil moisture and vine health. While the valley did experience a heavy shot of heat around Labor Day, the vast majority of the Chardonnay crop had been harvested ahead of time. The remaining fruit exhibited more “ripe” characteristics, adding greater complexity to the finished wine. Intoxicatingly rich, the wine opens with ripe peach, honeysuckle and fresh melon. The palate is loaded with tension and breadth alongside notes of pear, lemon balm and peach cobbler. The finish leans more toasty with a hint of baking spice, vanilla and a seam of juicy lemon." - Matthew Crafton, Winemaker
Hamilton Russell Chardonnay 2025 -
$119 on special this week ($135 RRP)
(Limited availability)
"A tight, mineral wine with classic Hamilton Russell Vineyards length and complexity. Prominent pear and lime fruit aromas and flavours are brought beautifully into focus by a tight line of bright natural acid and a long, dry minerality. An elegant, yet textured and intense wine with a strong personality of both place and vintage." - Winemaker Notes
Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir 2025 -
$129 on special this week ($145 RRP)
(Limited availability)
"Our low-vigour, stony, clay-rich soil, cool maritime mesoclimate, naturally tiny yields of well under 35 hl/ha and our philosophy of expressing our terroir in our wines – give rise to a certain tightness, tannin line and elevated length to balance the richness and generosity of our Pinot noir. Our Pinot noir is not overtly fruity, soft and "sweet" and it generally shows hints of that alluring savoury "primal" character along with a dark, spicy, complex primary fruit perfume." - Winemaker Notes
Azores Arinto dos Acores 2024 -
$85 on special this week ($95 RRP)
(Very limited availability)
"Arinto dos Açores is an autochthonous and exclusive variety of the Azores islands, having in common with the Arinto of the continent only the name and the good acidity. Clean citrus yellow color. Pure mineral aroma, citrus with grapefruit notes. Tense, fresh attack with a very present minerality and acidity, good persistence and saline notes." - Winemaker Notes
"High acidity and very nervy. Well made and obviously marine, not to say very Atlantic-influenced. Saline top note but with excellent fruity core underneath. Long and exciting!" - 17/20 Points, Jancis Robinson MW
Azores Terrantez do Pico 2023 -
$165 on special this week ($185 RRP)
(Very limited availability)
"Less than 100 plants of the almost extinct variety Terrantez do Pico were known to exist outside the collection of the agrarian services. This unique variety was in a grave danger of disappearing, when António Maçanita got involved in its recovery. Today the grape is being gradually replanted, now covering about 30 hectars, what is great news. This wine demonstrates the potential of this unique grape in this extreme volcanic terroir in a mineral, salty wine, hoping that others will also take up the challenge and help save it from extinction. Clean citrus color. Intense floral aroma with notes of tea, bergamot and iodine. The attack is full with a touch of iodine and salt." - Winemaker Notes
"Spicy and creamy aroma – ripe citrus, lemon and stone dust, floral at this youthful stage. Amazing richness and weight in the mouth for lowish alcohol. Richness and spice balanced by high tension and acidity. Very salty, high citrus precision, with power on the palate. Crisp yet already rounded and creamy." - 17++/20 Points, Julia Harding MW, Jancis Robinson
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.
// All special prices listed valid until Thursday the 30th of April