We're almost halfway through November, and while those weeks are showing no sign of slowing down and we can just about hear jingles in the distance, this busy past month or so since our last new in-store update has accumulated yet more great selections from old favourites and acclaimed Aussie houses!
Julian Castagna, since his transition from a career in filmmaking in the late '90s to winemaker extraordinare down in Victoria's beloved Beechworth region, has carved out a singular yet shining reputation in the industry. Standing out as an early proponent of the biodynamic movement, Julian excels in creating elegant European-influenced grape varietals like Sangiovese and Syrah, each release we see bursting with floral character, earthy complexity and a fine-grained tannic shape. Not to be ignored are his whites too - the Chenin and Chardonnay you'll see below, both on special and on pour alongside his reds and a sparkling come this Friday (14th November) hosted by the man himself, carry that wonderful poise and generosity many adore out of Beechworth in particular. Julian will man our tasting table from 5 through to 7pm, so we hope you make it and hear from one of our country's viticultural legends!
Elsewhere, you'll find offers on the brand new vintages in the Single Vineyard '1er' Hoddles Creek duo (full-bodied textural style of Chardonnay and a savoury herbaceous Pinot treat), with winemaking talent Franco d'Anna once again exhibit the very best Yarra Valley has to offer, and relatively striking value to boot. Perhaps Pemberton's most acclaimed name Picardy return, with the Pannell family (led by Bill and Sandra, who originally founded Moss Wood and are also parents of the great Steve Pannell at S.C. Pannell) famed for their density and detail. Limited bottles are now left of their Estate Chardonnay, as well as the 99-point single vineyard Pinot Noir, the powerful Tête de Cuvée!
Tasmania's Home Hill and Adelaide Hill's Gentle Folk also mark their own returns - two of the very finest from their respective regions - plus a 2017 cellar release Riesling from one of the best in Crawford River! Finally, cult-favourites Wantirna Estate have just come back through our doors this week, with the limited allocations now here of their Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Bordeaux-inspired Cabernet blend, quick to disappear each year.
All bottles below on special for the next week, with recent notes and praise for each listed!
The Releases on Special & Pour -
Sparkling Allegro Ancestrale 2018 - $50 on special ($59 RRP)
"It’s a metodo ancestrale style sparkling, off the back of the 2017 being methode traditionelle. Shiraz viognier. Quite floral, lots of orange juice and orange peel to sniff on, red cherry too. Pretty. The palate is fleshy and bright, stacked with kirsch and red berry fruitiness but an undertow of stone fruit, creaminess, a sour-sweet finish and some savouriness too. Good, vivid fizz. Complex expression of sparkling." - 93 Points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
'Growers Selection' Chardonnay 2022 - $58 on special ($65 RRP)
"The nose is lush and rounded, with aromas of nectarines, straw and green apple skin. The palate is rounded with an underlying tension, giving notes of Asian pears, orange blossoms and baking spices. Very giving." - 93 Points, James Suckling
'Un Segreto' Sangiovese/Shiraz 2019 - $79 on special ($89 RRP)
"An archetypal blend, melding the Italian story with the new frontier, manifests as sangiovese and syrah. While some blends are mishmashes, this works exceptionally well. Riffs on lilac, licorice root, beef stock, cinnamon oak and red to blue fruit allusions, with a perk of tannic edginess and acid brightness across the finish. I'd be drinking this mid-weighter across the earlier to mid-term. Wonderful vivacity and versatility all in one. Among the first fully certified biodynamic addresses." - 94 Points, Ned Goodwin MW, JamesSuckling.com
'Genesis' Shiraz 2019 - $79 on special ($89 RRP)
"Made with 98/2% shiraz/viognier. A compelling example of syrah, one that brings subtlety and restraint, giving full voice to the grape's aromatic side and innate beauty. Smell the lifted violet, acacia, briar, black cherry and spice. Quietly assumes a personality ripe in black cherries, bramble, cinnamon, allspice, woodsmoke and cured meats. Feel the tension playing out on the palate between tannin and acidity, tight and taut at this still-early stage, and oak (25% new) and fruit. Five years old and almost ready for its close-up. Drink by 2035." - 96 Points, Jeni Port, Halliday Wine Companion
Chenin Blanc 2022 - $89 on special ($99 RRP)
"For those who wonder about the suitability of chenin blanc in Victoria, wonder no more. Here is a wine of power and finesse, glorious and generous in flavour and velvety in texture. Deep yellow hues with a rich fusion of scents in jasmine, chamomile, spring blossom, yellow peach, pear and spiced apple. A spicy perkiness across the middle palate lifts what is a complex set of flavours and textures rich in stone fruits, nutty and savoury. Finishes with a lasting flourish of marzipan and ginger." - 95 Points, Jeni Port, Halliday Wine Companion
'Genesis' Shiraz 2013 Cellar Release - $110 on special ($125 RRP)
"This has all the complex, comforting and fragrant charm that Castagna has made a trademark with this wine, there's liquorice and graphite, red and darker plum fruits, coal smoke, dark chocolate and charcuterie, smoky nuances and toasted eastern spices. The flavors follow suit with sarsaparilla into blood plum and dark chocolate, silky smooth, neatly defined tannins hold long and true. Drink now through to 2025." - 94 Points, James Suckling (reviewed in Aug 2016)
1er Chardonnay 2024 -
$67 on special this week ($75 RRP)
"Rich in colour and rich in flavour. This release of Hoddles Creek Estate 1er delivers the goods. Grilled peach, vanilla-cream, pine, cedar, Pez, nectarine and an array of ozone-infused, fragrant-but-integrated herbs. This release is both textural and energetic but it’s characterised by its rich, plush flavour. The finish itself is the final confirmation; this wine sings both full and long." - 95 Points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
1er Pinot Noir 2024 -
$67 on special this week ($75 RRP)
"There’s presence to the palate here and yet in flavour profile terms it feels and tastes very Upper Yarra. It’s alive with twig, spice and herb notes but then it’s also riven with pure, satiny, red and black cherry flavours, and it also has that undergrowth-forest-wood aspect that is both beguiling and so characteristic of good pinot. Cedarwood oak plays noticeable role too, as a positive, and the tannin is a masterclass; not too much, not too little, threaded intricately, gently smoky. As a young wine this release is already putting on a show but, even so, it feels built to last, and to improve. However you take it, this is a truly beautiful wine." - 95 Points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
Pemberton Chardonnay 2024 -
$58 on special this week ($65 RRP)
(Limited availability)
"Golden in colour. Rich and complex, but also tight in acidity with something of a limey bite. It offers nectarine, some spice and floral notes, a little mint white chocolate, hazelnut and cashew . There’s a fine chalkiness to texture and some glossiness, and the finish is long with a savoury salted oatmeal flavour and citrus zest to close. Classy. Excellent wine here." - 95 Points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
'Tête de Cuvée' Pinot Noir 2022 -
$110 on special this week ($129 RRP)
"Wow, this is something special…very special. This is at the pinnacle of the Pannell family’s quest for great Pinot Noir. The 2020 vintage is spoken of in hushed tones, yet this one is pushing it all the way. It was a little closed when tasted but you don’t have to look far to see its greatness. It’s a multi-clonal blend which contributes to its complexity and feel on so many levels. It’s exquisitely balanced and poised yet it carries an explosive payload of intensity and layered complexity." - 99 Points, Ray Jordan
"Deep, dark and brooding aromas of blood plum, forest berries, dark cherry and woodsy spice to start. Its demureness draws you into the glass to find layers of earthen savouriness, petrichor, a glimmer of graphite and black tea. On the palate, there’s a welcome core of dark cherry minerality bringing lift and spine surrounded by plum, brown spice, graphite and earth. It’s powerful and concentrated, but so masterfully controlled. Fine tannins coat the mouth and a wash of dark fruited acidity freshens a long finish. This is coiled and brooding with restrained power aching to release. One for the cellar. Drink from 2029 - 2036." - Notes from Tom Kline, Jasper Morris (Inside Burgundy)
'Landslide' Pinot Noir 2024 -
$40 on special this week ($46 RRP)
A brilliant showcase of why Home Hill remain one of the most discussed and heavily-requested Tassie estates to this day; comfortably one of the no-brainer Pinot releases our staff have come across all year, especially at this price! Pronounced aromatics of blueberry, vanilla and sarsaparilla, with a full-bodied yet easy-drinking mouth that pushes lashings of fleshy raspberry, white pepper and a balance of wet earth and chalky tannins. An easy stand-out for us - Our Notes
Estate Pinot Noir 2023 -
$62 on special this week ($70 RRP)
Effortless charming; a touch more finely-textured and singularly red fruited compared to the fullness of the Landslide, but excels in that identity in every way. Plenty of dark cherry, baking spice, bramble and hints of nutty oak that carry on the palate in lengthy moreish fashion - Our Notes
'Kelly's Reserve' Pinot Noir 2023 -
$99 on special this week ($115 RRP)
(A top-up of this great vintage)
"Pretty, complex and fragrant aromas of blueberry, Asian spice, cherry, clove, earth, underbrush and an exotic woodsy edge. A mouth-filling, fleshy, opulent and juicy pinot noir. Blue and dark fruits are all at play, along with oak, spice, sap and bramble. The tannins are textured, layered and deliver plenty of shape and grip." - 95 Points, Aaron Brasher, The Wine Front
Crawford River - Back Vintage Release!
Riesling 2017 Cellar Release -
$85 on special this week ($95 RRP)
(Limited availability)
"Wow stuff. The measure of freshness, crisp, crunchy acidity and the benign decay on hand, is stunning. Waxy texture with glassy edges, an almost honey nut cornflake character married to brown lime, ginger biscuit, green apple, pink grapefruit. There’s savouriness rolling through, light toffee sweetness, the friskiness of briny minerality too. It paints a picture in layers and texture, energy and depth. An almost prickly hiss of fizz under everything. The drinkability is through the roof. Alongside, a distinct feel of complexity; the essence of that that there is concentration of fruit and age, a wonderful mesh of the maturing characters alongside inherent brightness and lift. Sheesh." - 97 Points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
"Still a very bright green gold. At six years of age, this is at that perfect intersection of bright primary aromas (citrus zest and makrut lime leaves) with slowly emerging bottle age and subtle lemon butter on toast notes. Gently textured, mouth-filling and long. In a word, lovely!" - 96 Points, Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion
Piccadilly Chardonnay 2024 -
$59 on special this week ($67 RRP)
"This is both a rich release and a release that needs some extra time – to integrate further, as much as anything. It’s going to be stellar in a few years. It tastes of white and yellow peach, tonic water, cedarwood oak and toast, with spearmint, salted chalk and crushed rock characters in the mix too. The mouthfeel of this wine and the power of fruit are both of emphatic note. There’s some glory to this chardonnay." - 95 Points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
'Little Creek' Pinot Noir 2024 -
$59 on special this week ($67 RRP)
"Dark cherry, plum, poached strawberry, quite a bit of spice and Sarawak black pepper perfume, with a Braulio-like amaro edge, orange zest and school fete toffee sweetness. It’s medium-bodied, a plum and cherry richness, a graphite-like grip to tannin, quite dark and nutty, but entirely wholesome in its delivery of savoury, yet fruit sweet Pinot Noir, Quite a wine. Very good." - 94 Points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
'Monomeith' Pinot Noir 2024 -
$59 on special this week ($67 RRP)
"Here’s a very specific and characterful wine. Blueberry, blackcurrant, floral, bergamot (or Earl Grey tea if you’d rather), and quite some sappy and rosy perfume, with spice and a stony character. It’s succulent in cherry and blue fruit, there’s a sweetness of fruit on offer, with a marzipan richness, then it pulls dry, nutty and long on a juicy finish of excellent length. What a lovely wine." - 94 Points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
Onkaparinga Valley Sangiovese 2024 -
$59 on special this week ($67 RRP)
"The trick with sangiovese is to make it both light and meaningful at once. It’s like a joke that’s funny because it’s true. This sangiovese from Gentle Folk shows how it’s done; it tastes of boysenberries, red and black cherries, cola, toast, sweet spice and peppercorns, with mint notes never too far away. But it’s the way it drives in both a mouthwatering way and in a tense, tannic way; it sets sail for the open seas but never loses sight of the horizon. It’s a beauty." - 94 Points, Campbell Mattinson
'Isabella' Chardonnay 2024 -
$95 on special this week ($108 RRP)
(Limited availability)
"This is always a complex and beautifully crafted wine. On the nose you'll find aromas of white peach, just- ripened apricot, crushed stone and a little praline. On the palate, I really like the interplay between the wine's flavour and texture and the fine thread of acidity, giving the wine both structure and length. It's good now but will be even better in four to six years, if not longer from now. Lovely wine. As good, if not better than, the '23." - 97 Points, Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion
"White peach and dried pineapple, grapefruit pith and dried chamomile. Finesse and precision, but not afraid to lean into flavour. That's what is really special here, the way the wine builds tension and how power is deployed with restraint. Neither skeletal like some, nor exaggerated like others. Just perfectly pitched." - 96 Points, Nick Ryan, The Australian
'Amelia' Cabernet Blend 2023 -
$95 on special this week ($108 RRP)
(Limited availability)
// 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc and Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot
"Cabernet as drawn by MC Escher, exquisitely etched, scrawling volumes into the tiny details. Mulberry and cassis, fennel seed and bay leaf, violets pressed between dusty tissue paper. A diaphanous sheath of fruit deftly draped over a compact and composed framework. Lovely fine acid line and microfine tannins that sit effortlessly in the wine." - 97 Points, Nick Ryan, The Australian
"A fabulous, bright crimson/purple. A touch riper and richer than the '22. There's a sumptuous core of dark fruits, violets, cedar and fresh pencil shavings on the nose. It's just as enticing on the perfectly pitched, medium bodied, elegant and very persistent palate. Everything is in place for a long and productive life!" - 97 Points, Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion
'Lily' Pinot Noir 2023 -
$95 on special this week ($108 RRP)
(Limited availability)
"A wine of ethereal beauty and balletic poise. Forest berries, sour cherry, rhubarb, a little rubbed herb and soft spice. Silky and graceful, a soft, satiny sensuousness in the mouth with gently grippy, fine tannins embroidering the edges." - 96 Points, Nick Ryan, The Australian
"A deep and brightly coloured crimson purple. Both to look at and smell, this is a concentrated and complex Wantirna pinot that's going to need some time. Aromas of black cherry, damson plum and dried red rose petals lead onto the palate, which is densely packed, structured and very long. Have it with food now, for sure, but those who still have some five to ten years from now will be very well rewarded." - 96 Points. Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion
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 Wednesday the 19th of November