Day by day, we edge closer to the chaos and celebrations of the end-of-year season. All we can say is, in the meantime, we have some cracking lineups we can't wait to reveal - with visiting winemakers, high-demand releases and limited allocations all planned in the mix for the coming weeks!
For tomorrow (Friday 18th), the afternoon will be shaded a very pink tinge, as we pour five flavourful rosé favourites to welcome in the weekend! The focus lies primarily on Provence - the Whispering Angel from Chateau d'Esclans needs no introduction, of course, but their upper-level Rock Angel Rosé is a total powerhouse of seductive spice and crunchy red berries, begging for some cheese or foie gras. Oppositely, the Minuty Prestige is more a display of finesse and saline precision, with finer notes of peach, apricot and white flowers. The Château Galoupet is a generous blend of Grenache, Syrah, Vermentino and unique varietal Tibouren, bringing forth a moreish richness that pushes grapefruit, pomegranate, anise and glazed nuttiness. It may be a lone ranger in the lineup regionally-speaking, but we couldn't help include a well-priced pink bubbles that can be popped over the weekend for easy enjoyment - Chandon's Yarra Valley NV hits that bullseye perfectly. All pouring between 4:30 and 7pm, and all on special!
Saturday (19th) should be a special one - we host a brilliant Barossa wine mind in Kym Teusner, who will be at our tasting table between 12 and 2pm to pour his namesake whites and reds! A relatively young story in the grand scheme of a very historical region, it was 2001 when both Kym and fellow winemaker Mick Page overheard a conversation in their local pub regarding local growers' plans to bulldoze a block of 85-year-old Grenache vines. They pooled their finances together to buy the land outright, sparing the erasure of these earthen treasures. Kym always aims high, obsessed over the unique characteristics of older-vine reds using gentle winemaking methods and seasoned French oak, as well as the often overlooked texture and purity Barossa can bring to white varietals. His Fiano and Riesling will prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt to start the lineup off, before we dig into favourites like the dark-berried 'Gentleman' Cabernet Sauvignon, ripe and perfumed 'G' Grenache, and savoury charcuterie charm of the 'Albert' Shiraz. The 'Righteous' Shiraz and Grenache pair (sourced from ancient vines and considered by Kym as their most supreme examples of both grapes) are powerful statements of mineral undertone and black fruit intensity, and the MC Sparkling Shiraz will provide an appropriate zippy sweetness to see out the afternoon. We hope you can come make Kym feel welcome!
Chandon Yarra Valley Rosé NV
$28 on special this week ($32 RRP)
// Aged on lees for 18 months (6g/L dosage)
"A pale but bright salmon pink. Delicate with aromas of strawberries and a gentle waft of brioche, this gently persistent, even and balanced rosé has a hint of sweetness on entry before finishing refreshing and dry. A well-priced and well-made aperitif style." - 92 Points, Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion
Minuty Prestige Côtes de Provence Rosé 2025
$40 on special this week ($45 RRP)
// Grenache, Syrah, Rolle (Vermentino) and Cinsault
"Selection of free-run and press juice, cold soaking and fermenting, no malolactic fermentation. The nose is very expressive, revealing floral notes that give way to aromas of apricot and yellow peach. On the palate, finesse dominates, accompanied by a subtle hint of citrus and a saline finish. The lovely earthy aftertaste is ideal for seafood, with salty oysters making a match made in heaven as well as whelks, clams and anything on a seafood platter." - Winemaker Notes
Château d'Esclans Whispering Angel Rosé 2025
$43 on special this week ($49 RRP)
"A floral dream, fruity in its youth! Elegant, refined, in a very expressive style, this Roussanne will charm you with its bouquet of flowers (honeysuckle) and white fruits (peaches, pears). On the palate, everything is exactly as it should be, clean, sculpted: a real demonstration of what it does best." - Importer Notes
Château Galoupet Cru Classé Rosé 2024
$65 on special this week ($75 RRP)
// Blend of Grenache, Syrah, Tibouren, and Rolle (Vermentino)
"The nose is highly expressive and elegant, revealing a succession of fruity notes: yellow fruits, kumquat, and a hint of passion fruit. Aromas of sweet spices and wild herbs add complexity and refinement. The palate is rich, reminiscent of summer fruits, fleshy and juicy. The harmony on the palate rests on a freshness carried by a silky structure with notes of pomegranate, grapefruit, and anise. The finish is full of character, persistent, and marked by its saline notes." - Winemaker Notes
Château d'Esclans Rock Angel Rosé 2024
$75 on special this week ($85 RRP)
// Grenache, Cinsault, Rolle (Vermentino) and Syrah
"A powerhouse wine that rivals any rosé from Provence Rock Angel has a more complex and structured taste profile than Whispering Angel bringing it into a more premium realm, giving rosé lovers a bigger and richer wine. If you like the minerality of a Sancerre, you will love this wine." - Winemaker Notes
"A well-rounded, juicy and flavorful rosé with frozen berries, dried apricots and wild herbs on the nose. Medium-bodied with delicious, fresh and seductive flavors on the palate. Crunchy red berries and an attractive finish." - 92 Points, Kevin Davy, JamesSuckling.com
'Lucius' Fiano 2025
$26 on special this week ($29 RRP)
"Light straw with aromas of lemon, grapefruit, apple, some nectarine in the distance. It's a really attractive-smelling wine with lifted blossom characters, hints of stone, light crushed herbs, makrut lime, pine nuts and poached pear. There's a salty mineral tang to the acidity that leaves a lipsmacking finish, and those flavours stretch on for a good time." - 93 Points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
'Empress' Riesling 2025
$26 on special this week ($29 RRP)
"Harvested in the cool of the morning, we handle our Riesling in the winery a little different to most, with the free-run juice pressed off oxidatively and fermented with some solids at cool temperatures in the pursuit of added flavour and subtle texture. The inherent fruit intensity and fine natural acidity drives great fruit purity, and once your palate negotiates the bright citrus flavours, the wine glides across the midpalate with an energetic gait showing hints of mineral ‘wet slate’, lemon blossom, white flowers and talc." - Winemaker Notes
'The Gentleman' Cabernet Sauvignon 2023
$26 on special this week ($29 RRP)
"I wish more red wines tasted like this. It delivers a body of dark berried flavour in soft, accessible style; it comes infused with modest-but-important notes of herbs and mint; and it runs juicily out through the finish without sacrificing its shape. It’s the softness, the ripeness of the fruit, the well-judged acidity and the eventual follow-through that does it. It feels pure and authentic but mostly it just feels pleasurable." - 92 Points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
'The G' Grenache 2024
$29 on special this week ($34 RRP)
"So much lovely. Red berries, juicy and ripe, with orange peel, violets, earth and rust characters threaded through and lifting off. It has just enough depth and just enough pretty, just enough tannin and just enough spice. Everything feels well finessed, well delivered and well polished. I wouldn’t hesitate if it was in my vicinity." - 93 Points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
MC Sparkling Shiraz 2019
$52 on special this week ($59 RRP)
"The 2019 MC is a direct descendant of our Albert Shiraz and sourced from the same old vine vineyards which consistently deliver fruit of depth, structure and personality – the perfect foundation for a sparkling wine with presence and longevity. A fine, velvety mousse unfurls across the palate, carrying dark plum, boysenberry and black cherry fruit. Layers of exotic spice, charcuterie, licorice and subtle earthy notes emerge with air, reflecting the old vine origins and extended élevage. The palate is rich yet agile – plush Barossa fruit framed by savoury tannins and a refreshing acid line that keeps everything in balance." - Winemaker Notes
"Deep, dark and brooding colour; the nose shows a large helping of oak, alongside black fruits and prunes, while the palate is very full-bodied and firj with lashings of tannins that dry and toughen the finish. Very chewy without food: serve it with a hearty meal of barbecued meats. And cellar it: it will reward keeping for quite a few years yet." - 92 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
'Albert' Shiraz 2023
$58 on special this week ($65 RRP)
"The old vineyards of the Barossa tend to yield fruit with elevated concentration of flavour and soft, supple and velvety tannins that set them apart from the younger stuff. The Ebenezer vineyard drives ferrous depth, lifted perfume and dark fruit complexity whilst the Koonunga block provides mid-palate richness and muscle. Complex aromatic of dark fruits, hints of menthol spice and charcuterie, paired with a palate packed with boysenberry, black satsuma plum, black cherry and cassis with great intensity and length. Tannins are fine grained, supple, long and well balance with the acidity to see this wine cellar beautifully over the next decade or so." - Winemaker Notes
"There’s a bit of wow factor on offer here. The fruit is so ripe, and has such great spread, and is so well meshed with spiced cedarwood oak, and it keeps its momentum going as a net of fine-grained tannin flings out through the back half of the wine. This is a moody, dark, film noir expression of shiraz with deep shadows, bright bursts of violet and an outstretched finish. It’s destined to age superbly." - 95 Points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
'Righteous' Grenache 2021
$89 on special this week ($99 RRP)
(Limited availability)
"First made in 2005, the Righteous Series wines are produced in very limited quantities and sourced from ancient vines - strictly reserved for what we reckon to be supreme examples of the Barossa’s heritage grape varieties." - Winemaker Notes
"A sprightly and fruit-pure, single-vineyard grenache that shows ripe plum and red berry fruits cut with gingery spice and hints of violets, roasting meats, sarsaparilla, earth and pressed flowers. Some nice exotic spice flows in on the palate, while furry, fine tannins support the fruit, and there is a rush of sour cherry on the exit, finishing fruit-pure and long." - 95 Points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
"Deep ruby-red hue. Ripe blueberry, anise and poached rhubarb aromatics. Ripe core of fruit with black spices and a dark mineral undertone. Great length and it's well framed by judiciously built tannins. A powerful grenache that still carries the balance that this variety excels at. Will cellar well and sing with game meats." - 95 Points, Stuart Knox, The Real Review
'Righteous FG' Shiraz 2021
$129 on special this week ($145 RRP)
(Limited availability)
"The 'FG' here does not stand for 'Fairly Grouse'. It stands for exactly what you think it does. Teusner has always been about relationships with growers and this obviously pays dividends over time. Lovely pure satsuma plum and black fruits, layers of spice, softly-spoken oak and an earthy, northern Barossa vibe. It's good. Calm and composed, silty tannins and a real sense of being comfortable in its own skin. FG alright." - 96 Points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
"Beautiful fruit, fine tannin, a boldness but also a finesse. This is an excellent Barossa shiraz. Earth, vanilla cream, smoked cedarwood and clove characters all come rolled in rich, ripe, plum and blueberry fruit flavour. There’s a minty character here too but it’s a highlight at most. This palate here is wearing its velvet robes too. It’s warm with alcohol but it’s an emphatically good wine." - 95 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 Thursday the 24th of September