Breaking News
The Real Review released their Top Wineries of Australia 2023 and Eisenstone came in at a very impressive number four! The list, which features about 350 of Australia’s best wineries, is based off the 10,000+ wines The Real Review team has tasted over the last year.
We have very limited amounts of current vintage Eisenstone wines, and are currently organising our allocations for the 2021 vintage, due later this year, so please contact us to arrange your allocation today. Stephen will be visiting Sydney in May and Melbourne in June, contact us to organise a trade visit or winemaker dinner, or secure your ticket to The Real Review Top Wineries of Australia Tasting or Dinner here.
Listen to The Wine Show Australia podcast with Stephen Cook here.
Listen to The Wine Show Australia podcast with Huon Hooke about The Real Review’s Top Wineries here.
New Kids On The Block
Since 1957, Cave des Hautes-Côtes, the group behind Nuiton-Beaunoy, has been proudly growing and making wine in Burgundy, France in the slopes of the Côte de Beaune, Côte de Nuits, Les Hautes-Côtes de Beaune and Hautes-Côtes de Nuits. At the time, the winery consisted of a small group of ten or so winegrowers who had no idea how big their venture would become, however they knew they would be stronger together. They created a cooperative under a model of solidarity and authenticity, wanting to work with winegrowers that shared a sense of community and passion about the region and their vines. Today, they remain the only cooperative wine cellar in the Côte d’Or region, now with 80 winegrowers, and are proud of their history.
The winegrowing culture on which the Nuiton-Beaunoy wines are based is a close collaboration between the growers and the technicians, all of whom share the same passion for vines and wine. Their objective is to patiently craft the wines which will serve as ambassadors for their region. Everyone works together, sharing the same spirit, while also being committed and creative, allowing them to adapt and reinvent themselves without ever denying their roots.
The story of La Maison Jean Loron began more than 300 years ago with Jean Loron in the village of Chénas, in the heart of the steep hills of Beaujolais, France. While many people worked in farming during this time, Jean decided to specialise in viticulture, starting with some parcels in Beaujolais and Burgundy, with the aim of obtaining the perfect raw material to create superior quality wines. Almost a century later in 1821, his grandson Jean-Marie, aware of the wines’ potential, took over the estate and decided to set up his business in Pontanevaux, not far from the railway for easy transportation of the wines while expanding the business.
Over the years, Jean Loron’s descendants have built solid partnerships with some prestigious names around the world, growing the brand while delivering consistently exceptional wines. Three centuries of tradition and boldness have passed since the early days of Jean Loron, however The Maison has remained close to its roots. Today Maison Jean Loron grows 150 hectares of vines through its own estates, which have been acquired over the years and are spread over the most beautiful terroirs of the Beaujolais and Mâconnais region between Lyon and Beaune, in the southernmost part of the “Grande Bourgogne.”
Out and About
ProWein 2023
SVS had the pleasure of heading to Germany in March for ProWein! We had a great time bringing the latest Australian vintages and producers in the Single Vineyard Sellers family, meeting so many new people in the wine industry, and catching up with friends after a few years of being able to attend!
Upcoming Events
Feudo Arancio and Project Gallery 90
We are so excited to be partnering with Project Gallery 90 for a Sicilian inspired exhibition this April. Contact us to RSVP for the opening night, or swing by the gallery from April 15th to check out the stunning art.
Join us in both Sydney and Melbourne this August at Taste Champagne. We will be showcasing our Champagne Jacquart in Sydney on August 7th and in Melbourne on August 15th. Click here to secure your tickets.
Mezzacorona Is Coming To Australia
We’re excited to welcome Maurizio from Mezzacorona in Italy as he makes his way down to Australia in May 2023. Contact your sales representative to secure your winemaker dinner or visit.
Vespa Is Coming To Australia
We’re very excited to welcome Daniele Pasquali from Vespa in Italy to Sydney in May! Contact your sales representative to secure your winemaker dinner or visit.
Champagne Jacquart Is Coming To Australia
In August, Victor of Champagne Jacquart will be making his way around Australia. Contact your sales representative to secure your winemaker dinner or visit.
Winery Spotlight
James Kellie arrived in Western Australia’s Great Southern Region in 1998, intending to make a pit stop on the way to settling in Tasmania to make wine. He landed his dream winemaking at
the renowned Howard Park, hoping to fine-tune his skills and learn as much as he could before making the move to Tasmania. It’s safe to say, after discovering the quality and diversity that the Great Southern region had to offer, he never made it to Tassie. While at Howard Park, James Kellie started making wine on contract for Harewood Estate, and when the winery came on the
market in 2003, James saw the opportunity to secure one of the region’s best vineyards and the chance to develop his ideas for a brand that exclusively encapsulated the entire region, so he took the plunge and purchased Harewood.
The Harewood brand represents the best of the Great Southern in a range of wines that aim to showcase the region’s unparalleled diversity. When James and his wife Careena purchased the vineyard, they built a 500-tonne winery ready for the 2004 vintage and began the expansion of the Harewood range to include wines made from grapes sourced from throughout the wider region that, like Harewood, were specialists in those varieties that excelled in their sub-region.
Since 2003, Harewood has enjoyed an impressive run of show results and critical acclaim including 33 trophies, hundreds of medals and the coveted 5 Red Star Rating from influential wine critic James Halliday, which is awarded to the top 5% of Australian wineries for “a consistent record of excellence.” In addition to Harewood Estate, James and Careena purchased their Apricus Hill vineyard in 2013 and introduced the FLUX range in 2017. After 20 years, the aim of Harewood hasn’t changes: grapes are grown in select, low yielding vineyards to create wines that represent the best the region has to offer.
The Wines
NV Harewood ‘Mira’ Sparkling Chardonnay-Pinot Noir
Pale corn-silk colour with fine mousse. Hint of fresh berries, honeysuckle, white peach. On the palate is a fine balance of white peaches, apricot kernel, fresh flowers, with freshness delivered by a delicate acidity and a clean finish.
2018 Harewood Great Southern Cabernet-Merlot
95 pts – Drinks Trade Magazine: Black fruits and earthy tones. Moody. Great textural balance with palate depth and a focused line of bright acidity. Layered complexity to finish.
2021 Harewood Great Southern Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon
91 pts – Ken Gargett (Wine Pilot): The traditional ‘classic dry white’ blend of the West has rarely been done much better than it is here. A blend of 55% Sauvignon Blanc and 45% Semillon from the Denmark sub-region, made from free run juice which is given a cool ferment in stainless steel and minimal fining. Almost trout stream clear, this is delightfully spicy. Clean, some gentle vegetal hints and a note of blackcurrant leaves with citrus, spices and dry herbs. Good length here and a soft lingering finish after a seductive texture. Nicely balanced for the full journey, with bright acidity running the length. Attractive now but will drink well for at least another two to four years.
2022 Harewood Great Southern Riesling
94 pts – Erin Larkin (Wine Advocate): The 2022 Great Southern Riesling has a little bit of each of the areas in the glass here, pulling together to make a plump, mouth-filling, floral, succulent, delicious wine. This has blossoming flavor and a brilliant line of acidity that streaks through the fruit. All built for pleasure here. Gorgeous.
2022 Harewood Denmark Pinot Noir
92 pts – Stuart Robinson (The Vinsomniac): Pinot Noir from the maritime cool of Denmark in Western Australia’s Great Southern region. It’s all Plum, cassis – set against a darker edge, smoked wood and perhaps even a touch meaty in its initial representation.Lithe, juicy – succulent red fruits, again before a darker edge. Light and shade, night and day. A wine of opposing parts – contributing overall to the whole. An edge of tannin that adds an extra element to the contrasting fruit profile.
2019 Harewood Estate Chardonnay
93 pts – Kim Brebach (BWU20): It’s an attractive Chardonnay serving up light stone fruits with a touch of citrus, lightly oaked, very pleasant summer drinking. Will improve in the short term.
2022 Harewood Denmark Riesling
94 pts – Andrew Graham (Oz Wine Review): Every year the question is more about which Harewood sub-regional release is best, and this year it’s a close thing between this Denmark release and the Porongurup below. I think I prefer the Porongurup marginally, but not much in it. This is an excellent, expressive, yet tight Riesling. There is this juiciness, a real juicy citrus intensity, but it’s more grapefruit than, say, the Limefinger below. A little celery and white flowers too. Celery and white flower aromatics, but also flavour and ripe, rather than hard acidity. Just so much punchiness, and yet you step back and admire it as a crisp, lithe white wine.
95 pts – Erin Larkin (Wine Advocate): The 2022 Tunney Riesling is textural, mouth-filling and insistent in the mouth. It is very good. It transverses savory, mineral, slatey and lean through to pillowy, enveloping and pleasurable. This is a wine that captures some of the deliciousness of the Great Southern Riesling from the same release, and combines it with back-palate power. This is an excellent wine.
2022 Harewood Porongurup Riesling
96 pts – Erin Larkin (Wine Advocate): Frankland River gets the lion’s share of Riesling kudos in the Great Southern, and for good reason: the wines are structural, powerful, austere and long-lived. However, Porongurup is my favorite subregion for this grape, because for all its delicacy and floweriness, it leaves a very precise regional stamp on the wines. They come across, as this 2022 Porongurup Riesling does, as soft, talc-y, floral and driven by lightly salty, citrus acidity. However, that coil of acid is far greater and more significant than is widely made of it, and it holds the wines in good stead over time. It manages to retain the white spring-flower character through different winemaking styles and vintages, and I just can’t get enough. So, for this reason, I think this wine not only speaks of the subregion with clarity and poise, but it does so with tremendous class and elegance to boot. Outstanding value for money.
2019 Harewood Reserve Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc
95 Pts – Erin Larkin – Halliday Wine Companion: Pungently grassy, with a quenching core of gooseberry and passionfruit. This is moreish. The oak is seamlessly countersunk into the concentrated fruit. A very impressive wine, especially for the price.=
2021 Harewood Reserve Chardonnay
Pale golden yellow colour. A highly complex, perfumed nose of citrus and fresh nectarines is balanced by spicy French oak and a richer savoury character. Palate initially shows grapefruit, then ripe stone fruits. A more savoury mid palate finishes with lingering citrus acidity balanced by vanillin French oak. This wine has perfect balance between fruit flavour, texture and length.
Fruit from a careful selection of Great Southern vineyards is used in the Harewood Estate Reserve Shiraz, combining the licorice and black cherry typical of premium Frankland River Shiraz with the pepper and blackberry notes of cooler climate Mount Barker Shiraz. The wine is a dense crimson colour with youthful purple hues. A rich and vibrant nose displaying an enticing combination of violets, black pepper, blackcurrant and coffee bean complemented by spicy, vanillin french oak. A seamless, complete palate combining cherry, blackberry and plum with cinnamon, pepper and licorice leading to a complex finish of mocha and vanilla supported by fine grained tannins.
2019 Harewood Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
90 pts – Erin Larkin – Wine Advocate: This 2019 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon has spent two years in French oak (a combination of new and one year old), and while that does nothing to dumb the layered and spicy fruit on the front of the palate, it weighs down the finish—drying out the tannins and leaving a trail of wood in its wake. While this may assist the wine in the long term, at this stage, it will still benefit from a further year or two in bottle to allow that oak to fully ameliorate into the fruit.
