South Australia Wine

Winemaker Description

Pomegranate, cranberry and plum waft as the wine opens up. Those same pomegranate and damson plum characters continue on the palate and are enhanced by a slightly herbaceous edge. The Shiraz component gives width and generosity to the finer savoury Grenache tannins.

Expert Reviews

90 Points James Suckling | This regional hero of value and consistency has plenty of ripe red-berry and plum aromas with some deeper, darker berries, too. The palate is mid-weight and has a gently grainy texture. So drinkable.

Winemaker Description

Classic McLaren Vale Shiraz. Crimson-purple in color. Aromas of dark plum, boysenberries, subtle black pepper and a touch of licorice. On the palate is where the wine becomes fascinating. Rich and opulent black plums, blackberries and boysenberries are intertwined with savory spices, mocha and a plush coat of red cherries. Tannins are ripe and velvety. Acidity, alcohol and oak are finely tuned, and their balance enhances length on the finish.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2021

91 Points Wine Enthusiast | Savory notes of sage and bay leaf are as forward on the nose as the plum and cherry notes. There’s a lick of vanillin oak showing, too. The abundance of tangy fruit continues its journey in the mouth, lingering on the finish amidst a powerful, well-placed frame of tannins. (2021).

90 Points James Suckling | Good shiraz, strongly regional, aromatic and attractive. While I query the dryness of the tannins here, there is ample pleasure to be found behind a veneer of violets, purple pastilles, blue fruit, iodine and licorice. A little reduction creates tension without ever becoming too hard. (2021). 

Winemaker Description

A delicate style of wine with bright fruit flavours, hints of spice and savoury complexity.

Lindeman’s Elegant Pinot Noir Bin 99 2019 is a red wine produced by Lindeman’s, a winery located in Australia. This wine is made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes. The wine has a bright ruby color and aromas of red fruits, anise, and some spices. It is described as delicate in style with hints of blackcurrant and cherry fruit, a nice body and palate with that aforementioned hint of spice.

Winemaker Description 

Brilliant pale green with a fresh, vibrant nose displaying aromas of lemon, granny smith apple and some perfume and floral notes. Hills & Valley Riesling is fresh and crisp with a palate full of lemon, lime and apple flavors. The wine has a touch of sweetness balanced with pleasant acidity providing both length and structure to the soft finish.

Great with Indian food or anything with a hint of spice. Winemaker Description. 

Expert Review - Vintage 2021 

Australian Wine Companion | Viognier sourced from six Yalumba growers across the Eden Valley. Yalumba continues to be the go-to for viognier in Australia. Here their entry-level offering ticks all the boxes. Textural and slinky with all the classic characters: apricot pith, stone fruits, crushed quartz, soft spice, lemon curd, blossom top notes and that expansive palate presence the variety is famous for. A great introduction to viognier 91 Points Wine Spectator | Both powerful and elegant, with fleshy white peach, mango and lemon meringue notes on the softest, creamiest frame, while a fresh thread of acidity and lemon blossom accents linger. Drink now. 1,000 cases imported.

91 Points Decanter | Spicy aromas of lychees framed with sweet vanilla and some pine needle. Lovely oily texture with elegance and finesse.

90 Points James Suckling | A fragrant and spicy viognier with aromas of fresh apricot, grapefruit, lemon blossom, white pepper and ginseng. It’s medium-bodied with fresh acidity and a refreshing, peppery finish. Vegan.

90 Points Wine Enthusiast | Quite perfumed, this wild- fermented wine, from one of Aus’s greatest Viognier champions, wafts aromas of lychee, pineapple rind, apricot and a little honey and ginger. It’s full figured, with a mouth-coating texture and just enough acidity to handle it. Drink with buttery shellfish or a mildly seasoned pork loin.

Producer Description 

With 175 years of unbroken independence, Yalumba continues to make wine at its founder's home estate under the direction of the same family today. Samuel's Collection honors Yalumba's founder Samuel Smith, his spirit of independence and conviction to invest in the land and make great wine.

Pure aromas reminiscent of fresh apricots, lifted ginger, saffron and fresh white flowers. The palate is long, rich, and luscious, with intense and expressive stone fruit flavors finishing with an alluring freshness. This wine will continue to grow and develop in the bottle, firstly showing enhanced apricots and spice, then honey flavors and toast complexity.

Enjoy with a Moroccan tagine and couscous, or baba ghanoush.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2020

James Suckling 90 Points | Pretty nose of wild strawberries, plums, peaches, violets and spices. Full-bodied with sleek tannins and fresh acidity. Peppery, spicy and creamy finish.

The Wine Spectator 90 Points | There’s a firm, loamy note and malty black Assam tea details to balance the fresh and juicy raspberry and maraschino cherry flavors at the core of this red, with smooth, polished tannins. Shiraz and Viognier.”– (Best Value)

Winemaker Description

‘Mollydooker’ is old Aussie slang for a left handed boxer and our Boxer always punches well above his Fruit Weight™. Did you notice he has two left-handed gloves?

The 2022 Boxer boasts a robust foundation of dark fruit, black cherries, moccha, and a hint of clove spice that comes alive in the glass. Its velvety texture delivers notes of fresh plum, balanced tannins, and a subtle touch of toasted oak, all of which enhance the richness of the fruit. This wine offers a complex experience with multiple layers that are sure to impress.

Winemaker Description

Shining pale golden color. Fragrant aromas of tropical fruits like pineapple, melon, white peach and citrus blossom. The palate is clean and fresh with flavors of honeydew melon, pear, stone fruits, lemon curd and a characteristic pickled ginger in the end. Long and refreshing with bursting flavors through the finish.

Winemaker Description

2020 Gnarly Dudes is an unctuous yet classic Barossa Valley Shiraz. This Barossa Valley Shiraz staple will be able to go anywhere with you.

Expert Review

91 Wine Spectator | There's lots to admire in this compact red, which offers dense, firm tannins and accents of Earl Grey tea, smoked paprika, bay leaf, blackberry, blueberry and a hint of sweet mint on the finish. Drink now.

Winemaker Description

Hewitson Mourvedre Baby Bush 2019 is a wine produced by Hewitson winery in the Barossa Valley region of South Australia 1. It is made from 100% Mourvèdre grapes, which are grown on 15-year-old bush vines 1. The wine is a medium red with a bright purple hue and has aromas of brambly blueberry and black cherry, dried herbs, and earth 2. On the palate, it delivers a rich, velvety mouthfeel with sarsaparilla and classic blue fruits backed by very soft and fully ripe tannins 12. The grapes are whole bunch pressed and left on their skins for a couple of weeks before being aged for 15 months in seasoned French oak barriques.

Expert Reviews

According to Ray Jordan, a wine critic, the wine has a spicy raspberry and cherry character that lifts effortlessly from the glass. There is also a hint of liqueur chocolate and a lick of vanilla bean that adds to the complexity. 

Campbell Mattinson, another wine critic, describes the wine as firm, sweet, and ripe with just enough rusty/meaty notes to lend it some character. It feels of-the-earth even as the fruit swims forward, and its overall balance cannot be questioned. He suggests that it is good now but will be better in 2022.

Winemaker Description 

Red Schooner's new "Red Wine of the World," this red blend is sourced from famed regions of southern Australia, the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. Consisting of Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon, Transit 2 is bold yet nuanced, featuring scents and flavors of dark fruit, black pepper, leather and vibrant raspberries. 

A hint of mint stems from the region's native trees. Just like our Red Schooner Malbec from Argentina is known by the "voyage" that produced it, this wine is called a sequential "transit."

Eric Asimov - The New York Times

20 Bottles Under $20, for Hunkering Down

The blend of grenache, shiraz and mourvèdre has long been popular in Australia, but too often they have been heavy, oaky and alcoholic. No such issues with this relaxing, breezy blend from Hewitson in the Barossa Valley. It’s earthy, chalky and moderately fruity with focus and precision. Drink with roast chicken, braised meats or burgers.  January 25, 2025

Winemaker Description

A beautifully structured, fruit-concentrated red wine that absolutely delivers with integrity, intrigue, class and complexity in a very approachable style.

Winemaker Description 

Dark purple hue with a garnet rim. Complex aromas of black fruit, espresso, pine tar, molasses, olives and peppercorn. The elegant palate shows both fresh and dried blackberries, olallieberry and marionberry and a hint of eucalyptus.

Beautifully integrated and fresh on the palate; the finish is long and structured, the black tea-like tannins supported by lively acidity. Velvety soft. A suberb demonstration that Barossa Shiraz can have genuine finesse.

Expert Review- Vintage 2023

Christina Pickard of the Wine Enthusiast writes 93 Points | Lime leaf, waxy citrus, white peach notes and a hint of honey open this Clare Valley Riesling. The combo of dryness, cheek-sucking, orange peel acidity and chalky texture makes for a somewhat austere wine solo, but pair with a creamy goat's cheese or seafood risotto and watch it shine. 

Producer Description 

Originally a pastoral run dating back to 1839, and originally named Wolta Wolta, Jim Barry purchased the land for The Lodge Hill Vineyard in 1977 as he was sure it would “produce some of the best Riesling in the Clare Valley.” Situated at 480 meters above sea level and situated on the Eastern Ranges of the Clare Valley, the grapes at our Lodge Hill Vineyard are exposed to concentrated bursts of sunlight and cool nights which encourage slower ripening. This helps deliver beautiful natural acidity and citrus characters that ripen early because of the small crop it produces. Gentle pressing and a rapid move into the fermentation allows the natural fruit flavors to be preserved.

Aromas of fresh lime, spice, citrus blossom, white peach, and nectarine skins open on the nose. In the mouth, the lime flavors take center stage commanding attention on entry. The fruit is fleshy with considerable weight and framed with a refreshing driving acid. A lot of wine!

Winemaker Description

Black crimson in color, this wine leaps from the glass with powerful aromatics of blueberries, fresh plum, licorice and nuances of chocolate biscuit. The seamless texture is laced with fresh berry fruit, coffee, vanilla cream and warm spice, giving us a full-bodied Shiraz with an endless depth of flavor and great length.

Expert Review

Robert Parker 92 Points | Once you taste a few of a producer's wines side by side, you really start to get a feel for stylistic preference between warm vintages and cool ones. I surprise myself by saying here that I prefer the warmer vintages at Mollydooker (this does not make it right) because the sunshine and ease with which ripening can occur in a warmer year really seems to suit the plush, high-octane style being proliferated here. So, this 2021 Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz is far more on the blue fruit spectrum than the 2020, which has a complex array of sweet/savory/spice characters. The detail here errs to blackberry, blood plum and resin—a spicy, full-bodied Shiraz. Not for the faint of heart.

Winemaker Description

A deep blend of red and purple colors and abundant aromas introduces us perfectly to this beautiful Cabernet. Rich and complex in flavour, notes of cherry and blackberry transition to mixed herbs, bramble and mocha, complemented by a delicious dimension of sweet fruit. Soft smooth on the palate, the 2021 Maitre D’ balances flavor and structure perfectly. 

Winemaker Description

This vibrant and lifted Merlot exudes rich plum flavours with undertones of both red and dark fruit and a soft touch of oak. As the wine develops in the glass, layers of chocolate, nutmeg and cinnamon spice come to the fore. The soft mouth-feel and tannin integration allow for all the beautiful flavours of this wine to shine through.

Our Professional Review

Bart Hopkins 67Wine.com | A full bodied, darkly colored Grenache with intense richness and depth of flavor. Aromas of savory red fruits on the nose, with lovely intensity in the mouth, smooth tannins and a delicious long-lasting finish. Powerful, precise and concentrated with no over ripeness. A great wine for hearty dishes and perfect for barbecues.

Winemaker Description

Dark, intense deep purple-crimson in the glass. On the nose: striking notes of rhubarb, raspberry jam and redcurrant. The palate is soft and rich, showing a more full-body style of Grenache. A flow of red cherries, rhubarb and red plums are laced with a fine layer of cedar, introducing more dark-flavored characters like plums and hints of dark chocolate. Texture is firm and finely balanced.

Expert Review

James Suckling 92 Points | An inviting nose of baked cherry, blueberry, moss and bark. Medium- to full-bodied with velvety tannins. Juicy and fresh red and black fruit with savory undertones. Herb and earthy notes ground the palate. A bit of tension here, which I like. Drink or hold.

Winemaker Notes

Winemaker Description

St Henri is a time-honoured and alternative expression of shiraz, and an intriguing counterpoint to Grange. It is unusual amongst high quality Australian red wines as it does not rely on any new oak. Released for the first time by Penfolds in the early 1950s (first commercial vintage 1957), it gained a new lease of life in the 1990s as its quality and distinctive style became better understood. Proudly, a wine style that hasn’t succumbed to the dictates of fashion or commerce.

Expert Reviews

Wine Spectator 93 Points | Juicy blueberry and huckleberry fruit flavors at the core are accented by black and red licorice details, with dense, grippy tannins and notes of black pepper and Earl Grey tea. Impressive for its concentration and focus, along with its muscular structure. Drink now through 2035. 284 cases imported.

Wine Advocate 97 Points | The 2018 St Henri Shiraz is a terrific effort, perhaps rivaling the top-flight wines under this label in 1976 and 1986. Remarkably fine and silky in texture yet simultaneously dense and concentrated, it showcases the amazing fruit harvested in 2018. Boysenberry, mulberry and mocha shadings all swirl together effortlessly in a whorl of full-bodied elegance, finishing long and effortless. Mainly Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, it includes smaller amounts of fruit from Port Lincoln, Robe, Padthaway, Clare Valley and the Adelaide Hills, all aged 12 months in large old wooden vats.

Decanter 93 Points | A shift in emphasis for St Henri, with its gaze fixed on depth and seriousness rather than its familiar comforting embrace. With no new oak, it’s always a fruit-driven statement, but this time the rich, red earthy tones are clouded over by a deep well of purple and blue fruit flavours. As a result, it appears to have a broader frame than before, finishing a bit short for a wine of this stature, but still with lots of pleasing savoury grip on the finish. Released at AU$135. Drinking Window 2022 - 2050.

James Suckling 99 Points | A great St. Henri and, although multi-regional, this is very much a wine that speaks of the Barossa Valley, with aromas of ripe blackberries and red plums that are so fresh, together with tobacco, young-leather, earth, chocolate, coal-smoke and tarry accents. Effortless depth on the palate with summer berries, framed in fine, alabaster-like tannins that are underscored with discreet power. So long and captivating. A blend of Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Port Lincoln, Robe, Padthaway, Clare Valley and Adelaide Hills. Drink over the next decade or more. Screw cap.Vinous 95 points Dark, bright-rimmed violet color. A wild, highly complex bouquet evokes spice-tinged black/blue fruits, pipe tobacco, savory herbs, potpourri and olive paste. Weighty and yet energetic in style, offering mineral-driven bitter cherry, cassis, chewing tobacco and exotic spice flavors that turn sweeter through the back half. Round, slowly building tannins give framework to a very long, smoky finish that echoes the cherry and tobacco notes.

Our Professional Review 

A gentle burst of peach, apricot, nectarine, melon and tropical fruit graces the bouquet of this plump and juicy white. The texture has a honey like richness that is balanced poignantly with a streak of refreshing acidity. A great match to seafood, poultry and vegetarian dishes, it also makes a great aperitif and a nice wine to sip on its own.
- Bart Hopkins, 67 Wine Buyer

Winemaker Description