WTF I hear you cry – a wine review? Better late than never I say (probably a little too often to be honest) but now that AHW is back online, expect more regular updates and content. One of the first 2007 Margaret River cabs off the rank, this has set a cracking pace for the [...]
Ask most West Australians to name a good West Australian chardonnay and Leeuwin Art Series (LEAS – such is the wine’s reputation that the ‘Estate’ in its name has become superfluous) is likely to be at the front of most people’s tongues. Perhaps a better sign of its reputation, it’s one of the few local [...]
While most will be familiar with the shiraz and cabernet siblings in Howard Park’s acclaimed single vineyard wines, there is a lesser-known member of the family who spends most of her time in ol’ London-town, the UK-exclusive Leston chardy. Or at least it was lesser-known to me. I only learned of this wine’s existence after [...]
Winemaker Michael Kerrigan’s decision to end a 13-year affiliation with Howard Park to take up the position of winemaker and part-owner at Hay Shed Hill was one of last year’s biggest news stories. Wondering when I’d get the chance to taste his handiwork, I was pleasantly surprised to bump into a couple of his latest [...]
Christmas is a time of being busy, hence a lack of updates. What’s been sitting on my “to-blog” list for a while is a recap of the highlights from a chardonnay line up a few weeks back: kind of appropriate because as the calendar makes its way into the business end of the festive season, [...]
Under the guidance of new senior winemaker Robb Mann, the Cape Mentelle SBS style is changing from a semillon-dominant blend to a more 50-50 mix with sauvignon blanc just outweighing the semillon in this year’s blend (53 per cent versus 47 per cent for the number crunchers). Attractive fresh, lifted citrus notes on the nose [...]
Vintage reports can be a wine drinker’s Catch 22. On one hand, they can help put each year’s version of a particular wine into context with those that have before and after it: but on the other, there’s always that real threat of blanket statements unfairly damning or praising growing seasons and adding confusion and [...]