Carrick

Wine Enthusiast – Carrick's entry-level wine has turned out well in 2013, offering a sturdy, robust mouthful of dark fruit. Plum espresso and dark chocolate mingle on the nose and palate. Drink 2017-2025. 91 points, Editors Choice , Wine Enthusiast August 2016

The Wine Front – About 60% is fermented in barrel. Unusual move for gris, but hey, Francis Hutt ain’t no regular winemaker. Deep thinker, pushing boundaries, working with organic, estate fruit. Fruity, fun-lovin perfume – floral, brown pear, candied peel scents. Slippery, cool. Brown pear, lean white fruit flavours, slick, fine, then long through a gently sweet finish. Has a light, brown pear skinsy character too. Complexity in the wine, yet flavour town. Lots to like here.

The Wine Front – This is a barrel selection of estate pinot noir, the barrels most suited to extended time in oak. Bottled unfiltered after spending 16 months in those barrels. Sweet spice, sandalwood oak-like character, ripe pinot noir cherry-berry scents, mocha, wet earth and forest floor. Complex. The wine tastes powerful, ripe fruit character with heft, dusted with mocha and sweet spice, smothered in spicy, suede tannin, exiting with firmness and rich flavour. Full, bold pinot noir, done very well.

The Wine Front – Short spell in barrel to give a little lick of spice and nuance. Vanilla cream, nougat and halva over ripe stone fruit and faint melon characters. You know you want it. Veluptuous sort of deal here, fleshy in the palate, set on racy acidity but full complement of rich fruit, mellow oak, soft texture – people yearn for this stuff. It’s done well.

The Wine Front – Rugged lookin soils and exposed-feeling site. Sauvignon blanc gets a salty tang here, says winemaker Francis Hutt. He likes it. About 60% is barrel fermented. He also makes the wine dry to enhance it. Cheers. Scents of wet slate, green herbs and briar, touch of asparagus but not overt. Tangy, tart, linear and very pure feeling. Great velocity. Mouthwatering and steely in the palate. Wow. The punch! Pretty bloody good.