James Halliday – 69% Coonawarra Menzies Ming D Block cabernet sauvignon, 25% Barossa Valley Nuriootpa shiraz planted 1901, 6% Eden Valley shiraz planted 1971. Wild ferment to start. Matured 21 months in 25% new French oak barriques and hogsheads. Yalumba began blending Coonawarra cabernet with Barossa shiraz more than a half century ago. This is one of the greatest expressions of this great Australian blend of recent decades. Perfect, compact, fragrant blackcurrant and blackberry fruit depth pauses time as it hovers motionless for minutes, propelled by the most intricate, chalk mineral framework of perfectly interlocked fruit and French oak tannins. A vintage to hark back to for another half century yet.

James Halliday –

James Halliday – A lovely vintage, excellent fruit, wild fermentation, some extended maceration but time not specified, aged 18 months in French barrels, 40% new. Despite the hefty 1.6kg bottle, this wine is anything but weighty. An excellent dark garnet hue, it's resplendent with pure cabernet aromas and flavours. A latent power and beauty at the same time, with exceptional tannins, long and finely chiselled.

World Wine – 'The best Cullity yet released. The palate is deep and powerful with controlled structure of chalky, slightly powdery fine tannins and fine-grained oak. There is a minerally almost sea spray lime character cutting through the dark fruits and chocolate richness. Compelling and just magnificent.' - 99 Points - Ray Jordan The West Australian, 10 May 2020

World Wine – Sales of this Grenache have been thundering along so the composition of this 2021 is slightly different from those of years gone by. The 2020 was made with 100% whole bunches off one site but an increase in production has seen two blocks blended. A 1949 planted block is 100% whole bunch and a second block planted in 1929 sees 30% whole bunches with the overall total now 61%. But let's just pause for a moment and consider the age of the vines contributing to this $40 wine... Extraordinary really when you look at the price. This 2021 is the first vintage that puncheons (8 year old) have been used to ensure a softer maturation. Slick describes this Grenache best. Softly textured, red fruits sing. It opens up and there is a savoury wrestle with fruit. Blue fruits rise up adding another level of prettiness. Picked at mid 13s brings a slight mintiness and red pepper character with it. But those soft blue and red berries waltz on and glisten. Superfine spices are draped through the mouth like a velvet blanket and that finish just goes on and on. A brilliant wine from a first-class Barossa vintage. Chase it down. Drink to five years+. (Q Wine Reviews)

World Wine – Open-top fermented with a smatter of whole bunches; matured for 15 months in used French hogsheads. Vinified with the reverence such fruit deserves, from the bright colour to the cherry, plum and spice of the long and supple palate. The finish and aftertaste are positively fresh. (Weekend Australian Magazine, 29 Jan 2022)

James Halliday –

James Halliday – Long an icon across my memory bank, as well as it still serves me: from my early days in retail to time in New York as a sommelier and even Paris, where it appeared momentarily on the list at Willie's. A seminal moment when Australian wine got a look in. And now? Classic. In an Australian sense. Lightened up over the years in terms of the oak, but the forcefield of graphite-bitter-chocolate-bouquet grain tannins is the driver. Long. Mulch, red and blackcurrant scents and a swab of olive linger. This is very good, auguring for a long life.

James Halliday – Pure and beautiful. This has it all – lean austerity, ripe citrus fruit, taut acid and long length of flavour. It's a little ripper, and the price is well below the pleasure it delivers. Don't miss it.

James Halliday – Sauvignon blanc with 11% semillon, 61% wild-yeast fermented in a combination of stainless steel and various-sized oak vessels. Mainly matured in French oak (46% new) for up to 12 months. Creamy, rounded and supremely textural, this moves away from the spiny sauvignon blanc we are accustomed to and moves into a New World European space. Heady Margaret River florals and leafy greens (coriander, broad beans and sugar snap peas) linger in the background, making this a brilliant excuse for lunch. From the land and into the glass – what a beauty.

James Halliday – Delicate aromatics at first. A puff of Mediterranean herbs and lemon blossom, but of course all the action is on the palate. Steely, tight and linear, with wet stone and lime juice. The acidity is pure talc and the finish pristine. Lip-smacking and delicious.

James Halliday – This is on the riper spectrum, but it doesn't stray into OTT territory. There's a lot of flavour, sure, but it comes out complete and balanced. Awash with currants and blackberries, mint chocolates and freshly rolled tobacco. Textural tannins have some poise and the finish is fresh and long.

James Halliday – The latest (October 2020) disgorgement of this traditional-method pale-blush beauty reveals riper and richer pinot-oriented strawberry characters, the flavour and expression both precisely delivered with balanced acidity and toned backbone. Exciting drinkability and sophistication all in one glass.

James Halliday – JAMES HALLIDAY - HALLIDAY'S WINE COMPANION From old estate vines yielding 1.5t/ha picked on a new moon day with a solar eclipse, wild-fermented in terracotta eggs, 86 days on skins, pressed to 4 French barrels (3 new), matured for 6 months. A totally harmonious medium to full-bodied cabernet, all the components precisely (naturally) calibrated; supple cassis, olive and bay leaf keep watch. 1080 bottles made.

James Halliday –

James Halliday –

Wine Enthusiast – ‘Deep colour. Ethereal cassis, light marzipan, vanilla with hints of violet. Fresh blackcurrant pastille, marzipan, cedar flavour and fine bittersweet/ grainy tannins. Finishes claret firm, with pure dark berry fruits and superb mineral length. Elegantly proportioned, pristine and sinuous with excellent cellaring potential. A genuine Australian First Growth highlighting the genius of vineyard site, meticulous harvesting (five separate picking times), empathetic and imaginative winemaking. 89% cabernet sauvignon, 5% merlot, 3% cabernet franc, 3% malbec, 14 months maturation in new (55%) and seasoned French oak. A classic vintage; up there with the best. Keep for a while to allow some bottle age development as you will be greatly rewarded. 13.5% alc.’ 99 points. - Andrew Caillard, The Vintage Journal.

Huon Hooke – ‘Deep, bright red-purple colour with a reserved, shy bouquet that leads into a similarly latent palate where masses of fine tannins lie stealthily in wait. Subtle violet and blackberry traces. There is tremendous depth and muscle to this wine but it is still a little in its shell and needs more time to open. Masses of tannin bode well for its future in the cellar. Decanting may work if broaching it young. (89% cabernet sauvignon, 5% merlot, 3% cabernet franc, 3% malbec. Aged in 55% new oak for 14 months).’ 98 points. Huon Hooke, The Real Review

James Halliday –

World Wine –

James Halliday – "35/35/12/7/6/5% touriga nacional/tinta cão/tinta amarela/tinta roriz/alvarelhão/sousão, co-fermented and initially foot trod in a traditional lagar. This one-of-a-kind wine is beautifully perfumed with mountain herbs, lavender, rosemary and briary red fruits. Beautifully balanced and proportioned on the palate and immediately appealing with its gentle texture, refreshing acidity and superfine tannin structure." - Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)

Huon Hooke – "Medium to deep, bright red/purple colour. The bouquet is very alluring with Beaujolais-like whole-bunch aromas, strongly stemmy but not green. The palate is medium-weight, softly textured and fine tannined. A whiff of reduction. The wine is deliciously fruity and soft, appetising, and packs a lot of flavour into its mild-mannered structure. A real charmer." - Huon Hooke (The Real Review)

James Halliday – "Follows Bailey Carrodus's method of co-fermenting small amounts of viognier, marsanne adding floral notes, and mataro adding spice. It's another exquisite wine from '17, capturing all the senses immediately you assess the bouquet and palate. It's only just into medium-bodied territory, but it's mouthwatering in its intensity, red fruits flying high like a gaudy scarlet kite." - James Halliday (Halliday Wine Companion)

James Halliday – "A classic blend of 70% cabernet sauvignon, 18% merlot, 8% malbec and 4% petit verdot. Hand-picked and sorted, crushed and destemmed, open-fermented, on skins for up to a month, matured for 12 months in French oak (35% new). This is the serious side of '17. The aromas and flavours are still fresh and vibrant, but the palate, in particular, brooks no argument: this is a wine for protracted cellaring to allow the whipcord-tight structure to relax its grip." - James Halliday (Halliday Wine Companion)

James Halliday – 65/35% semillon/chardonnay. A wine that's driven by crisp, piercing acidity. Bracingly fresh, with all manner of citrus flavours and nuances, racy and linear. More stuffing is needed – time will probably do just that, by plumping out the palate. Jane Faulkner Published 13 August 2021

James Halliday – Sourced from 48yo vines on the 2.2ha Block 2 on the Hay Shed Hill property in Wilyabrup. Matured 18 months in French oak barriques. The nose presents a classical combination of black pepper, plum, raspberry, cassis and mulberry, backed by spiced oak. The palate follows suit and is further ameliorated by the presence of finely grippy tannins which caress the fruit through the lingering finish.

James Halliday –

James Halliday –