The best

• red wine
• white wine
• champagne
• rosé
• whisky
• spirits
• beer

deals in Australia

David Bicknell is a Chardonnay perfectionist with a passion for terroir and contrasts in the characters of different vineyard sites. In the glass: Bright fine straw with a green hue. On the nose: Fabulous purity and lift with ripe, complex stonefruit combining with lees and struck match magic. On the palate: A complex funky monster! It shows tremendous depth and umami being satiny soft throughout with amazing refined power and balance and extraordinary length and persistence. Classy!

Spicy, faintly floral aromas of stone fruit, grapefruit, lime juice and coriander are backed by matchstick-like oak and a hint of mineral. It's round and creamy, smooth and voluptuous, with a gentle, mouthfilling core of flavour and nougat-like complexity finishing with a hint of butter, gentle lemony acids and a faint smokiness. Crushed and pressed with full solids straight to oak (20% new), both primary fermentation and malolactic were natural. Elevage: 8 months on lees in oak before being racked and filtered in preparation for bottling. Hand-picked on 12th March 2018 First established in 1995, Toolangi Vineyards is located in the Yarra Valley adjoining the Toolangi State Forest. This Chardonnay is grown on fine clay loam and produces grapes which represent the unique site. Low cropped and hand harvested from 23 year old vines of I1OV3 clone grapes on D Block rows 35 55. The 2018 harvest will be remembered fondly by winemakers in the Yarra Valley. It was a rare season that gave above average yields and excellent quality fruit. Dry sunny conditions with cool overnight temperatures provided good natural acidity and concentrated wines at lower alcohol levels.

A bright and complex aromatic profile displaying notes of pomegranate, dried strawberry, star anise and cranberry intermingle with hints of blue fruit, crushed violet, fresh tobacco and truffle. A finely structured palate offers both textural generosity and clarity of fruit expression. Red currant, dark cherry and cinnamon raspberry characters integrate well with supportive oak spice. Refreshing natural acidity gives the wine drive and line leading into a long and persistent finish.

This Chardonnay has opposing elements of minerality and creaminess make this an outstanding, complex wine. The aromas and flavours of lemon pith, chamomile, just ripe nectarine and apricot are underlain by fine grained, smoky oak.The grapes were whole bunch pressed and the free run and pressings separated for fermentation. After chilling, 50% of the unsettled juice was placed in 500 litre puncheons and 228 litre barriques for fermentation. At the end of fermentation, the wine was left on yeast lees for 8 months. The lees were stirred weekly. The remaining juice was fermented in tank to retain the fresh aromas and flavours of the variety. This wine also remained on yeast lees for an extended period of time. The restraint on this wine suggests it will continue to age and improve in bottle. While waiting for the magic to happen, enjoy the wine now with a classic freshly shucked oysters with a dot of green apple granita.

Lovely light bead, gently bottle carbonated by the French method which means hand riddling and disgorging to remove the yeast from the bottle. Not too acidic and lovely fruit on the palate.

Troy Payten and Ben Jones are making wines with soul & personality out of the Yarra Valley. They have a tremendous passion for wine, something that can be found in every glass of their wines. Fruit comes from Tarrawarra and is handled with all the classic chardonnay techniques. Oak maturation, malolactic fermentation and long lees contact. The result is a flinty style with notes of toast and whipped cream. Yum!

Crafted from three premium Yarra Valley sites, combining both MV6 and D2V4 (pommard) Pinot Noir clones. The first parcel was hand-picked on the 20th of February, with the final parcel coming in on the 1st of April. All batches were fermented wild utilising different ratios of whole-bunches, the final blend equating to 25%. Matured in French oak puncheons (30% new), where it saw 10 months élevage prior to bottling.