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The Second Coming of Australian Chardonnay
Australia, chardonnay, featured
, Jun 2025
Australian Chardonnay is now well and truly in the premier league. The best wines show genuine sophistication thanks to intuitive, thoughtful winemaking and the investment in locating and developing optimal sites. This is not confined to a single place—each region, from Tasmania and Adelaide Hills to Margaret River and Victoria’s cool-climate pockets, brings its own take on the modern style, driven by clones, climate and terroir. The only question now is how high Australian Chardonnay will go and whether it will claim its place as a genuine international leader.
McLaren Vale: Pushing the Envelope of Refinement
Australia, featured
, Apr 2025
There are few better places in Australia to discover cutting-edge wines than McLaren Vale. Formerly a key home for large-scale commercial winemaking, McLaren Vale has transformed into a base for artisanal, terroir-driven winemakers with an increasing focus on single-vineyard wines of distinction. The 2022 vintage in particular offers insights into an exciting future.
Cellar Favorite: A Landmark Vintage – Henschke 2021
Australia, Australia Featured, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Apr 2025
Henschke is one of the most historic wineries in Australia, known for unforced wines that showcase their various terroirs. The annual Henschke release is a true vintage snapshot of Eden Valley.
Behind the Red Curtain: Penfolds Special Bins from the Vault
Australia, Australia Featured, featured
, Mar 2025
Winemaker trials are key to the pursuit of exceptional wine. Small batches can allow creativity to flourish. The genesis of truly fine wine at Penfolds began in the 1940s with a program of wines that became known as Special Bins. A rare tasting of Penfolds Special Bins stretching back to the 1950s offered a glimpse deep into the historic past and showcased modern Australian benchmarks.
North East Victoria: Full of Surprises
Australia, featured
, Feb 2025
There is no better illustration of Australian wine diversity than a tour through North East Victoria. Stretching from the elevated Alpine Valleys to the warmer environs along the Murray River, breathtaking Chardonnays coexist with iconic fortified wines, providing both a glimpse of the past and an exciting future.
Digging for Gold in Western Victoria
Australia, featured
, Nov 2024
Australia is often accused of being home to bold and brash wines, where bigger is better, but Western Victoria provides a counterpoint to that idea. Here, temperate and continental climates have given rise to wines of style and substance for over 160 years. This report takes a walk through Western Victoria’s myriad regions and showcases surprising diversity, from the ethereal Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs of Macedon Ranges and Geelong to the structured Shirazes and Cabernet Sauvignons of the Pyrenees, Heathcote and Grampians.
A Snapshot of the Antipodes - La Place 2024
Australia, featured
, Sep 2024
Fall releases from La Place Bordeaux showcase a selection of wines from around the world. Australian wines have been part of the offerings since 2020. This article features reviews of the new 2024 antipodean releases.
Barossa 2022: Run, Don’t Walk
Australia, featured
, Aug 2024
The 2022 Barossa vintage will long be etched in the memories of local winemakers for both triumph and tragedy. For the vast majority, 2022 is a triumph, with plentiful winter rainfall and a long, mild growing season that shaped a vintage for the ages, the best in years. Only sporadic hail intervened, breaking the hearts of some grape growers and winemakers with what could have been.
Ironing Out The Kinks: Jim Barry The Armagh 1985-2021
Australia, featured, Verticals & Retrospectives
, Jun 2024
The tale of Jim Barry’s Armagh Shiraz has mirrored the national wine story over the last forty years. Terroirs with the highest aspirations from the outset have taken time to hit their straps, with occasional missteps along the way. Thanks to greater precision in the vineyard and winery, the last ten years have seen this Clare Valley Shiraz slip into a neat groove with a unique mix of sheer power and finesse. This was showcased in this complete vertical tasting stretching back to the inaugural 1985 vintage.
The Yin and the Yang of Western Australia
Australia, featured
, May 2024
Western Australia remains a beacon of hope and value in a world of stratospheric fine wine prices. This report shows that, pound for pound, few regions can match Margaret River for finely crafted Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. My first coverage of the emerging regions of Great Southern and Pemberton also showcases wines that are surprising for their subtlety and diversity.