Stocktake Sale 2025

Nestled in Damery, just a few kilometres from Épernay, Maison Maurice Choppin has been working the unique terroirs of the Marne Valley for more than 7 generations. Proud of his family heritage and his humble approach to living things, Benjamin Choppin makes natural and distinctive wines that are powerful, well rounded and balanced. Inspired by the "Belle Champagne", he values its exceptional heritage and shines the light on the work of the winemaker. Producer    Champagne Maurice Choppin - Benjamin Choppin.   Origin  Damery, Vallee de la Marne, Champagne, France Grapes  85% Pinot Meunier, 10% ...

Nestled in Damery, just a few kilometres from Épernay, Maison Maurice Choppin has been working the unique terroirs of the Marne Valley for more than 7 generations. Proud of his family heritage and his humble approach to living things, Benjamin Choppin makes natural and distinctive wines that are powerful, well rounded and balanced. Inspired by the "Belle Champagne", he values its exceptional heritage and shines the light on the work of the winemaker.   #ROSE

105aud Retail. Precise and driven. Fine boned yet eminently present. Red and dark fruits along with mocha and liquorice nuances, yield to highly finessed and incredibly fine-grained savoury tannins. Graphite in texture, the wine is tightly wound within long mineral acidity, which carries intensity through the palate. White pepper, cedar and elegant allspice notes linger throughout the enduring, linear finish. Deep colour; a powerful, full-bodied shiraz leaving not even a scintilla of doubt about its regional and varietal provenance, but does so secure in the knowledge of its balance and length; supple black fruits licorice and dark chocolate...

The flagship, crafted with the finest fruit from the famed proprietary sites: Old Hill, Old Paddock, Rosehill 1946 and 1965 Vines. As with the other reds in the stable, maker Adrian Sparks has lightened the structural lattices to impart greater freshness and joy. Full and plummy, the wine spent but 10 months in large-format French wood, less than 20% new. The result, almost as pulpy and vital, as it is dense and torqued. Wonderful tannins, alloyed and finely knit. A textural opus. Anise, loamy wet earth scents and flavours of sarsaparilla, clove and cardamom, too. Better after 2 days in the bottle, indicating just how well it will age....

This wine has been handled with kid gloves: hand picked and destemmed, 10% retained as whole bunches. Held in cold soak for three days, open fermented with thrice daily plunging; eight days on skins, then matured in French puncheons for eight months. The colour is excellent, and the abundant red fruits and superfine tannins are as good as they come. A new Hunter Valley style that challenges the idea that the Hunter is too hot for pinot noir. 95 points. James Halliday Published 14 February 2023. This rare wine is produced from the original pinot noir vines brought to Australia by James Busby.in 1833. 

 Wine Enthusiast 97 points 2016 Vintage Tasted: Jul 2024 Deep ruby in color, this wine has a nose of cocoa powder, coffee bean, lavender and cherry. It is smooth at first sip, with tannins that slowly build in volume and then drift away to reveal black cherry, blackberry, chocolate, mint and orange-zest flavors. The brilliant finish is marked with a floral note. Drink through 2036.

“Intense pinot noir with a mix of fruit and savoury characters including raspberry, dark cherry, dried herb, grape stem, hedgerow and nutty oak flavours. Accessible now but with potential to gain even more complexity with bottle age. 95 Points, Five Stars.”  Bob Campbell  MW, NZ.   Organically Certified BioGro 56438 | Moutere Clay Gravels | Single Vineyard | Low Cropping | Hand Harvested | Wild Ferment | Natural Spring Malo | Barrel Matured | Unfined | Unfiltered | Vegan | Lightweight Glass Bottle | Solar Powered Winery Nelson lends itself to sophisticated, savoury Pinot Noir. Pinot for cool nights and...

Noon Eclipse is predominantly Grenache (80%+) with smaller proportions of Shiraz and Graciano. The grapes come from the three Noon ‘home’ vineyards in McLaren Vale. The grapes are hand-picked and fermented in small, open vats with hand-plunging to help extract colour and tannins.

"Possibly our best Reserve Cabernet ever. Produced from 66% Fruit Trees block and 34% Main Road block Cabernet Sauvignon. After a warm start to harvest in 2019, the weather cooled down from early March and the Cabernet ripened slowly to perfection in the lovely autumn days which followed. Harvested on April 3 (Fruit Trees) and 17 (Main Road). Beautifully fresh varietal flavours and great tannin structure. We love this wine. The Fruit Trees and Main Road blocks are on deep alluvial soil, with enough clay to retain good moisture and in a site cool enough to ensure slow ripening and high flavour development in the grapes. Noon Reserve...

WINERY NOTE: "This opulent and densely concentrated wine is sourced from the ‘20 Rows’ block within the Borrett family’s Langhorne Creek vineyard. It is vinified in small, open vats, pressed using a traditional basket press and aged for 18 months in new (30-40%) and seasoned, 300-litre American and French oak barrels. It is unashamedly a full-bodied, generously-flavoured wine with annual production between 750 and 850 dozen." - Noon Winery #NOON

James Suckling 96 points Numanthia is the most emblematic wine from Bodega Numanthia, and is considered as one of the great wines from D.O. Toro. Numanthia gets its name from Numancia, a city famous of the resistance of an epic attack from the Roman army. The citizens defenced the city until the end, choosing death rather than surrender. Drawing a parallel with history, the Numanthia vines have resisted the extreme climate for almost 100 years and have been able to overcome some "bloody" episodes like the phylloxera epidemic in the nineteenth century. Numanthia is a single variety Tinta de Toro, the reigning variety in D.O. Toro....

Winery Notes- Overture 2021, the first vintage-dated bottling of the second wine of Opus One, offers fresh aromas of plum, blackberry, and cherry enhanced by alluring notes of dried rose petal, forest floor, and earthy minerality. Juicy and bright on the palate with distinctive flavors of black currant, blueberry, and fraises du bois; the wine delivers a velvety texture with powdery tannins. Subtle coffee and dark chocolate round out the long finish coupled with a well-integrated acidity.   #OPUS

Jane Anson 97 points. James Suckling  98 POINTS "Blackcurrant and graphite, like lead pencil. So aromatic. Intense, perfectly ripe fruit. Full and polished with delicious fruit and tannins that melt into the wine. Rich, yet fresh. Better after 2027. (04/2023)"

Winery COLOR: Ruby red with violet highlights. NOSE: Intense bouquet of ripe fruits with notes of currants, blackberries and black cherries. FLAVOR: The flavor is balanced with smooth, sweet tannins and a persistent finish. SOMMELIER'S DESCRIPTION The peculiarities of Dogliani Siri d'Jermu are essentially summarized by the close relation that the family Pecchenino enjoyed for centuries with Dogliani in the Langhe area, famous for its cultivation of this native vine. The farm Pecchenino was founded towards the end of '700: it has always been a family-run estate and have been handed down from father to son, being enriched, with the...

Antonio Galloni 93 points. CHARACTERISTICS: Rich and complex wine produced using vines grafted in 2004 on a surface of around 1,5 hectares. The choice of little productive clones, the use of a little vigorous rootstock as the Rupestris du Lot and the wonderful climatic position of the Tulin vineyard allowed us to reach quickly an unexpected result. TECHNICAL NOTES: Accurate selection in vineyard with double cluster thinning (green harvest) and following hand harvesting. Further selection in cellar before the destemming and crushing. Fermentation with maceration for about 15 days. Ageing 2 years in wooden barrels and 1 year in bottle. TASTING...

James Suckling 97 points. Wine Advocate 96 points. Huon Hooke 98points. Tony Love 98 points. James Halliday 97 points. Available in cases of six if required. Very deep, dark, youthful purple/red colour, impressive in the glass. The bouquet is reserved and understated, with more earthy, savoury aromas coming first followed by cassisy cabernet-like nuances, the palate more elegant than expected with lovely purity of concentrated blackberry, blackcurrant cabernet fruit skilfully welded to neatly integrated oak characters. A cracking wine, concentrated but in no way heavy or overwrought. Indeed, it has real elegance. A delicious wine, and...

"Really gorgeous blue fruit with blackberries and blueberries, sandalwood and fresh flowers. Such a cool and bright nose. Lavender, too. Medium-to full-bodied, firm and tight with really fine and curated tannins that last for minutes. Very attractive now, but one that will age and satisfy for decades. Best in 2027 and onwards." -  James Suckling. 98 points.

 "Shows plenty of blueberry and slate character. Full body with fine tannins and a fresh finish. Lively acidity and tannins. Best wine ever from here. A blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Drink or hold." -  James Suckling   93 Points, Antonio Galloni, VINOUS: "The 2022 Campanaio, equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, is a fine effort from Alessandro Cellai. It offers up succulent dark cherry, plum, sweet French oak, licorice and rose petal in a racy, flamboyant style that will require minimal cellaring..." 07/24.

While Pinot Nero is capable of producing wines of extraordinary elegance and harmony, it sometimes has difficulty adapting to conditions in Italy. To succeed with this grape in a land known for indigenous varietals, Alessandro Cellai had to approach every operation in the vineyard and the cellar meticulously. For example, he found that allowing the skins to macerate with dry ice prior to fermentation brought out more finessed perfumed aromas. The wine’s name takes inspiration from the surrounding pine forests, as ”La Pineta” translates to ”pine tree”. Always a modern, bold and robust style. Pure expression of...

"A focused and citrusy Coal River Valley chardonnay, pale straw in the glass, that is packed with ripe lemon, grapefruit, peach and nectarine fruits with hints of soft spice, vanillin oak, crème fraîche, white flowers and stone. Plenty of tension and steely mineral focus on the palate; the wine at first coils before releasing with lemon, grapefruit and poached pear fruits sliding gracefully to the finish line." 94 points. Dave Brookes Published 07 August 2024.   #FOGG

Coal River Valley-sourced pinot noir. Dark red in the glass with aromas of black cherry and dark plum dotted with spices, Chinese roast duck, mushroom broth, rhubarb, leaf litter, dried herbs and soy. Lovely ripe cherry fruits on the palate with a nice sapid line of minerally acidity hitting all the right notes of fruit tension, gamey complexity and effortless drinkability. Geez, it's easy to pour another glass of this. 94 points. Dave Brookes Published 02 August 2023   #FOGG

Weighing in at 9.2% alcohol, this is what the Germans would refer to as a 'breakfast wine', a term that I love. The RS69 here denotes 69g RS in the wine, so think medium sweet. It's peachy with lemon drop, grapefruit zest, white flowers, crushed stone and a suggestion of spearmint and fennel further back. It's delicious. That steely acidity draws it all back into line, finishing unctuous yet focused and definitely moreish. 95 points. Dave Brookes Published 04 February 2024   #FOGG

Trophy, Best Gin at Show, International Spirits Challenge 2015. Made in England. Almost half a pound of the finest Sloes are used to produce every bottle of this cold-compounded Sloe Gin, along with a merry band of botanicals, including Juniper Berries, Cinnamon, Coriander, Cloves, and Orange Peel. Marzipan, juniper, cinnamon and hot cloves. Citrus swirls in the background with aromas of freshly baked cake.

Decabter World wine Awards 2021 95 points.    Raffaele Vecchione - WinesCritic.com 93 points. 2018 Vintage Tasted: May 2021 Extremely intriguing in the mixed floral and fruity profile showing a bohemian energy with notes of pressed red flowers, raspberries, ripe blackcurrants and orange juice. Meduim to full bodied, rounded tannins and a juicy finale which both merchants and consumers will enjoy. Well made. Drink now.

 Falstaff 91 points. 2017 Vintage Tasted: Nov 2019 Bright ruby red. Restrained nose, subtle berry fruit, somewhat savoury. On the palate a compact core and fruity texture, juicy and clear, delicately grippy tannin accompanies the drink; still young, put it away!

One of the (many) attractions to the field of Winemaking is that singular combination of art and science employed to craft each wine, every year. The Science is well defined, and the literature is continually being added to; the Art is not so easy to pin down. It is born of the individual winemaker and their Muse and exists in the heart; it finds its expression within the senses of the imbiber. This wine is the result of our Winemaker let loose to practice his Artistry on fruit from other sites within Central Otago.   Created from a single vineyard site high in the Dunstan foothills this Pinot Noir speaks with great eloquence of its...

Tim Atkin 95 points. The Peter Barlow, derives it’s name from the man who bought the property and lovingly restored it to become a South African icon in the wine industry. Being made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the oldest vineyard on the estate, the Peter Barlow is a rich, robust varietal example of the exceptional quality and ageability of Cabernet made on the Estate and in the Simonsberg region. A highly collected wine which will age gracefully under the correct cellaring conditions.

"From a Swartland vineyard co-planted to Chenin Blanc and Palamino. Matured for 12 months in acacia and oak foudres. Top notes of hay and potpourri before pear and peach. Dense fruit matched by a good line of acidity, the finish pithy. Direct and surprisingly forceful – alcohol is 13.4%" Wine Magazine     #JS  

A blend of fruit from three sites and all planted with MV6. A gorgeous, light, bright crimson purple. This leaps out of the glass with its aromas of freshly picked cherries, blood orange and mountain herbs. The palate is moreish, energetic and fine boned. Super value, you'd be delighted if this was on by the glass at your local cafe or pub. 95 points. Philip Rich Published 09 September 2024

Cellar Door Price 95 aud. Deep crimson. Classic blackberry, mulberry dark chocolate aromas with black liquorice/ aniseed notes. Saturated dark berry fruits and fine chocolaty textures with underlying roasted chestnut mocha oak.  Finishes chocolaty firm with a lovely bitter-fresh chinotto freshness. Beautiful wine with superb richness and vigour. The bitter-sweet notes add tension and lengthen the finish. 2023- 2032. 97 points. Andrew Caillard, MW - Vintage Journal.   Huon hooke 96 points. James Suckling 96 points.  

“It’s a soft chardonnay with creamy, leesy characters as the palate’s main calling card before its zestier, zippier side takes over through the finish. Mellifluous for the most past, rushed with energy thereafter. Elegant..... 94 Points” Campbell Mattinson, Halliday Wine Companion, August 2020 (2019 Vintage. WINERY NOTE: The Mendosa clone creates rich, elegant Chardonnay and we selected this for our first Equilibrio. The wine is opulent, generous and composed with good oak integration all wound together with a citrus and nectarine, creamy freshness. The concept behind our Equilibrio range is to promote the very best...

Wine of Origin Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley Production 759 cases (of 12). Release date April 2025 96 Points – Tim Atkin SA Report 2024 "Ignis hails from a warmer, comparatively free draining 2.4-hectare block on decomposed granite that's planted with four different Burgundian clones (113, 115, 667 and 777). Floral, ethereal and layered, it has some spice and texture from 15% whole clusters, subtle 28% new oak, a slightly salty top note, caressing wild strawberry, pomegranate and goji berry flavours, savoury tannins and mouth-watering acidity. "   Drinking Window:  2025 - 2032 Reviewer Name:  Tim Atkin MW...

65/ 35/ 2% pinot noir/ chardonnay/ meunier; 55/45% Tasman Peninsula/East Coast.   TYSON STELZER, HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION 2023 "The new-entry cuvée for the Fogarty Group's Tasmanian sparkling operation is crisp, fresh and fruity, built around cool, Tasman Peninsula pinot noir. Crunchy red apples, strawberries and lemons are the theme. Clean, precise and well put together, this is a well-balanced apéritif, more about fruit than texture or complexity. It will appreciate a little bottle age to build depth." 90 points.   #FOGG

DAVE BROOKS, HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION 2024 NV sparkling from 83/17% chardonnay/pinot noir from several Tasmanian growing areas (45/35/20% Tasman Peninsula/Coal River Valley/ Huon Valley); fermented in seasoned French oak, 46 months on lees. Light straw with an energetic bead and characters of green apple and citrus fruits along with creamy, biscuity tones and hints of white flowers, fresh brioche, grilled almonds, apple pastries and soft spice. Bright with a biscuity edge, a light gingerbread note and a creamy lemon curd note on the sustained finish. 93 points.   KEN GARGETT, WINE PILOT 2024, 94 points. The wine spent 46 months on...

Sourced from three sites, predominantly estate grown young Grenache vines, and two Sangiovese vineyards in the Seaview district of McLaren Vale, ‘Beautiful View’. Certified organic. COLOUR Pale salmon with pink hues BOUQUET Watermelon, strawberry, rose petal and a hint of violet. PALATE Bone dry, crisp and elegant with more savory notes than the bouquet suggests. The fine texture lengthens a harmonious and glossy mouthfeel.    #rose

Wine Advocate 97+. The Uccelliera 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (with 9,600 bottles made) is a great achievement and is among my top favorite wines from Andrea Cortonesi tasted in the 20 or so years I have followed this estate. There is a lot of power here, thanks to that golden Castelnuovo dell'Abate sunshine, so I cannot liken this wine to some of the more ethereal and delicate expressions that I also love. Instead, this Riserva delivers brawn, dark fruit and muscle, but it does so with sincerity and honesty. You can't help but appreciate the complexity on offer. The wine offers plenty of dark fruit, but you also get...

Winemaker Notes 100% Sangiovese from clay and sand soils rich in minerals. Notes of fresh cherries and raspberries with spices, dried herbs and crushed stones. Medium-bodied, crunchy and fresh with dusty tannins and pure, vivid fruit.  

Cellar Door 150aud. The most distinctive of the Ulithorne Shiraz trio. Whereas the other wines made no attempt to disguise their gentle seduction, this is unapologetically savoury, its superfine tannins not unlike those of nebbiolo. Cloves replace dark chocolate, black berries and black cherries are the Lords of Darkness, or the translation of the Latin name of this wine, 'fruit of the earth'.  Alcohol: 14.5%; Drink by: 2041;  Rating: 97 Points & Special Value Star; James Halliday; Wine Companion.     Ulithorne produces small quantities of red wines from selected parcels of grapes from its estate vineyard...

An address ascending. Its GSM, the only one with the prerequisite rivets of savoury tannin, spice and Mediterranean aura in the country. This, its acolyte, is by far the best release of grenache here to date. Mercifully, devoid of eucalyptus. Cherry pie, pomegranate, persimmon, kirsch and a broad slake of star anise, dried thyme and lavender. Alan Varney understands the need for tannin, the pinion of compression and the inherent tension that comes with it, as much as the bulwark against fruit sweetness, something that comes a little too easy in this country. A rather fine wine at a very fair price. 94 points. Ned Goodwin MW Published 02...

Each presentation box contains 3 bottles, one bottle each of La Joie, La Muse and Le Desir 2019. LA JOIE (WA 99 points) The 2019 La Joie is an elegant expression that offers power, freshness and expressive, floral character. A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, it has a deep ruby color and opens slowly from black cherries and blueberries to accents of violets, ground coffee and licorice. The full-bodied palate has generous, grainy tannins, detailed, perfumed flavors and bright acidity, finishing with an alluring iron character. 2,500 cases were made. LA MUSE (WA 99 points) The 2019 La Muse is a...

Old dark copper. Evidence of spices, cinnamon, clove and liquorice.

Guia Penin 2018 Vintage Tasted: Jul 2020 Colour: Cherry;Aroma: balsamic herbs, sweet spices, scrubland, red berry notes;Flavour: spicy, balsamic, good acidity;

Tim Atkin MW 91 points. “Intense red colour with garnet edge Complex aroma, red fruits, wild herbs Roasted notes of coffee, black chocolate. Fresh, fruity, fleshy, tasty, round, complex, balanced, long and persistent in the mouth". Tempranillo 100%. From a selection of the Tempranillo harvested at optimal health and maturation in small 15 kg boxes. In the winery, a manual selection of bunches and destemming occurs and crushing without pressure. Produced by malolactic fermentation in the barrel and then an aging of 14 months in French and American oak barrels, 50% of which are 12 months old.