The Real Review (subscriber website) hosted their annual walk-around tasting with representatives from the “Top 52 Wineries” of the year in Sydney. Similar format to the last time I attended in 2023, but without the background music (hooray) and with just a little more space. 28 wineries offered 4 (occasionally 5) wines each, usually better bottlings, from their portfolios. Several winemakers in attendance. Generally amongst the best-run tastings I’ve ever attended; lots of spittoons (regularly cleared), plenty of glasses, water, nibbles including green olive palate cleansers. Also, brilliantly, two stapled pages listing all the wineries and wines being poured! Hooray! No ‘simply scan here and log into the app’. Bravo. I ran through offerings from ten wineries – about all I could manage in the 150 minute afternoon session – plus a few rogue pours at the end. Notes are all my own – I paid the $125 to attend – and I have no commercial interest with anyone. A couple of wineries were new to me; I avoided anyone I can fairly easily get to myself (Mercer & First Creek from Hunter, Clonakilla from Canberra), or recently visited (Pooley), and although I’d have liked another hour or so, I was really feeling palate fatigue by the two-hour mark. Virtually everything I tasted is current release; and maybe it’s a reflection of my own advancing years, but almost every wine I tasted with a bit of bottle age I found more nuanced and enjoyable than younger siblings. This is a highly recommended tasting experience both for its organisational standards, and the fact there’s virtually no ‘cheap swill’ being poured. Seems an erudite crowd in attendance as well; there are plenty of fellow tasters for friendly interactions should you desire it. It’s rather a shame there’s not the time to taste all the wines on offer. I guess you could always buy tickets to both sessions… Prices are per the wineries’ websites, so top $!
House of Arras
A popular stand at the beginning of the tasting, being the only winery pouring fizz. All-Tasmanian fruit across the range. I thought these were served a little too cold, to be honest; the mixed ice & water buckets always scare me a bit. As pricing indicates, Champagne is absolutely in their sights; although I suspect they lack the sheer store of base wines to give the necessary complexity to the lower-end wines. Wines are very good, value is marginal.
- NV House of Arras Brut Elite Cuvée 1801 - Australia, Tasmania
{diam, 13.8%, A$68} Noir/Chard/Meunier in the ratio 62/39/9. Largely based on the 2018 vintage I’m guessing, given their standard nomenclature. Youthful nose of strawberries and cream. 4 years on lees hardly evident. Clean palate, soft squash flavours, mild citrus. Dry, but light-bodied. Medium-sized bubbles. A bit underwhelming, and the value for money is very poor. - NV House of Arras Brut Elite Rose Cuvée 1901 - Australia, Tasmania
{diam, 13%, A$68} Noir/Chard/Meunier in the ratio 56/34/10. Barely more pinot in this than the non-rose version. Mostly soft strawberry fruit. Lighter-bodied, with medium-sized bubbles, medium acid. Very cold in the glass and with muted fruit. Little to show for the 4 years on lees. Fairly dull, to be candid. - 2017 House of Arras Grand Vintage - Australia, Tasmania
{diam, 13%, A$125} A 69/31 blend of chardonnay & pinot seeing 6 years on lees. Dry wine, with grapefruit and some citrus characters in a vivid and lively style. Not much autolysis character evident. Medium acid, medium weight. Medium-sized bubbles, quite vigorous. Again, served too cold I thought. Potential here, but some cellar time might help. - 2017 House of Arras Blanc de Blancs - Australia, Tasmania
{diam, 12.7%, A$136} Grapefruit, a little bread and yeast. Quite tart and refreshing palate. Not much yeast evident. Medium weight and medium-length finish. Needs to warm up in the glass a bit. Should lift a bit with age, but the price is very silly.
Clare Valley-based. Newish maker with a purist bent. Ever-expanding range of regional & blended Rieslings, conveniently & consistently numbered, in a multitude of styles. Value fair to good. What’s not to like?
- 2026 Rieslingfreak Riesling No. 12 - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, High Eden
{magnum, screwcap, A$120} Something of a kabinett style, despite being astonishingly virtually bone dry as far as residual sugar goes. Delicate apple and blossom flavours, light-bodied, with medium acid. An enchanting sort of a wine which manages a length of finish out of all proportion to its lightness. Makes you want to glug it down. Hauntingly beautiful. - 2025 Rieslingfreak Riesling No. 12 - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, High Eden
{screwcap, 11.5%, A$38} Definitely showing some advancement over the 2026. Apple & lime aromas and flavours. A sensation of skin contact; it has a tactile sort of acidity somehow. Light/medium weight, dry but luscious apple & sherbert flavours. Medium-long finish. Very seductive indeed. - 2025 Rieslingfreak Riesling No. 10 - Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley
{screwcap, A$60} A blend of Eden & Clare valley fruit. Youthful lemon and citrus. Juicy but dry on the medium-weight palate, with citrus flavours just trending to the tropical side. Medium acid, medium length, even balance on palate. Impressive, if a bit exxy. - 2025 Rieslingfreak Riesling No. 8 Schatzkammer - Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley
{screwcap, A$40} I didn’t get the alcohol, but likely under 9%. 30-something g/l of sugar here. Apple juice and soft honey aromas. Tidy, light-bodied palate that offers fleeting impressions of acid and sugar in an apple-dessert style, but balanced enough by medium acidity. Medium length, off-dry finish. Probably not really for cellaring, although I could be wrong there…
Chief winemaker dismissed a few weeks ago, the entire Yarra Valley business now for sale by owners Endeavour Group, who should probably never have bought it in the first place. Previously over-delivered against price but commercial pressures have obviously had an impact in recent years (including the wines on offer today, compared to three years ago!). Absolute quality of the bottle contents never really in doubt though. Let’s hope they find a sympathetic owner – the wines certainly deserve it.
- 2025 Oakridge Riesling Horst - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 10.5%, A$50} Miniscule production wine honouring a former employee. Hint of residual sugar tipping it towards off-dry territory. Lime, pineapple and apple juice flavour, dusted with a bit of icing sugar. Light body, medium acid, medium length finish of dancing flavour. Very nice, if a bit costly (reflecting small production mostly). - 2024 Oakridge Chardonnay Vineyard Series Henk - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13%, A$48} Slightly advancing nose of oak and nuts, figs. Soft fruit on the palate; mango, tropical notes; does ride a bit on the oak though for presence. Medium acid, medium weight. Tidy, dry wine, short/medium length finish. Fair value, but not exceptional. - 2024 Oakridge Pinot Noir Vineyard Series Willowlake Vineyard - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13.5%, A$48} Dusty and smoky, with tobacco, earth and delicatessen meats. Genuine fruit on the palate, with glace cherry, and a little bit of sweet oak. Light-medium weight, medium acid, lowish tannins. Tidy wine, OK for a few years. Hard to beat for the price. - 2023 Oakridge Syrah 864 - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13.5%, A$96} Sweet raspberry and spice aromas initially; then the more savoury style becomes apparent on the medium-bodied palate. Mild blackberry flavours, medium powdery tannins, subtle French oak, fairly tight sort of mouthfeel overall. Wants at least five years to meld together and reveal all its nuances.
Yarra again. Top wines are excellent but asking eye-watering prices, albeit it steady over a few years now; there also seems to be a very slow creep in the vintages for sale. Stocks building up? The ‘Estate’ range at ~A$85 are usually good, but expensive. Very bottom cash-cow wines have always seemed a bit sugary to me (Coldstream Guard range).
- 2023 Levantine Hill Estate Chardonnay - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13%, A$85} Oak and sandalwood aromas, in a rich vanilla-infused style. Vanilla slice flvours on the medium/full weight palate, riding very much on sweet oak and malo characters. Medium length finish, but a bit monochromatic. Best in the shorter term. - 2020 Levantine Hill Estate Chardonnay Katherine's Paddock - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13%, A$140} All class, this. Melon, grapefruit and soft oak on the nose. Medium-bodied palate hints at tropical fruit, but remains dry; perfectly ripe stonefruits are leavened with expensive oak, carefully used. Low chalky tannins, solid mid-palate, medium-long finish. Hugely impressive wine with a few years under its belt; should drink beautifully til the decade’s out. Doesn’t a little bit of time in bottle make a difference? - 2018 Levantine Hill Estate Syrah Melissa's Paddock - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13%, A$200} Developing aromas of spicy-rich mulberries and blueberries. Classy, not jammy though. Savoury palate, medium-weight, with low/medium powdery tannins and subtle acidity. Polished and classy wine drinking beautifully now; medium length finish is very beguiling. Price is a little hefty, although it’s nicely aged at least. - 2022 Levantine Hill Estate Cabernet Sauvignon - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13%, A$85} Seems a bit raw after the aged syrah! Still, youthful jubey and currant flavours. Big & bold. There’s a hint of herb and tomato leaf on the palate, apart from black fruit, but the structure is soft and friendly, with low/medium chalky tannins and unobtrusive acidity. Medium weight, with a medium length finish, the palate presence is fairly even and it should drink well for the rest of the 2020s.
A new name to me; the recent operation of Sandro Mosele, long-time Kooyong Estate winemaker now sailing his own ship. Pursues Burgundy grape obsessions, obviously, has newly planted vineyards in Mornington at a capricious 11,111 vines/ha density. According to the pourer - after I mentioned the subject – wants to make “the most tannic pinot in Australia”, so obviously understands the criticisms levelled at the national exemplars of the variety. I was impressed by these. Also, they were about the only winery today NOT using screwcaps on still table wines, which is fine; but as someone who opens bottles to drink, rather than offering them for sale, I HATE wax capsules on the top of bottles…
- 2024 Elanto Chardonnay Balnarring - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula
{diam30, 13.5%, A$85} From vines just five years old. Earthy and textural. Grapefruit with oak seasoning. Medium weight, low/medium chalky tannins, medium acid. Austere and earthy, medium/long finish. Appears to have limitless potential. Impressive. - 2023 Elanto Pinot Noir Balnarring - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula
{diam30, 14%, A$85} Liqueured cherry fruit, with a seasoning of cedar oak. Earth, bacon, deli meat. Medium/high powdery tannins dominate the palate, although not from too much oak. It has meaty and evenly balanced flavours with medium/high acidy, great palate presence and a medium/long finish. Very promising. - 2024 Elanto Pinot Noir Balnarring - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula
{diam30, 14%, A$85} Raspberry fruit, plus dirt. Oaky as well, but mostly a wine of the soil. Black cherry flavours on the medium/full-bodied palate, which nevertheless remains largely dominated by structure; medium chalky tannins, medium acidity culminating in a medium-long finish. Freshly youthful (the year’s gap to the 2023 is noticeable in flavour), I reckon it has a great future ahead of it.
Modest long-term aristocrats of the Yarra. Don’t think I’ve ever had a bad wine from them, albeit with limited experience. Kudos for pouring a maturing wine that gives context, too.
- 2025 Yeringberg Babyberg - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13.5%, A$39} 80% Marsanne with 20% viognier plus skin-ferment. Got me worried already! Under the youthful lanolin nose of the Marsanne, the apricot definitely lurks, albeit not too pronounced. The light/medium-bodied palate has a slithery, slightly thick sort of texture, perhaps inline with the generally low-acid nature of both varieties. Some oak is apparent, but there are also hefty yellow stone-fruit flavours. Short/medium length finish, but I find this pretty hard going stylistically, I must say. - 2023 Yeringberg Chardonnay - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13%, A$79} Tidy, tropical-edged fruit with a lacing of oak. Medium/full palate, with yellow mango and pulp fruit, subtle oak, and good balance along the tongue. Hint of lowish powdery tannins from oak and skin. Medium length finish. Drinkable now, but feels like there’s more interest to come. Pretty decent value, looking at some of the other options here today. - 2023 Yeringberg Shiraz - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13.5%, A$115} Peppery, savoury and very much cool-climate. Quite tart palate, medium weight, with low/medium dusty tannins and a cherry fruit spectrum angle. Not unripe, but hardly seems generous. Good mid-palate, medium length finish. Mostly, just too young. The following older vintage was a revelation. - 2015 Yeringberg Shiraz - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13.5%} Props for pouring this. Age is immediately apparent, with sweetly cedary oak and luscious blackberry fruit at peak of development. The medium weight palate has come together beautifully, the blend of sweetly powdery oak tannins and maturing black fruits combining harmoniously into a soft, polished and medium length finish. Near peak I reckon. - 2023 Yeringberg - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13.8%, A$115} Floral and a touch herbal, but always with light, bright cassis fruit to back it up. Almost imperceptible oak. Dark briary fruits on the palate, with the herb notes fade away. Medium chalky tannins, medium acid. Intense, medium/long finish emphasising spicy franc characters. Wants 20 years and it will sing. Something of a bargain beside, say, Mount Mary or Yarra Yering.
Damn near identical line-up of wines to the same event three years ago, staying towards the lower end of the portfolio.
- 2024 Henschke Johann's Garden - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
{screwcap, 14.5%, A$65} Jubey bubblegum fruit, minimal oak. Fruity easy-drinker on the medium-bodied palate, with soft dusty tannins and medium acidity, but very much balanced towards the front of the tongue, and with a commensurately short/medium length finish. Not quite convincing, especially at the price. - 2023 Henschke Keyneton Euphonium - Australia, South Australia, Barossa
{screwcap, 14.5%, A$68} Youthful rich blend of reds fruits (befitting the multi-grape constituents) and soft oak. Structure ticks all the ‘medium’ boxes, chalky tannins; there’s plenty of flavour, although it seems to come and go a bit. Pleasant, undemanding wine, seems a bit four-square but probably will look better with 7 or 8 years under its belt. Calling it marginal value is being a bit charitable. - 2023 Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon Marble Angel - Australia, South Australia, Barossa
{screwcap, 14.5%, A$80} Dark malty berries, with a touch of basil. Chewily tannic on the otherwise medium-bodied palate; isn’t over-oaked, but it just seems like there’s been a lot of work done on the fruit. Medium acidity; finishes just short of medium length. Not much charm here. Time may help. - 2023 Henschke Shiraz Vineyard Selection Tappa Pass - Australia, South Australia, Barossa
{screwcap, 14.5%, A$127} Is this Henschke’s entry-level varietal shiraz these days? It just might be! Classy nose of spice and blueberries. Same on palate, with polished cedary oak, medium chalky tannins, medium acid. Very young still but seems to have all the goods. Medium/long finish. Very nice.
For me, disappointment has been spelt ‘cullen’ over quite a few years and many tastings. Expectations too high? I dunno. These days they’re in full biodynamic mode, so there’s a lot of information available about these wines, which I generally ignore as it glazes my eyes over... I appreciate them pouring their long-standing icon wines, but I’m still not impressed enough to consider buying them.
- 2025 Cullen Wines Grace Madeline Cullen Vineyard - Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
{screwcap, 13.5%, A$50} Sauvignon blanc and semillon blended 74/26. Subdued, faintly grassy nose, with little obvious wood, despite 6 months in 58% new oak! The palate still has a grassy character, but also a jubey, confected, pastille-like quality to it, which I *would* attribute to oak. Light/medium body, but despite the quite high acidity I find it a bit sickly somehow. Medium length, but rather polarising, finish. A short-term wine, surely. - 2025 Cullen Wines Chardonnay Kevin John - Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
{screwcap, 13.5%, A$180} Flint, grapefruit, sulphur, oak, sandalwood. On the palate grilled nuts, grapefruit. Polished and youthful medium-bodied palate. Acid, balance, decent length. All here. Handsome wine. Should look lovely over five years. No bargain, though. - 2024 Cullen Wines Diana Madeline - Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
{screwcap, 13.5%, A$160} Youthful violets, cassis & spice. Closed palate; really hard to get much from this. Medium weight; acid & tannin are faint but present. Way hard to judge. The Cullen is sullen. - 2022 Cullen Wines Diana Madeline - Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
{screwcap, 13.5%, A$180} This wine is pretty tight too, but not so closed as the 2024. Fresh blackberry and cedar. Violets and blueberries on the palate too, low/medium chalky tannins, medium acidity, soft oak. Even palate, medium length finish. Yet to sing, but likely to have the chops for it!
Chester himself is pouring some old vintages but nevertheless current releases at a table covered with artifacts (!) from the McLaren Vale Cube. As is the man himself! And all illustrated with a big map of the region delineating the various sub-regions whence hail the wines. It would have been easier to more accurately judge these side-by-side in three glasses, rather than one after the other in a standing format…
- 2019 d'Arenberg Shiraz The Dead Arm - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
{screwcap, 14.5%, A$78} Coconut and vanilla, with big, ripe black fruits. Hard to pin down explicit flavours. Although the impact hits on the palate, it does seem to fade quite quickly. They call it an ‘icon’ but clearly the flagship designation has passed on, as the very modest price rises over 30 years would indicate. Still full-bodied, with lots of chalky tannins, and there’s a medium level of acidity, but it’s only a medium length finish, and it doesn’t really leave you with any linger sense of wonder. - 2015 d'Arenberg Shiraz The Sisypheanic Euphoria - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
{screwcap, 14.5%, A$80} Gorgeous iodine-inky nose. Blackberry and plum fruit, jammy but nicely weighted, follows through on the palate. Medium/full weight, powerful, but without raisiny or dead grape characters years. Decent acid, plenty of mid-palate presence, medium length finish. Drinking nicely now I’d say. - 2015 d'Arenberg Shiraz The Blind Tiger - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
{screwcap, 14.5%, A$120} Vanilla and mulberry fruit. Plus a sandy nose, although that may have been emphasised by Chester’s preceding description of the sandy soils. Palate is more savoury than expected, with less jam to the rich fruit. Medium/high dusty tannins, full weight anyway, with an even, medium/long finish. Impressive stuff, ready to drink now. - 2015 d'Arenberg Shiraz The Apotropaic Triskaidekaphobia Single Vineyard - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
{screwcap, 14.5%, A$120} Earth, sand and spice. Black fruit. Like a Hunter shiraz on steroids. Medium/full weight, medium acid, medium chalky tannins. Round and mouth-filling, with blue-tinged fruit, mulberries and earth – for me the most complete of the three single site wines offered today. Big mid-palate, medium/long finish. Really good and maturing nicely.
Apparently this is the Number 1 winery this year from the Real Review. Meanwhile I’m still scarred by the memory of a hugely disappointing set of Underhill / No 3 / No 2 / No 1 verticals across 2017-18-19 some years ago, where only the No 1 red was in any way distinguished enough to even nearly justify the prices asked. So, the pressure is on. To their credit, they’ve shown up with five wines, and none of them are cheap.
- 2024 Yarra Yering Chardonnay Carrodus - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13.5%, A$190} Seductive and youthful nose of grapefruit, smoke, nuts. A touch of glue-like oak on the softly rich palate; sweet oak carries reticent fruit. Perhaps a touch obvious, some time will help. Price seems ambitious. - 2025 Yarra Yering Pinot Noir - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13.5%, A$130} With a nod to the late Bailey Carrodus, this is presented in its traditional bordeaux bottle. Polished raspberry aromas, low in oak, seemingly. Dusty sort of palate, light-medium in weight, with medium dusty tannins, medium acid. Sits a bit much towards the front palate. Seems to ride on underlying oak flavours rather than overt fruit. Curious. A little time will no doubt help, but I still think it’s a short term wine. - 2024 Yarra Yering Shiraz Underhill - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13.5%, A$130} Fumey mulberry fruit. A touch sweaty, maybe, but thankfully not green, for the first time I can remember. Fairly loose-knit palate though, medium weight, slightly rustic, low/medium chalky tannins, red fruit, a bit spicy. Solid mid-palate, but finishes too short for a wine of this price. - 2024 Yarra Yering Dry Red N°2 - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 14%, A$130} Just the 2% viognier to fill out the shiraz. Sweaty, earthy. Black fruit, ferrous in nature. Dusty, subtle palate. Just medium weight, with gentle dusty tannins, medium acidity. Finish is medium length, overt viognier characters not obvious. Overall, a subtle wine that wants a bit of time. - 2024 Yarra Yering Dry Red N°1 - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13.5%, A$165} All-cabernet nose; beautiful currants, cassis, herb, cigar. The palate is equally good; polished, balanced and even, without any jam, and with careful oak treatment. Subtle chalky tannins, medium acid, medium weight but with concentration; there’s a medium/long finish to conclude and the promise of greater things to come. Very fine indeed.
With just 15 minutes left, I did a quick whip around of a few wineries I hadn’t visited, just to pick the eyes out of what I wanted to taste. So, a mixed bunch to finish.
- 2022 Dandelion Vineyards Shiraz Red Queen of the Eden Valley - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley
{screwcap, 14.5%, A$350} Iodine inkiness, malt, dark chocolate. Iron-fist-in-velvet-glove stuff. Blueberry fruit, jam-free, on the medium/full-bodied palate. It’s very plush though, with soft acid and low/medium fine powdery tannins. Feels a little like structure has been sacrificed to the fruit. Medium length finish. Luxury style best before it’s a decade old, from general experience. - 2022 Stanton & Killeen Vintage Fortified - Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen
{screwcap, A$60} Brandied, green/blue fruit nose. Weirdly vegetal palate, warm-finishing, quite full-bodied. Bits of black fruit, but hardly enticing. I see the website has many, many older vintages – perhaps try them first, despite the price premiums. - NV Stanton & Killeen Rare Muscat - Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen
{375ml, screwcap, A$145} Fumey toffee, molasses and caramel sauce. Warm medium-bodied palate, syrupy texture. Fully sweet, with caramel and toffee, balanced and intense. Very good stuff, although it was thoroughly outclassed by the (twice-the-price) Chambers… - NV Chambers Rosewood Muscadelle Rare - Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen
{375ml, screwcap, 18%, A$285} Piercing aromas of cold tea with an alcoholic honey edge. Astonishing intensity on the palate, despite what is really only medium/full weight. Honey, caramel, toffee. Huge levels of acidity easily carry absurd levels of sweetness – well over 300g/l. But it’s so balanced, you just shake your head in wonder. Long, long, finish that has a remarkable delicacy about it. Magisterial.
