James Halliday’s high ratings for South Australian reds: Thistledown, d’Arenberg, Claymore and Mountadam
Australia’s leading wine critic James Halliday and his team have handed out stellar ratings to these four South Australian reds, now available in an exclusive offer.
The countdown to The Australian’s Annual Dozen, with club president James Halliday at the helm, has begun.
Over the next three weeks, we’ll offer regional selections of quality wines which have received high ratings from our club president and his team, giving you a chance to pick up unique mixed deals ahead of the annual dozen release.
We’re starting our tour in South Australia, still the juggernaut of Australian wine, with world-class regions like the Barossa, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley and the Adelaide Hills producing more than 50 per cent of our grape crush each year.
Before we get to the wines, let’s check in with the most influential wine critic of the past 50 years, who was about to celebrate his 84th birthday at his home on the Yarra’s Coldstream Hills vineyard when we spoke.
Halliday admits he is slowing down just a little – and has broadened out his tasting team to ensure all Australia wineries and regions are covered in depth – but he still keeps up to speed with the latest developments in the wine game.
What are you drinking nowadays, James?
I’m a riesling addict. When I want a glass of wine, I find myself going for a glass of riesling.
Is there a wine variety you’d say is on the rise at the moment?
Definitely grenache. It’s been around a long time but, going back, it was mainly used in fortified wines and was picked late to produce higher alcohol levels. It’s always had to carry that baggage. But now winemakers are using grenache in a radically different way, picking earlier and people are enjoying the lighter style with lovely fruit flavours. The price per tonne for grenache has moved up there with the gods. Grenache is not a variety with high tannins but they don’t fall over; they have great staying power in the cellar.
How do you rate the 2022 vintage?
Yields have been something of an issue. It was a coolish year which brings with it benefits to some. I’d say a good vintage but not a great vintage.
What would you say are Australia’s hero wines?
Shiraz and chardonnay remain our most successful varietals. Every region in Australia makes a good shiraz and a good chardonnay. They are both so adaptable. We had a shiraz from Tasmania named as Jimmy Watson Trophy winner a few years back (the Glaetzer-Dixon Family Winemakers Mon Pere Shiraz 2010).
You’ve got to try awfully hard to make chardonnay undrinkable in Australia, although we did a pretty good job of that many years ago making chardonnays with 15% alcohol and too much American oak.
What’s the greatest innovation in wine over the past 30 years?
Screwcaps are the greatest thing that’s happened to wine since glass bottles. People didn’t understand what we were putting up with before, with bloody bad corks. I tried a 2007 Mt Pleasant single-vineyard shiraz the other day – drinking absolutely beautifully. The other big innovations have been intelligent harvesters and optical sorting. When it comes to quality, we’re in a golden age of wine.
What will you drink on your birthday?
I guess we’ll have a glass of champagne and I have been known to enjoy the odd glass or two of red Burgundy.
Here are the Halliday Wine Companion notes to five wonderful expressions of modern South Australian wines on offer this week.
Thistledown The Quickening Barossa Shiraz 2020
Wild fermented with some whole-bunch inclusion; aged in French oak for eight months. A striking wine, as juicy as quicksilver on the first whiff and taste, before the spicy, savoury whole-bunch nuances come into play. Has the X-factor. 96 points and red star for exceptional value. (By James Halliday) 14.5% alc; RRP $50 a bottle
SPECIALS $46.99 a bottle in straight dozen or $20.84 a bottle in Halliday SA reds dozen
Claymore Wines Dark Side of the Moon Clare Valley Shiraz 2020
Blood plum, red licorice, blackberries, mulberries, raspberries and spice. This is a satisfying, dense and a compelling drink, especially at the price. Few places on the planet can achieve concentration in shiraz like South Australia can. It’s very impressive. 94 points and red star for exceptional value. (By Erin Larkin) 14.8% alc; RRP $25 a bottle
SPECIALS $21.25 a bottle in straight dozen or $20.84 a bottle in Halliday SA reds dozen
Mountadam Vineyards Eden Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Cabernet was evidently in a happy place high in the Mountadam vineyard in ’18, displaying an integrity, balance and concentration that can only come from long, slow ripening. It’s at once varietal and generous, with a textbook array of red/blackcurrants, cassis, roast capsicum and cedar trailing all the way to the distant horizon. Ripe, fine, confident tannins and seamless, bright acidity guarantee longevity. For all it represents, this is a bargain. 95 points and red star for exceptional value. (By Tyson Stelzer) 15% alc; RRP $28 a bottle
SPECIALS $22.99 a bottle in straight dozen or $20.84 a bottle in Halliday SA reds dozen
d’Arenberg The Custodian McLaren Vale Grenache 2018
An excellent release. It’s flush with fruit but it crackles with savouriness and finishes with a firm handshake of tannin. Redcurrant into blueberry, clove into cedar-spice, everything in balance. Value speaks for itself. 94 points and red star for exceptional value. (By Campbell Mattinson) 14.5% alc; RRP $21 a bottle
SPECIALS $21 a bottle in straight dozen or $20.84 a bottle in Halliday SA reds dozen
Three bottles of each wine above for $20.84 a bottle
+ BONUS OFFER Add three bottles of The Lane Vineyard sauvignon blanc for $20.67 a bottle across the 15-bottle deal.
The Lane Vineyard Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2021
A gently persuasive sauvignon, not immediately herbaceous, but works its magic in texture, soft acidity and a slow build-up of lime, citrus, white nectarine and fabulous exotic lemongrass, nettle and leaf. 93 points and red star for exceptional value (By Jeni Port) 13% alc; RRP $25 a bottle
Order online or telephone 1300 765 359 Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm AEST. Deals only available while stocks last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine
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