We really enjoyed this. — 5 months ago
Often the Grosset Polish Hill doesn’t live up to its billing as perhaps Australia’s finest dry Riesling but with this 2017 it probably exceeds expectations. It is simply fabulous. Some ripe lusciousness to the mid palate amid lime and lemon notes, but finishes bone dry. My first of 4 bottles so I will enjoy the journey over the next 5+ years if I can keep my hands off it. HH said it is shaping up as one of the greatest Polish Hill Rieslings. — 6 months ago
So good! Kenlee brought for Christmas dinner in Manila. Can buy from duty free in the airport — 6 months ago
Dark Ruby with dark berry fruit aromas, vanilla, cedar, baking and herb spice, fruit only from Barossa Valley, aged in French oak. On the palate this wine has complex flavors of blackberry and blueberry with licorice, cacao, oak and vanilla. Fine dusty tannins, peasant mouthfeel, full-bodied, long ending with a nice earthy spice finish. Aging well, good now, has room to age! — 7 months ago
Blend of 69% Shiraz, 16% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from McLaren Vale, deep Ruby color with aromas of berry fruits and sweet spice. On the palate flavors of blackberry and cherry with notes of vanilla, spice, licorice and tobacco. Fine tannins, medium+ finish ending with fruit, sweet spice and earthy notes. — 9 months ago
Crisp, tart but slightly sweet citrus — 10 months ago
I think mom might like this one — 6 years ago
Crisp with good citrus balance — 7 years ago
Fun fact - So this wine is from the winemaker of Cloudy Bay before it got taken over by LVMH. Another fun fact - it's one of the best whites I've had! — 14 years ago
With Jay and Ted — 5 months ago
Torbreck RunRig Shiraz–Viognier 2021
Barossa Valley, South Australia 🇦🇺
Overview:
A monumental Barossa Rhône-inspired powerhouse blend of approximately 98% Shiraz and 2% Viognier, delivering extraordinary depth, concentration, and architectural structure while retaining aromatic lift and finesse. This is Barossa at its most commanding yet disciplined, massive fruit density wrapped in precision, energy, and length. A wine that commands attention, rewards contemplation, and delivers relentless momentum from first sip to finish.
Aromas & Flavors:
Explosive black plum, blackberry compote, cassis, and dark cherry saturate the nose, layered with violets, smoked spice, cocoa nib, graphite, and subtle savory meat tones. The palate unfolds in waves of black fruit intensity, crushed stone minerality, licorice, espresso, and warm spice, finishing long, deep, and persistently resonant.
Mouthfeel:
Full-bodied, muscular, and impeccably structured with commanding tannins that feel polished rather than aggressive. Immense mid-palate density is balanced by freshness and lift, creating a sense of power without heaviness. The texture is authoritative, layered, and built for long-term evolution.
Food Pairings:
Dry-aged ribeye or wagyu. Slow-braised lamb shank with rosemary and garlic. Venison with black cherry reduction. Smoked brisket. Aged hard cheeses such as Comté, Manchego, or aged Gouda.
Verdict:
A truly elite expression of modern Barossa Shiraz, concentrated, complex, and unapologetically serious while remaining beautifully balanced and energetic. This is a reference-point wine that delivers immediate impact and exceptional cellar potential.
Did You Know?:
RunRig is sourced from some of Barossa’s oldest and most revered Shiraz vineyards, with Viognier co-fermented in the traditional Northern Rhône style to enhance aromatic complexity, texture, and freshness.
🍷 Personal Pick:
This wine completely captured my heart 100%, layered, commanding, and dangerously irresistible. One of those bottles that makes restraint impossible and reminds you why great wine can be genuinely emotional. A true benchmark experience.
— 5 months ago
Opened after Xmas lunch as we needed a follow up to the Black Shiraz. Did not disappoint. Mature and soft with all the lovely spice and dark fruit of the basket pressed. Lovely. — 6 months ago
The times I helt a bottle like this in my hands, I can probably count on only one hand. Even for Delectable this is a rare occasion because it didn’t know how to correctly recognize it. When a wine connects like this, lifts you off the ground and takes you to a beautiful place, you know it is good. Intense, but perfectly balanced, so many instruments playing that still echo for minutes in a lingering finish. 26 years old yet so vibrant and wild with dark punchy fruits encapsulated by aged mahogany wood that released different flavors every time I took a sip… yeah… life is good. Offered by a friend who loves wine and even more loves to share! — 7 months ago
Light sweetness and tart — 10 months ago
Light, citrucy, crisp but not dry. Will buy again. Good with watermelon 😋🍉 — 5 years ago
Great white wine we enjoyed both before and during dinner. Will buy again. — 7 years ago
Favorite daily bottle — 10 years ago
Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2023
South Australia 🇦🇺
Overview
A more tightly wound and concentrated expression of Bin 389, showcasing the same Cabernet-Shiraz framework (Cabernet for backbone, Shiraz for richness) but delivered with greater tension, density, and youthful drive. This vintage leans more serious and structured than 2022, highlighting the fascinating impact vintage conditions have on balance, ripeness, and extraction in agricultural wines.
Aromas & Flavors
Intense blackcurrant, crushed blackberry, dark cherry, and graphite dominate the aromatics, layered with fresh cedar, cocoa nib, and subtle minty spice. The palate is compact and powerful, showing darker fruit concentration, savory spice, and tightly coiled oak structure that promises excellent evolution with time.
Mouthfeel
Full-bodied and more compact than the 2022. Tannins are firmer and more youthful, giving a punchier, more linear profile. The wine feels energetic and focused, with impressive density and length, clearly built for further integration.
Food Pairings
Char-grilled steak or venison. Slow-braised beef cheeks. Pepper-crusted lamb. Smoked meats and firm aged cheeses.
Verdict
A bolder, more muscular Bin 389 that trades immediate plushness for intensity and aging potential. A striking reminder of how vintage variation shapes personality, same blueprint, very different expression.
Did You Know?
Penfolds sources fruit for Bin 389 from multiple South Australian regions, blending different terroirs and climates to build complexity, consistency, and layered structure across vintages.
🍷 Personal Pick
If you enjoy tracking wine evolution, this is a fantastic candidate for short-to-mid-term cellaring, revisit in a few years to watch the structure melt into harmony. Also check my previous 2022 review!
— 5 months ago
My first wine of 2026 is 2012 Amon-Ra by Graetzer Barossa Valley Unfiltered Shiraz. We had a Japanese sukiyaki dish paired with this wine. A flavor that evokes a sense of majestic energy. Smooth texture with a long finish. Nice.
2026年最初のワインは、グレツァー・バロッサ・バレーの2012年アモン・ラ・ノンフィルター・シラーズ。このワインには日本のすき焼きを合わせました。雄大なエネルギーを感じさせる味わい。滑らかな口当たりで余韻が長く続きます。素晴らしい。 — 6 months ago
This was fantastic honey, apple, waxy, and mineral all for less than 20 dollars — 7 months ago
#AgedWineTuesday
Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim. Not showing much age.
Beautiful nose of blueberries, blackberries, plums, cooked cherries, spices, licorice, cedar, earth, chocolates, vanilla, rhubarb and black pepper.
Medium plus in body and soft, with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with black currants, black plums, cherries, toast, cedar, light vanilla, mediterranean spices, licorice, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, earth and peppercorn.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This is a gorgeous Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia. Rich and elegant. Fruit forward and complex. Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel. Spicy and entertaining.
Good right out of the bottle, and better after 60 minutes of airtime.
Robert Parker 91 points. Wine Spectator 91 points.
This 23 year old is drinking beautifully now and will continue to drink nicely in the next few years.
I've had a few vintages of this wine and it is very consistent.
Good by itself as a sipping wine or with food like lamb dishes.
100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were aged in all new American oak barrels for 14 months.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
94 points.
$225. — 9 months ago
Close to a Chassagne Montrachet — 7 years ago
Nice. Big fruit, but not as ripe as what I expected from a barossa Shiraz. Evolved with air. Finish only slightly herby. — 8 years ago
Aroma of rich berries. Smooth and slightly sweet with a sour note. Very good. — 13 years ago
Diane Heyboer
Had the 2021 in February of 2026. Lots of blueberry and vanilla with some spice with this one. Enjoyed this one more with food rather than sipping alone. — 5 months ago