Hello and welcome to the Small Winemakers Tasting Dozen
SWTD August 2026
Winemaker Duncan Lloyd
This wine was made in the traditional manner: fermented in open tanks and hand plunged and matured in French oak hogsheads. The Estate Shiraz has impressive fruit intensity, and yet is elegant. The wine showcases the complexity and depth of Coriole’s 50+ year old vineyards. The nose shows a delicate blend of blackberry, rose, black tea and bay leaf matched with a ferrous earthy richness that evokes the Estate’s clay and limestone soils. Flavours of mulberry, cherry ripe and blackberry complement concentrated dark fruit, plum and cacao. Full bodied rich and graceful with lush tannins and impeccable balance, this is a great example of the depth and elegance that a cooler growing season can bring to wines from McLaren Vale.
In the Notes they say: “will reward further cellaring.’ In a previous lifetime, a workmate, over the decades, would open many Coriole Shiraz with 10+ years in the bottle and they always impressed all present. Good memories!
“Vine growth started relatively early with cool but sunny and dry conditions, followed by a dramatic change from mid November 2023 to mid January 2024. Wind and rain dictated the summer period, all irrigation was stopped and canopy trimming and leaf plucking was required to ensure sufficient light onto the fruit for ripening. In late January, the rain stopped and we had prolonged dry and warm weather pattern including a mini heatwave in March. Shiraz parcels looked impressive with great colour and concentration of fruit.”
Available to Retail.
Phone: 08 8323 8305
Open: M to F 10 to 5; Weekends and P/H 11 to 5.
Address: Chaffeys Road, McLaren Vale, S.A., 5171.
Web: www.coriole.com
The Eden Valley, a sub appellation of the Barossa Valley is a striking contrast to the Barossa Valley floor, characterised by its cooler, wetter climate and skeletal, mineral rich soils. These unique conditions are pivotal in cultivating some of Australia’s – and indeed the world’s finest Rieslings. The style here is a fragrant, vibrant and pure expression of place. Pale in colour, greenish tinge of youth. The nose shows a complex bouquet of white florals and subtle lime zest. To the palate, delicate floral undertones evolve into layers of pink grapefruit and lime, framed by soft mineral acidity that drives a long, focused finish.
“Drink now or cellar for 10 – 15 years.”
“While our Riesling has traditionally been sourced from the Craneford vineyard in Eden Valley, we are thrilled to have acquired a remarkable vineyard on Mengler Hill in 2023. This site boasts Riesling vines planted in the 1940s. Craneford was machine harvested in the cool early hours of the morning while the Mengler Hill was hand picked at dawn. As we continue to deepen our knowledge of the Mengler Hill vineyard, we ferment the parcels separately to explore the site expression through fermentation and beyond. The final blend brings together the best of both vineyards: Mengler’s fruit enhances the fragrance of our Craneford Riesling, while adding depth, precision and layers of texture.”
Available to Retail.
Phone: 08 8568 7878
Open: M to F 10 to 5; W/Ends P/H 11 to 4.
Address: 3-5 Tanunda Road, Nuriootpa, S.A., 5355.
Web: www.eldertonwines.com.au
Grenache 56%, Shiraz 28% and Mourvedre 16%. The 2022 growing season in South Australia saw a mix of conditions, with a generally cool and extended ripening period, resulting in balanced wines with lovely fruit profiles and fine tannins. Crop yields were close to average, resulting wines with moderate alcohol levels, fresh acidity and good fruit concentration. Vivid red with youthful purple hues, reflecting the wine’s freshness and vibrancy. Blackberry, liquorice, dried herbs and savoury meats lead the way, gradually lifting to reveal brighter red fruits and a touch of floral perfume. An inviting complex nose with great appeal. The palate shows real depth and warmth, with dark fruit flavours and a rich generous mouthfeel. Blueberry notes add brightness and vibrancy. Acidity is well-balanced, giving a clean, even finish.
Five to eight years.
“When I purchased the Mount Hurtle winery in 1985 it was to preserve a small piece of Australia’s winemaking history. Today the winery is an oasis among suburbia, nestled in four acres of vineyards and landscaped gardens and has retained an almost Tuscan charm.” GM. With the addition of winery details in a Merrill wine last year I realised Mount Hurtle was quite close by to friends of mine. So off we went, myself out of instinctive curiosity. Merrill has been part of the landscape for decades but I’d never been there. We arrived during some house cleaning to spend at least one delightful hour with daughter, Charley. I left incredibly impressed with the whole operation and information gleaned. I’ll go back, mainly because the rewards of time include mature releases at Cellar Door.
Available to Retail.
Phone: 08 8381 6877
Open: M to F 10.00 to 4.30, W/E 12 to 4.30
Address: 291 Pimpala Road, Woodcroft. S.A., 5162.
Web: www.geoffmerrillwines.com.au
Three clones of Chardonnay from two separate blocks were used to make this wine. The juice was gently pressed to tank and allowed to settle for 24 hours prior to being racked to barrel (30% new and 70% 1 to 4 year old). The wine underwent 100% natural fermentation and 50% malolactic fermentation and was then matured in oak for eight months with occasional lees stirring to enhance texture and mouthfeel. This Chardonnay is bright, pale straw in colour and presents a floral bouquet combined with nectarine, white peach and a hint of vanilla spice. The palate is fresh and juicy with a mixture of white peach and honeydew melon. It is soft and slippery at the start and on the mid palate but has satin texture on the finish complemented by refreshing acidity. The malolactic fermentation and extended lees contact helps to fill out the palate and adds a touch of savoury complexity and interest to the generous fruit profile. Subtle oak plays only a supporting role with some lovely vanilla and spice touches.
Five to eight years.
“We love Chardonnay – not the heavy hitting oaky drops of the ‘90s, rather the leaner, fruit forward elegant Chardonnays paralleled in their French Burgundian cousins. Holm Oak cool climate Chardonnay encourages the pristine flavours to shine through, making this wine a very modern, very drinkable Chardy.”
Available to Retail.
Phone: 03 6394 7577
Fax: 03 6394 7350
Open: Daily 11 to 5.
Address: 11 West Bay Road, Rowella, Tasmania, 7270.
Web: www.holmoakvineyards.com.au
An excellent spring combined with a great berry set provided a vintage with balanced yields and high quality fruit. The warm summer months followed by a beautiful ‘Indian summer’ allowed the grapes to be harvested at optimal flavour and maturity. Colour is intense crimson red with bright blue hues. The nose shows ripe blackberry, blackcurrant, Cacao and subtle mint combined with a touch of spice and old English garden herbs. The palate is elegantly styled full bodied wine abundant in black fruits, mocha and velvety, dusty tannins. Perfectly balanced fine grained French oak, integrated with the fruit ensuring a refined and poised finish.
“With careful cellaring, this wine will gracefully age for the next five to fifteen years.”
When Jacki from Young and Rashleigh in 2019 recommended Jack Estate, I remember thinking, I’ve never heard of it. Coonawarra is not a region you can get to easily from Sydney, but it was about that time I was pursuing some Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2012, a highly regarded classic. And here was a Jack Estate Mythology Cabernet Sauvignon from the same wonderful vintage. I’ve only driven through Coonawarra once since then and noticed there was a ‘no cellar door’ sign at the intersection to its formidable presence. Then I learnt it is the site of the old Mildara Blass operation, founded by Mildara in 1963.
Available to Retail.
Phone: 08 8736 3130
No Cellar Door. By appointment.
Address: 15025 Riddoch Highway, S.A., 5263.
Web: www.jackestate.com
“Freshness retained under screw cap, to enjoy young in the first five years.”
Not a lot of Notes, but AI adds its bit: “bursting with citrus blossom, lemon zest, white peach etc on the nose; clean, crisp palate of medium body and good acid and minerality.” “The wine captures the true soul of its origins, preserving the purity and authenticity of this native variety. Shaped by limestone rich earth, invigorating sea breezes, and a distinctly Mediterranean climate, this terroir gives rise to grapes with vibrant, complex flavours.” Detailed information on this wine is not easy to find, but I was so impressed with this it at the Bacchus Portfolio Tasting it had to be included. It was the first wine I tried on the day, having gone straight to the Imported wines. An aromatic medium bodied wine, not a Riesling, not a Pinot Gris, a Grillo, my first. And what’s more, a $20 bottle at that. It stood out again at a separate tasting of Italian wines on the day given by half a dozen winemakers. Good fun.
SYDNEY DISTRIBUTOR: Young and Rashleigh Ph 02 9967 5900.
100% Nebbiolo grown on vines 10 to 25 years at 300m above sea level. The splendid ‘Lasarin’ is produced from the grapes off our youngest nebbiolo-Barolo vineyards, and in particular, from the nebbiolo vineyard in Neviglie. (Sub alkaline neutral tending mixture of soil with sufficient organic substances). It unites the grape’s noble heritage with enjoyable freshness and easy drinking. During the traditional 10 day fermentation period, the must is macerated in contact with the skins at a relatively low temperature. The maturation and refinement of the wine are conducted in such a manner so as to not alter the wines natural freshness and fragrance. The wine presents itself with a beautiful, subdued ruby red colour. Its full nose recalls flowers, raspberries, blackberries; in the mouth it is dry, balanced, velvety and enjoyably tannic, a legacy of the noble nebbiolo grape. After a brief period of ageing in the bottle, the wine becomes increasingly smooth and velvety.”
Medium term five to eight years.
“Even if Lasarin pairs well with all types of cuisine, it is particularly exalted by pasta dishes without too much sauce, white meat, grilled meat and fresh cheeses. Established in the mid 1800s, Marcarini were the first in the zone to designate single vineyards and their range of classic Piedmontese wines offer great typicity and value.”
Available to Retail.
Imported by Trembath and Taylor.
Importer: www.trembathandtaylor.com.au
Winery: marcarini.it/en/
Fine Rosehill Shiraz from O’Shea’s 1946 vineyard meets dark structural Pinot Noir from our Mother Vine vineyard planted in 1921. Both contributing to elegance, complexity and length (roughly 4/5 Shiraz to 1/5 Pinot Noir). The fruit was hand picked, destemmed and carefully selected through our optical sorter. Whole berry (10% whole bunch) spontaneous fermentation followed for Pinot, while Shiraz was inoculated and racked to tank. Eight months maturation in French oak puncheons prior to bottling. Mount Henry was crafted originally in 1944 with a focus on elegance, complexity and subtlety rather than power. Blending had the tannins of Pinot Noir combining with the elegance of Shiraz to create a wine of depth and classic character.
Made for the medium term of five to eight years, but seems to develop easily beyond this.
I jumped on this wine upon release at the beginning of July and included it ‘sight unseen’ in my glass, as it were. And when I did try it a month ago now, with others, I was a bit nonplussed. I had done the usual and had it airing in decanter for 10 hours or so, but at first I didn’t recognise it compared to its 2023 and 2024 versions, the 2024 especially, a hotter year. It poured into the decanter as a Pinot Noir would; and it had that weight on the palate. Then over an hour or so and a little more agitation in topping up the glasses the wine’s class shone through. I wanted to know more and yesterday I spoke to Adrian Sparks and he said a couple of things to explain it ‘all.’ 2025 was a slightly cooler and wetter season and they introduced hand plunging ferments specifically to soften the tannins, making the wine more ‘velvety’ in the mouth. The next time I had it was with two pretty experienced winos, both of whom loved its elegance and structure.
Available to Retail.
Phone: 02 4998 7505
Open: Thursday to Monday 10.00 to 4.00
Address: 401 Marrowbone Road, Pokolbin, NSW, 2320.
Web: www.mountpleasantwines.com.au
“Harvested at just above 13.2°Baumé, this wine has the parameters of a wine that is great for early drinking or for cellaring for a few years. Fermented in stainless steel tanks and left on lees for a very short time. The wine has a lively and luscious mouthfeel. This fruit driven wine has hints of pear and walnut on the nose and supported by a fresh and clean palate of good weight – the benchmark characters of Arneis.
Allan says its drinking ‘really well’ now. And probably over the next year or so at its best.
“This is our fifth vintage of Arneis, a variety that comes from the Piedmont Region in northern Italy and is quickly finding a home and a great following in Australia.” The 2019 Arneis, somewhat ironically, was in the February 2022 Dozen (which adds up to their second vintage), so I was aware of the variety’s journey here. However, about a year ago I experienced one of those moments of joy when Christine told me about the success of the recent ‘Young Guns of Wine’s’ Arneis Tasting, where their wine topped the day. A happy Pankhurst! The format, as Allan described it, is that the panel ranks their choices, the top six being the democratic cut off and Pankhurst Arneis had more of the panel members including their wine in that range. It took me a while to get the wine in here as I was of a mind to include their Cabernet Sauvignon. And now their Tempranillo teases me!
Limited Retail availability.
Phone: +61 2 6230 2592
Open: Weekends and Public Hols. 10 to 5.
Address: 56 Woodgrove Close, Wallaroo, NSW, 2618.
Web: www.pankhurstwines.com.au
Cabernet Sauvignon 43%, Merlot 35%, Cabernet Franc 11%, Malbec 9% and Shiraz 2% all grown in the Adelaide Hills. Vinification was in both small open and closed larger tanks. The finished wine spent 20 months in French Oak barriques and Hogsheads. Bottled and matured in winery estate underground cellars for 40 months before release. Colour is deep red. This wine showcases the mastery and craftsmanship of blending together five grape varieties. Highly aromatic, spicy and delicious. Enjoy a lifted bouquet of poached plum and rhubarb with hints of delicious oak, leatherwood and liquorice. The palate is finely structured and with incredible layered fruit flavour. Spice and savoury notes in a long finish.
“12+ years.”
About two months ago, under orders from Sarah (Daughter) and with a friend from Adelaide, I went to see Paul for the first time in something like 10 or so years. She said he’d been struggling with one knee replacement. He had both done: one good the other, not. Entertainment began immediately, as he got out of his ute and hobbled toward the Cellar Door. “It’s the best I’ve been for 10 years,” he said adding a few adjectives. A successful final operation. Breakfast, wine tasting and then a vineyard tour. As we climbed into the vehicle, Chris an old College friend was instructed in no uncertain terms to dispose of his, until very recently, much needed prop, his walking stick. More adjectives! Great day.
Available to Retail.
Phone: 08 8380 5058.
Open: By appointment.
Address: 294B Paracombe Road, Paracombe, S.A., 5132.
Web: www.paracombewines.com.au
Taking a cue from the Canobolas-Smith Alchemy, one of the signature wines of first quarter century of the Orange Region, is the Strawhouse The Big Bad Wolf. Owner / winemaker at Strawhouse, Justin Byrne worked with Murray Smith at Canobolas-Smith for many years before establishing the Strawhouse brand with wife Meg Simpson in 2013. The 2022 is a Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot fermented and matured separately before being blended to make this, the 2022, and fourth Big Bad Wolf. It has elements of all three varieties (as you’d expect!) but being a cool year the spice of the Shiraz really shines. The wine is balanced and refined and has lifted plum and dark fruit flavours. Maturation in barrel has given texture and balance. Hand picked, sorted and plunged, this wine is an excellent expression of the Orange region.
Based on the previous wines, Justin reckons 8 to 10 years.
Justin would certainly have intimate reference and knowledge of all Murray’s Alchemy wines. Wonderful memories for many and I’m very glad to see that he has taken up the lead. I was lucky to time a trip to Orange at when the 2022 Vintage ferments were completed and he’d just put the wines in barrels, and so was able to ‘have a look’ at them. I really liked them and yes, they did remind me of Murray’s efforts. Not too surprising as his block is on the same hill.
Please contact Cellar Door or me.
Phone: 0402 498 419
Open: Friday, Saturday & Sunday 12 to 5.
Address: 116 Boree Lane, Lidster, NSW, 2800
Web: www.strawhousewines.com.au
A Spanish variety native to Aragon in Northeastern Spain, Carignan is now one of the most widely planted red grapes in France. A late ripening variety that is often one of the last grapes harvested during vintage. This wine was kept in French Oak for 12 months. It adds red fruit flavours such as raspberry and cranberry with some savoury spice, freshly shaved pencil and smoked meat undertones. Raspberry, cherry and pepper are notable on the palate and the nose. A dry, fruity and medium bodied dry red with a low tannin and pronounced acidity – a magnificently concentrated and characterful wine for those looking for something different.
Medium term five to eight years.
I remember reading an historical article by Philip White principally, detailing a story on his old friend, the late Wayne Thomas. In it he lined up Tim Geddes, the winemaker in question here and working with Thomas, referring to him as ‘that bloody Kiwi.’ Typical nonsense, but White would never have mentioned him if he didn’t have a good deal of respect for Tim. Tim caught the bug as a local of Hawkes Bay and has worked there in the 90s, widely in Australia and overseas, coming to McLaren Vale, the place of magnificent late afternoon light, (I time any visit to catch it) in early 2000. And studying Oenology at Adelaide University along the way. In 2007 he decided it was time to process his own fruit.” Looking forward to seeing a lot more of his wines.
Limited availability to retail.
Phone: 0407 217 798
Open: Daily 10 to 5.
Address: 283 Blewitt Springs Road, Blewitt Springs, 5170.
Web: www.geddeswines.com.au
All prices on this web site are in $AUD
Liquor Licence LIQP24009748
Trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners.
Under the Liquor Act 2007, It is an offence to sell or supply to or to obtain liquor on behalf of a person under the age of 18 years.
You will be required to provide proof of age before any goods are shipped.
