What's Hot

After many years of ownership by Champagne Taittinger, Bouvet Ladubay is once again fully owned by the Monmousseau family who have continuously run the business since their purchase in 1932. Bouvet Ladubay employs precisely the same wine making process as Grand Marque Champagne, delivering French sophistication at an everyday price.

The name of this Demi Sec Cuvee (30g/L dosage) is inspired by the remote Bouvet Island. A creamy white mousse quickly dissipates to reveal a pale straw coloured base wine with pale gold edging. Exceptionally fine bead showing excellent persistence. Aromas of ripe red apples and pears laced with honeysuckle are followed by faint toast and lees nuances. Honeyed apple, apricot and pear flavours overlay some sherbet and faint toast infusions. Has mid palate sweetness with an off dry finish and vibrant acidity. Aftertaste of honeyed pear, apple, apricot and faint toast.
Drink over the next 2-3 years.
Alc 12.5%

Selling for a song: One of the all-time benchmarks in age statement Canadian whisky.

Another week, another never to be repeated deal in premium spirits...
Generally considered a high point in its genre, certified Malt Maniac, Davin de Kergommeaux, enthuses about Wiser's 18 in his comprehensive blog www.canadianwhisky.org stating, "The longevity of Wiser's 18 year old is a testament to its spot at the apogee of Canadian whisky."
He adds, "Most people would be surprised to learn that a whisky this richly flavourful contains almost no rye or other flavouring whiskies. No, it is almost entirely corn whisky that has been distilled to high proof (94% + -) then left to mature for eighteen years in well-used ex-bourbon barrels. So, most of those wonderful flavours come from the slow oxidation of the spirit in the barrel and from the even slower chipping away at the wood by the ethanol... Look for pencil shavings, fresh-sawn lumber, sweet barrel notes, hot peppers, typical hard crisp peppery rye (from the wood, not the grain), vanilla, sweet fruits (prunes) and sour fruits (limes, kiwis), dry grass, faint pitchy notes and leathery Ontario tobacco. Very complex, and beautifully balanced with no dominant flavours, but a single well-synthesized whole."

As one of the best selling brands in its home country, it's no surprise this extra aged Wiser's has received wide acclaim including a Double Gold at the 2014 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Once again, an offer unlikely to ever be repeated, so stock up.

Tasting note: Flawless amber gold colour with heavy aromas of caramel, vanilla wafer, creamy soda, coffee confectionary and peach nectar. This is packed with rich vanillas, caramel fudge and candied fruits in a svelte textured, buttery delivery that sees faint rye spice and oak tannin peaking through the finish. Very mellow, sweet, sipping or if you must, try it with (good) ginger ale. 40% Alc./Vol.

Other reviews... Exceptionally creamy, but maintains the required sharpness. 94 points
- Jim Murrays Whisky Bible 2017

Wood, wood, wood, but ever so complex with hot pepper, baking spices, butterscotch, vanilla, rye grain, tobacco, cigar box, sour-dough, and dried baking fruits ending in a citric zestiness. Rich & Oaky. 5 stars - www.canadianwhisky.org

Wisers is a venerable brand, started by the son of a Dutch farmer from New York State in the late 1800s. Like his father, J.P. was a man of integrity and an exceptional work ethic, evidenced in his whisky-making, summing up his approach as "Quality is something you just can't rush. Horses should hurry, but whisky should take its time."

Nowadays, Dr. Don Livermore is the Master Blender behind the brand. He began his career as a microbiologist in quality assurance at Hiram Walker and Sons Limited - home of J.P. Wiser's - then worked in research and product development for 11 years before taking the helm as Master Blender in early 2012.

Remi Jobard is widely considered one of the rising stars of Burgundy, and the Domaine can count amongst their impressive land holdings some prime plots in Meursault 1er Cru vineyards Genevrieres, Poruzots and Charmes. Certified organic since 2011, the family own and run eight hectares of vines spread throughout Monthelie and Meursault. The wines can be considered modern by Burgundy standards, being clean and pure with fantastic richness and complexity.

Brilliant pale straw colour with a slight glimmer of green around the outskirts and a watery hue. Showing excellent intensity aromas of ripe white peaches married to dried honey drift from the glass followed by hints of lemon butter, faint wet stone and spice. Rich and full with attractive volume in the mouth and a rounded creaminess to its textural feel the palate dishes up generous flavours of white peaches tied to dried honey over subtle notions of cashew, light biscuit and spice. Finishes dry with good balancing acidity to freshen up the back palate. Long refined conclusion of white peaches, dried honey, cashew and spice.
Drink over the next 3-4 years.
Alc. 13%

Best’s consistently produce outstanding Rieslings which are flavoursome, elegantly structured, spectacularly age-worthy and rated as one of the country’s best. Their Riesling vines were first planted as part of Henry Best’s ‘Nursery Block’ vineyard in the 1860’s with subsequent plantings in 1944 and 1978. The 2017 vintage reverts back to a more classic Australian style of dry Riesling.

Brilliant water like colour with a greenish tinged outskirts. Showing good intensity, lemon and lime aromas drift out of the glass followed by green apple, talc, subtle orange rind infusions and minerals. Mouth-watering lemon and lime flavours dominate the racy palate underscored by crunchy green apples and delicate orange rind infusions finishing dry with zippy acidity and steely mineral characters. Excellent length with a long lemon, lime, subtle orange rind and steely mineral aftertaste.
Drink now or cellar 6-8 plus years.
Alc. 11%

From an outstanding vintage in Coonawarra, this Cabernet was matured in predominately French oak (34% new) for a period of 18 months. Totally opaque black as night core with a deep dark red black tinged hue. Ripe red and blackcurrant aromas infused with cedary tobacco characters and black olives are followed by spicy bay leaf end notes. Medium to full bodied and filled with rich fruit the palate still follows a very refined trajectory. Mouthfilling flavours of red and blackcurrant fruit as well as mulberries are overlaid by subtle cedary tobacco characters with some black olive, faint bay leaf and spice ensuing. Slightly dryish finish with very fine grained tannins perfectly integrated to the fruit as well as providing a solid framework for longer term cellaring. Excellent length with a long conclusion of red currant, blackcurrant, mulberries, infusions of cedary tobacco characters, bay leaf and spice.
Cellar 8-10 years.
Alc. 14.5%

Other Reviews….
Good colour; the excellent vintage has provided winemaker Paul Gordon with a full hand of cassis and mulberry to play with, and he's played his cards well. The overall result is a medium-bodied cabernet that is already seductive, but please keep your hands off it for the first few years of what will be a long life. Drink by 2035.
95 points
James Halliday – Australian Wine Companion

A world class Tasmanian Pinot Noir.

Tolpuddle is the Tasmania outpost of Shaw & Smith’s Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith. Semi translucent vibrant cherry red colour with a bright crimson hue. Intensely perfumed nose with glorious scents of violets, red, dark and sour cherries and strawberries blossoming from the glass, overlaid by subtlety integrated dried clove. Some meatiness and spicy cedar follow on. Despite its superb richness and power, the palate is fresh, graceful and elegant delivering delicious flavours of ripe red cherries, strawberries and a dash of sour cherries to liven things up. Underscoring the beautiful vibrant red fruits are infusions of dried clove, a delicate meatiness and lightly smoked spicy cedar. There’s a supple vibrancy to the mouthfeel with the fleshiness of the fruit counterpointed by refreshing acidity and velvet smooth perfectly integrated tannins. Exceptional length ending with a very long salivating aftertaste of ripe red cherries, strawberries, dark cherries, hints of sour cherries, dried clove, some meatiness and spicy cedar.
Cellar 6-8 years.
Alc. 13%

A 100% Tempranillo sourced from 30+ year vines with a percentage of the wine aged in French oak barrels. Opaque bright dark red black core with a youthful purple hue. Inky crushed dark and black cherry as well as liquorice aromas preside over traces of scorched earth with spicy dried herb end notes. Medium bodied, fresh and juicy the palate has a mixture of ripe dark and black cherries sitting over a touch of liquorice, inky earth and spice. Dry finish with slightly chewy but ripe tannins combining with well balanced acidity that gives the wine its feeling of freshness. Concludes with an aftertaste of juicy dark and black cherries, liquorice, subtle inky earth infusions and spice.
Drink over the next 3-4 years.
Alc. 13%

Izway is a partnership of two well-travelled winemakers Brian Conway and Craig Isbel. They like to keep things simple and minimalistic in the winemaking process putting a real emphasis on fruit purity and to this point use mostly older oak. So named as a tribute to two of the boys grandparents, the 2014 Rob & Les is sourced from John, Barb and Andy Kalleske’s Koonunga Hillside & Bruce Block vineyards located in the north of the Barossa Valley. The Hillside Vineyard produces wine with wonderful balance, elegance and structure while the Bruce Block adds depth and concentration to the wine.

Brian and Craig believe the 2016 vintage will be considered as one of the great harvests in the last 20 years of the Barossa Valley. The unconventional conditions creating wines of great fruit purity that are layered and complex with incredible tannin structures that will age for many years.

Rich and luscious yet with a sense of vibrancy running through its veins, this is a fantastic example of modern day Barossa Shiraz

Magnificent depth of colour with a saturated inky black core and very deep dark purple black hue. The nose sings, offering up intense aromatics of dark plum and liquorice shaded by hints of ripe blueberries with lightly smoked vanillin cedar, fennel and light pepper ensuing. Full bodied the palate is superbly balanced featuring a deep rich core of plush fruits that’s threaded by finely tuned acidity and complemented by silky tannins. Concentrated flavours of dark plum, liquorice and blackberry flavours show great exuberance, finishing with vanillin cedar, a hint of smoke, fennel and plenty of spicy pepper on the back palate. Suave, velvety feel with a long aftertaste of spicy dark plums, blackberries, liquorice, subtlety smoked vanillin cedar, delicate infusions of fennel and pepper.
Cellar 5-6 years.
Alc. 14.8%

Idyllic weather conditions resulted in an exceptional vintage in the Southern Rhone for the 2016 vintage. Translucent salmon pink colour with a watery hue. Raspberry and strawberry aromas intermix with hints of Turkish delight, musk and spice. Lovely supple textural feel with flavours of red raspberries and strawberries dominate over subtle musk and spice. Dry finish with fresh acidity and an aftertaste of spicy red raspberries, strawberries and infusions of musk. Delightful everyday drinking.
Drink over the next 1-2 years.
Alc. 13%

A vision for a new gin distillery in Brunswick began to take shape after "a few too many negronis at a local bar". As disciples of the craft movement, proprietors, Dave Irwin and Matt Argus wanted to keep it small scale and local. They waited three years for their custom made, 230 litre Muller copper still to arrive from Germany. It uses a new technology which increases copper contact with the spirit to produce a more pure and aromatic distillate. The team also sought advice from Master Distiller, Anders Bilgram from Nordisk Branderi distillery in Denmark. "We knew we were getting closer to our final recipe, and that we were onto something, when Anders started requesting larger samples to be sent across the other side of the world." The first batch of Patient Wolf sold out in a matter of days via a crowd-funding website. A small volume from the second run is now being released to the retail market.

Most botanicals are steeped overnight, including juniper, coriander seeds, cubeb pepper, orris root and tonka beans (native to South America). Ruby grapefruit and aniseed myrtle are infused in a botanical basket.

Tasting note: [Batch 2 tasted] Flawless clarity. A strong nose that presents orris and liquorice root over hints of black pepper in the initial pass. Exposure accents coriander, citrus zest and juniper and ups the freshness. A silky entry leads into a viscous, pure, gently warming profile with creamy orris root, sage and coriander followed by a burst of piney juniper to finish. Subtle aftertaste of aniseed and white pepper. A lively, interesting and cleverly composed contemporary gin. 41.5% Alc./Vol.