With the latest scores and reviews from The Wine Companion 2022 now available we thought we would showcase the 95+ point wines from our Winestock Wineries.
The 2022 Halliday Wine Companion is now available!
Crittenden 5 Star Winery
2019 Crittenden Cri de Cour Chardonnay – 96 points.
This is seamless. It brings together the best flavours – stone fruit, lemon curd, nougatine, grilled nuts and more besides, with acidity leading. It has great energy and drive, length and line. Up there as one of the better Mornington Peninsula chardonnays this vintage. Bravo. - Jane Faulkner
2019 Peninsula Pinot Gris – 95 points
The real deal. Pinot gris as it should be: flavoursome, luscious, textural and brimming with poached pears, grated nashi and loaded with powdered and fresh ginger. Some clotted cream and lemon curd on the palate. Nothing cloying. Quite delicious. - Jane Faulkner
2016 Cri de Coeur Sous Voile Savagnin - Shortlisted for 2022 Awards – 95 points
Whole bunch pressed to old French barriques before wild ferment and mlf. Following fermentation, barrels were moved to a well-ventilated shed for gradual growth of flor on the increasingly ullaged barrels (the wine was not topped at all during the 4-year maturation period). Bottled May 2020 without fining, filtration, stabilisation or S02. I've tried this wine several times now over its evolution and the extra time in bottle has made a lot of difference. A bright, burnished amber hue; full of grilled nuts and honeyed fragrances, with quince paste and salty lemons. Complex oxidative aromas and flavours, yet despite its warming 15.8% alcohol, the palate is luscious, silky and well controlled. - Jane Faulkner
2019 Zumma Pinot Noir – 95 points
An even ebb and flow of pinosity. Dark cherries, woodsy and exotic spices, nori and wood smoke are all here, and more besides. Full bodied with well-plied tannins and a pleasing and abundant depth of flavour. Not too big, just right. - Jane Faulkner
Dutschke
2018 Oscar Semmler Lyndoch Shiraz – 96 points
St Jakobi Vineyard. Lyndoch may not be as revered as the fabled parishes of the northern and western Barossa, but this wine alone is a statement that it should be held in equal if not higher regard. Wayne Dutschke exemplifies that wonderful Barossa juxtaposition of sweet, ripe black fruit density and the refinement of crunchy definition, freshness and violet-infused detail. I've been avidly following, buying and cellaring Oscar for decades and I cannot recall such detail, mineral tannin finesse and undeterred persistence. - Tyson Stelzer
Glaetzer: 5 Star Winery
2019 Amon Ra – 96 points
From 50–130yo vines in Ebenezer. Matured 16 months in new 95% French and 5% American oak barrels; unfiltered. Gloss and polish of superb black fruits, framed in superfine tannins are Ben Glaetzer's hallmarks. He continues to hone his talent at sustaining brightness and freshness, even in northern Barossa shiraz of monumental proportions. This represents one of his finest works yet. Bitter dark chocolate oak holds an enticing finish that ricochets with inky black fruits and licorice. - Tyson Stelzer
2019 Anaperenna – 95 points
84/16% shiraz/cabernet sauvignon from Ebenezer; 30–100yo shiraz; 30–130yo cabernet sauvignon. Matured 16 months in new (92% French and 8% American) oak hogsheads; unfiltered. Ben Glaetzer's superpower is upholding glossy brightness and freshness even in the wake of considerable ripeness, all the more impressive in warm drought seasons in the generous northern Barossa. Anaperenna is a showpiece for the modern great Australian blend, brimming in bountiful red and black fruits, backed generously with dark chocolate and coffee-bean new oak. It holds its proportions and considerable alcohol with astonishing confidence, thanks most of all to a bright flash of pure, fresh acidity. - Tyson Stelzer
Hungerford Hill:
2013 Blackberry Vyd Semillon – 96 points
Among Hungerford's single-vineyard collection, this balletic semillon hails from a dry-grown site boasting 35yo vines. The 2013 vintage is among the very finest of all semillon vintages. Scintillating aromas of lemongrass, myrtle, curd and tonic. Despite its age, the wine hinges on the cusp of adolescence like a high-wire act, far from full maturity. The salubrious notes are yet to come. But mark my words, the wine's verve, impeccable poise and intensity of fruit assure it. - Ned Goodwin MW
Geoff Weaver: 5 Star Winery
2019 Single Vineyard (Lenswood) Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc – 95 points
From Geoff Weaver’s immaculate Lenswood sub-region vineyard – which was disastrously burned in a December 2019 bushfire, then bravely revived during 2020. A wine that stands tall to show us how great both the Hills and sauvignon blanc can be in Geoff Weaver's gentlemanly hands. The nose and palate are all about well-mannered varietal pungency, gooseberry and ginger, with fabulous, pithy texture and a reverb of exciting flavours on the finish. Simply terrific. - Tony Love
2019 Single Vineyard Chardonnay – 95 points
From Geoff Weaver's Lenswood vineyard, wild fermented then left on lees for 12 months in French barriques, 50% new. Ripe peachy notes to begin, then more complex elements show their wares on the palate in leesy savoury notes and a crisp apple-like acidity that's long and even. This has a lot more to offer in the coming decade. - Tony Love
PIZZINI: 5 star Winery
2011 Per gli Angeli – 95 Points
Trebbiano. Per gli Angeli is Italian for 'for the angels'. This fortified trebbiano is not made every year and is made in the labour-intensive Vin Santo style, with grapes dried on straw mats. Looks and smells like a young muscat, amber in colour and deliciously aromatic with aromas of fig, raisin, nougat, vanilla. Covers the palate in smooth, golden syrup, mocha-coffee – so creamy, so intense. 375ml. - Jeni Port
Pacha Mama: 5 Star Winery
Pacha Mama Shiraz 2019 Heathcote - 95 Points
Outrageous colour – vibrant black/purple and what’s so appealing with this wine is its beautifully tamed tannins. They have shape but are not at all brutish, giving definition to the fuller-bodied wine. In the mix, dark, sweet fruit, Chinese five-spice, charry wood flavours and a guarantee of an excellent drink. - Jane Faulkner
Provenance: 5 star Winery
2019 Ballarat Chardonnay – 95 Points
Single vineyard, hand picked and whole-bunch pressed. Free-run juice was racked to 228l oak barrels, wild-yeast fermented, 8 months on lees (40% new oak), barrel selection. The perfect introduction to Ballarat chardonnay for those new to its significant charms. So fine but so full of depth, too, deceptively so. Grapefruit, lime, wax flowers, almond nut, grilled white peach. Quietly goes about its work on the palate establishing authority with filigree-fine acid structure and balance throughout. - Jeni Port
2019 Geelong Chardonnay – 95 Points
Single vineyard. Whole-bunch pressed, free-run juice racked to 228L oak barrels, wild-yeast ferment, 10 months on lees in oak (38% new) followed by barrel selection. Dry and warm–hot conditions aside, winemaker Scott Ireland has turned out another stunner of a chardonnay, full of flavour, intensity and character. Runs the gamut from Golden Delicious apple, nectarine, quince and white peach to grilled nuts, with preserved lemon savouriness. Quite the mouthful of flavour, but all the while, nicely restrained. - Jeni Port
2019 Henty Chardonnay – 95 Points
Hand-picked fruit from a single vineyard, whole-bunch pressed. Free-run juice was racked to 228L oak, wild-yeast fermented and given 8 months on lees in oak (33% new) followed by barrel selection. There's a power here, a linear beauty, built around a purity of fruit and structure. It demands further time in bottle to explore the citrus, lime, peach, nectarine, dried herb and mealy complexity already evident and waiting to fully reach resolution. A succulent palate, with lemony acidity guiding this journey. - Jeni Port
2018 Henty Pinot Noir – 95 Points
Hand-picked fruit, 5 days' cold soak, wild-yeast open-top fermentation, 14 days on skins, mlf, 10 months in French oak barriques (33% new). Winemaker Scott Ireland's signature aromatics are all over this impressive youngster, with wild herbs, potpourri, violets, earth and, yes, red berries – alive and vibrant. Fills the mouth with flavour and doesn't let go. Beauty, form and persistence. - Jeni Port
2018 Geelong Pinot – Shortlisted for 2022 Awards – 95 Points
Hand-picked fruit, 35% destemmed but not crushed. Open fermentation with wild yeast and 30% whole bunches, 15 days on skins, mlf and 10 months in French barriques (33% new). A spirited pinot performance from a strong vintage. Deeply coloured. Very fruit-focused bouquet with an undercurrent of dried herbs and winter greens. Runs deep on the palate, perfectly poised, sprinkled with spice, a touch of smoke and controlling, even-handed tannins. - Jeni Port
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