International Wine Challenge Winners – 6 Pack Special

Celebrate award-winning excellence with this curated selection of wines that have triumphed at the prestigious International Wine Challenge. This exclusive 6-pack showcases a variety of remarkable reds and whites from top wine regions around the globe, each recognized for its exceptional quality and craftsmanship. Whether you're hosting a dinner or expanding your collection, this special set is perfect for any wine enthusiast seeking world-class flavors.

1 x Catalina Sounds Sound of White Chardonnay 2020 - Marlborough, New Zealand

90/100 James Suckling 
Bronze - New Zealand Wine Rater
93/100 New Zealand Wine Rater (2019 vintage)
92/100 Bob Campbell, The Real Review (2019 vintage)

Double Gold - New Zealand International Wine Show
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards
Bronze - International Wine Challenge
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards (2019 vintage)

James Suckling "A creamy and buttery chardonnay with aromas of apricots, green apples, salted butter and praline. Hints of nougat. Medium-bodied and creamy throughout, with tangy acidity."

New Zealand Wine Rater "Pale in hue and clearly very youthful, restrained and reductive on the nose right now. Showing lemon citrus notes with aromas of chive flowers and some earthy, lees characters. Fresh and lively on the palate with distinctive, crisp acidity. A wine that clearly needs more time to show its best."

Decanter World Wine Awards "Restrained nose displaying gentle aromas of melon, peach, lemon and smoky notes. Finely rendered fruit, quite concentrated, silky and fresh."

Bob Campbell, The Real Review "From Catalina's Sounds of White vineyard in the Waihopai Valley. Tangy, fruit-focused chardonnay with green apple, lime, subtle toast and gingery yeast lees characters. A fresh, crisp wine that promises to age well." (2019 vintage)

New Zealand Wine Rater "A vibrant, youthful, funky wine on the bouquet. Th ere are intense aromas of grapefruit, salted lemon, toast/vanilla oak, with hints of gun-flint, and struck match. The wine is dry, and fleshy with plenty of drive, a grainy, salty texture nicely balanced with salivating acidity, and a strong barrel influence. All bodes well for the wine to further integrate with time." (2019 vintage)

Decanter World Wine Awards "Flinty aromatics suggests a reductive style with pure apple fruit underneath. Lovely silken texture with tangy acidity and decent length." (20019 vintage)

Marlborough based award-winning winery, Catalina Sounds is known for wines which harness the purity and vibrancy of Marlborough’s climate and landscape. The name Catalina Sounds evolved from the majestic Catalina flying boats that played a vital role across the South Pacific during and after World War II.

Marlborough is by far New Zealand's most important wine region. Situated at the north-eastern tip of the South Island, this dry, sunny region produces around three-quarters of all New Zealand wine. It is particularly famous for its pungent, zesty Sauvignon Blanc - widely considered by critics to be the best Sauvignon currently produced anywhere on the planet. Commercial-scale viticulture began in Marlborough the 1970s – it conquered the world within 25 years!

The aim for our Chardonnay from Sound of White is always quality. Meticulously well managed, clone 95 Chardonnay is grown on clay-loam soils at our Sound of White vineyard in the Waihopai Valley (part of the sought-after Southern Valleys). Shoot-thinning and leafplucking keep the canopy open and fruit hanging freely. Yields are purposely kept low around 6-7 T/Ha to ensure ripe concentration and balance.

1 x TarraWarra Estate Chardonnay 2019 - Yarra Valley, Australia

Bronze, International Wine Challenge 2019
93/100 Halliday Wine Companion
5-star Winery – Halliday Wine Companion
91/100 Jeremy Oliver (2016 vintage)
92/100 Jeremy Oliiver (2015 vintage)
90/100 Tye Wine Front (2014 vintage)

Australia's Top 52 Wineries of 2020 - N#28 - Sydney Morning Herald 

A wine only released in exceptional vintages

Sunday Telegraph “For long one of the Yarra Valley's [Australia] signature chardonnays, the style continues to be tweaked by winemaker Clare Halloran to ensure its continued rousing mouthfeel, freshness and subtle marriage of oak. Very much a fruit-driven explosion of chardonnay's finest attributes, all moulded with great balance and care.”

Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion “A racy, fresh and drink-now style that's lightly spiced, citrussy with some complexing sulphides and creamy lees. Lithe and long with a fine line of natural acidity. A good drink.”

Wine Companion "There's really fine, tangy acidity throughout and nothing is out of place....an amalgam of flavours, but is more citrus-toned and spiced with ginger."

Huan Hooke, The Real Review "Light to very light straw colour, looks and smells backward. Shaved almond and floral nuances."

International Wine Challenge “Attractive struck match nose with an easy-drinking creamy stone fruit palate.”

The Winemaker “The wine has grapefruit and lemon zest aromas with underlying notes of cashew nuts. The tight palate reflects the season, with texture derived from 10 months on lees and a lovely drive with the persistence of flavour. With oak and tank maturation, the wine shows an elegant complexity with appealing freshness.”

TarraWarra Estate has some of the Yarra Valley's oldest Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines, and is considered one of the region's foremost wineries. Located in one of Australia's best Chardonnay and Pinot Noir growing regions, Tarrawarra Estate is estate is rated by top Australian wine critic, James Halliday as “one of the top-tier wineries in the Yarra Valley”. It is best known for its exceptional Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Conde Naste Traveller "Make a stop here to taste the best of the region. The cellar door sits on a thousand acres of prime Yarra Valley farmland and vineyards. There are 28 blocks planted with cool-climate grapes, including chardonnay and pinot noir—this region’s stars—as well as shiraz, merlot, and more."

In addition to the beautiful TarraWarra Estate in the Yarra Valley, owners Marc Besen and wife Eva Besen are the custodians of the most significant privately held collection of modern Australian art in the country, now exhibited for much of the year at the TarraWarra Museum of Art.

The Yarra Valley is a well-respected Australian wine region which occupies the eastern half of the Port Phillip viticultural zone in the diminutive state of Victoria. At complete odds with the usual, hot and dry Shiraz-growing image of Australia, Yarra Valley is best known for its bright, complex wines made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Chardonnay is one of the world’s most popular grapes, Chardonnay is made in a wide range of styles from lean, to rich, creamy white wines aged in oak. Bolder, richer, full-bodied and buttery Chardonnays are made using oak and are produced in California, Burgundy, and Australia. Unoaked chardonnays such as Chablis and those produced in Chile, New Zealand, and other parts of France are leaner and often crisp and mineraly, with delicate flavors. By law, if a label says “Chablis,” it must be Chardonnay.

1 x Domaine La Décelle "Le Carré" Cotes du Rhone Villages 2016 - Valréas, France

91/100 James Suckling 
92/100 James Suckling (2015 vintage)
90/100 Wine Sepctator (2015 vintage)

Silver - Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (2013 vintage)
Bronze - International Wine Challenge (2013 vintage)

James Suckling "A very rich, dark-fruited nose and palate here, this has quite thick, dense tannins and plenty of oak also in the mix. Modern, bold style.

James Suckling "This blend of 60% syrah and 40% grenache is very intense and rich with powerful fruit and a mineral, citrus line running through the wine. Flint and dried lavender undertones are strong. (2015 vintage)

Winemaker "Powerful and complex on the nose with roasted aromas combined with a touch of chocolate. Full and generous on the palate, meaty, lovely black fruit aromas underpinned by the same roasted notes" We recommend decanting "Le Carré" one hour before serving in order to appreciate its full character."

Blend: Grenache 40% Syrah 60%
Alcohol:

Benoît and Frédéric Lavau discovered "La Decelle", a superb wine domaine in the heart of the Enclaves des Popes in Valréas, in 2010. "Le Carré" wine comes from a 5 ha plot planted on a south-facing slope in the centre of the domaine. It has an exceptional quality potential, and its name makes reference to its geometry.

"Le Carré" is only produced in exceptional years. After a long vinification, the wine is aged in new 228L and 450L barrels for 24 months. The best barrels of wine are then selected and blended to create "Le Carré", of which only around 3,000 bottles are produced. This work of fine craftsmanship creates a robust Grenache and very elegant Syrahs, comparable to the great Syrahs of the northern Rhône Valley.

Originally from Bordeaux, the Lavau family has been involved with winemaking for generations, and have had vineyards ranging from Bordeaux to Tunisia. In 1964 they were seduced by the richness and quality of the Provencal soil, and settled down to make wine in the Rhone Valley.

1 x Plantagenet "Lancaster" Shiraz 2018 - Mt. Barker, Western Australia

96/100 James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion 
96/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit
95/100 Ray Jordan, WA Wine Guide 2021
92/100 James Suckling
91/100 Robert Parker
90/100 Stuart Knox, The Real Review
90/100 James Suckling (2016 vintage)
90/100 Huon Hooke, The Real Review (2016 vintage)

Silver - International Wine Challenge

5 Stars Winery - James Halliday

James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion "Great Southern shiraz (this wine is from Mount Barker) has a precision and a sense of inevitability about it: the depth and hue of the colour, the freshly picked fruit, the multi-spices, the cracked pepper, the persuasive tannins and the length."

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit "This is immediately appealing on the nose showing black/blueberry, vanilla, thyme and cedar characters, followed by a sumptuous palate that delivers excellent fruit power combined with a silky texture and supple tannins. It's brooding yet stylish and sophisticated with a persistent delicious finish."

James Suckling "There’s a fresh array of ripe dark plums here with toasted spices and a peppery edge. The palate has a bold, rich core of ripe blackberry and raspberry flavors."

Robert Parker " It has the stuffing, with notes of cranberry, pink peppercorn, ferrous, pomegranate, mulberry and licorice. The tannins that shape this wine are classically Great Southern—ductile, pliable, omnipresent."

Stuart Knox, The Real Review "Dry leather, gravel and blue fruits vie for nasal attention. Gravelly tannins give a sense of tension without weight, whilst bright blue fruits flow into layers of crushed rocks and dried herbs."

James Suckling "This verges on the jammy side with lots of ripe fruit. Strawberry and plum to the infused-tea character. Medium to full body." (2016 vintage)

Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Medium to deep red colour with a trace of purple. The bouquet is spicy, earthy and mellow, showing some development, while the palate is quite sharp and spicy, with elevated acidity and firm, slightly bitter tannins that cleanse the finish - far from being unpleasant. An elegant, medium to full-bodied, tightly composed cool-area shiraz. Very enjoyable drinking. " (2016 vintage)

Plantagenet was established by founder Tony Smith with the planting of five vineyards; Bouverie in 1968 (sold in 2017), Wyjup in ’71, Rocky Horror 1 in ’88, Rocky Horror 2 in ’97 and Rosetta in ’99. These vineyards remain the cornerstones of the substantial production of the consistently high-quality wines that have always been the mark of Plantagenet: highly aromatic riesling, tangy citrus-tinged chardonnay, glorious Rhône-style shiraz and ultra-stylish cabernet sauvignon.

Great Southern is one of the largest wine growing regions in Australia, running along the south coast of Western Australia. It stretches 150km (93 miles) from the eastern edge of Manjimup (in the west) to the Pallinup River in the east, where the more cereal-focused expanses of 'Central Western Australia' begin. The region's northern edge lies almost perfectly on the 34th parallel while the coastline marks the southern boundary - a distance of around 100km (62 miles), north-to-south.

Shiraz, also known as Syrah is a popular red wine. Though the spiritual homeland of this red grape is France, Syrah has been planted throughout the world to great success. It expresses itself differently depending on the climate, soil and regional style.

Syrah is typically bold and full-bodied, with aromatic notes of smoke, black fruit and pepper spice. Stylistically, it can be round and fruity, or dense and tannic. And in warmer New World regions like Australia, Syrah is most often be called Shiraz.

Winemakers who work in cooler-climate growing regions, both in the Old World and New World, tend to call their wines Syrah. The most famous examples come from the northern Rhône Valley of France, notably Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie. In the New World, in regions like Sonoma Coast, California; Yarra Valley, Australia; and parts of Chile, the wines are called Syrah because they emulate the leaner, acid-driven, savory styles of the Old World French classics.

Shiraz tends to come from warmer growing climates, namely the South Australian regions of Barossa, McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills. Stylistically, these wines are lush, fruit-forward examples that embody the warmer, sunnier climate. Shiraz is so important to Australian viticulture that it is the most planted grape variety in the majority of Australian vineyards and has become virtually synonymous with the country's wine regions, and in particular the Barossa Valley.

2 x Nanny Goat Pinot Noir (Organic) 2023 - Central Otago, New Zealand

93/100 Cameron Douglas MS, The Shout
92/100 Nick's Wine
92/100 New Zealand Wine Rater (2020 vintage)
92/100 Steve Leszczysnki, Q Wine Reviews (2020 vintage)
92/100 QWine (2020 vintage)
90/100 James Suckling (2020 vintage)
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards (2020 vintage)
Bronze - Bob Campbell (2020 vintage)
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards (2018 vintage)
93/100 The Real Review (2019 vintage)
90/100 Decanter World Wine Awards (2017 vintage)
91/100 The Wine Front (2017 vintage)
91/100 International Wine Challenge (2017 vintage)
90/100 Wine Enthusiast (2016 vintage)
92/100 Bob Campbell (2015 vintage)
16/20 Jancis Robinson (2015 vintage)

4.5 Stars Michael Cooper
Silver - International Wine Challenge 2021 (2020 vintage)
Silver - International Wine & Spirits Competition 2021 (2020 vintage)
Silver - London Wine Competition (2019 vintage)
Silver - International Wine Challenge (2019 vintage)
Silver - New Zealand Wine of the Year (2018 vintage)
Silver - International Wine Challenge (2018 vintage)
Bronze - International Wine & Spirit Competition (2018 vintage)
Silver - International Wine Challenge (2017 vintage)
Bronze - International Wine Challenge (2016 vintage)
4.5 Stars Winestate Magazine (2015 vintage)

Cameron Douglas MS, The Shout "A precise, fresh and enticing bouquet with aromas of fresh red berries and cherry flesh, a fine savoury layer with a whisper of dried herb and thyme then layers of barrel spices. Complex and youthful. On the palate vibrant and youthful with a velvet textured mouthfeel, fine through moderate tannins and medium+ acid line. The core fruit flavours, nut and dried herb qualities are consistent and persistent. Overall, a delicious wine with best drinking from early 2023 through 2029."

Mike Bennie, The Wine Front "Alan Peters-Oswald is a delightful fella and astute winemaker doing good things to elevate the Nanny Goat wines. Here’s a new release. Slight label tweaks too. Supple, succulent, very bright and fresh feeling. Leads with tart cherry fruit characters, a good deal of crunchy, drying cranberry tang and pucker, some dried herbs, a light dusting of pepper. Refreshing feel to taste, vivacious, lively and rips along with sinewy tannin and heaps of tangy acidity. Strap in! Good with a light chill, better in a few years when things settle down. "

Michele's Notes "Deep colour. Alluring perfume of rich dark cherry fruit, plum and brioche. There’s chocolate and slate too. Smooth in the mouth with a lovely flow across the palate. The balance between fruit, oak, tannin and acid is excellent. Very tasty indeed. "

Winemaker "Immediately appealing on the nose with lifted wild berry and floral aromatics, gradually fading to reveal a complex array of ripe cherry & plum fruits, sweet spices, cola, garrigue, and fennel. Sweet red, black and blue berry fruits abound on the palate, with fleeting nuances of red currant, cola, cinnamon, thyme, crushed coriander seed and star anise adding layers of intrigue. Seamlessly integrated oak and powder fine tannins combine with a fine bead of acidity to give a fresh, pleasingly
long finish.

Steve Leszczysnki, Q Wine Reviews "This is such an approachable and ever-reliable Pinot Noir. A gravelly profile shines through. Dark plums, blackcurrants and dark cherries are flanked by dried herbs, cloves and shavings of dark chocolate. Like a Number 8 in rugby, this has the punch to do some heavy lifting but is nimble enough to show soft hands and quick feet like the backs. Tense tannins seize up on close before a long, fine spice finish. Delightful. Drink for five years+." (2020 Vintage)

New Zealand Wine Rater "An intense, perfumed, and floral bouquet in a lifte d, primary New World fruit style with bursts of berry conserve, bramble, a herbal lift, star anise, seaweed notes and fennel. A vibrant, juicy, red fruit core runs the length of the supple, charming palate with chalky tannins. Youthful and will benefit from a year in the bottle but very commercially appealing."

Michael Cooper "Already very approachable, the 2020 vintage (4.5*) was grown at six sites around the region, with almost two-thirds of the grapes coming from Pisa/Lowburn, in the Cromwell Basin. Matured in French oak barriques, it is bright ruby, mouthfilling and vibrantly fruity, with generous, ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours, ,showing good complexity, fresh acidity and finely balanced tannins. Best drinking 2023+." (2020 vintage)

QWine "This is such an approachable and ever-reliable Pinot Noir. Readily available too, making this a go-to is not a silly idea - particularly when it is often priced around the $30 mark. A gravelly profile shines through. Dark plums, blackcurrants and dark cherries are flanked by dried herbs, cloves and shavings of dark chocolate. Like a Number 8 in rugby, this has the punch to do some heavy lifting but is nimble enough to show soft hands and quick feet like the backs. Tense tannins seize up on close before a long, fine spice finish. Delightful." (2020 vintage)

James Suckling "Aromas of strawberry, pomegranate and sappy, herbal accents. This has an elegant and soft red-cherry and plum-flavored palate that delivers in tangy, juicy style. Drink now. Screw cap." (2020 vintage)

Bob Campbell "Moderately intense, vibrant pinot noir with cherry, berry, fresh herb and spicy oak flavours. A distinctive wine that seems to express a strong sense of place. Nice purity and a backbone of peppery tannins that helps to promote a crisp, dry finish." (2020 vintage)

Bob Campbell, The Real Review " Appealing silken-textured pinot noir with dark cherry, violet, fresh herbs and spicy flavours. A supple, sinewy, fine-boned wine with high energy. Accessible now, thanks to a core of fruit sweetness, but has the potential to develop well with bottle age." (2019 vintage)

Gary Walsh, The Wine Front - "Juicy cherry, jumps out of the glass, rose petal, some spice. Cherry, fresh, acidity a bit nippy and lemony, but the core of fruit is good. Light tannin plays on the finish. Attractive. Quite stylish.” (2017 vintage)

Decanter "There are just 900 bottles and you should get yourself a bottle or six if you can, as this is sex in a bottle - it's gorgeously textured, silken, and ethereal. There's a transparency to the fruit, showing cardamom, ginger, and cranberry flavours. It makes you swoon! Drinking Window 2019 - 2030" (2017 vintage)

Highly awarded and acclaimed, wine-maker Alan Peters-Oswald is a specialist premium pinot noir maker. The Central Otago wine region is the world's southern-most commercial wine-growing region, and famous for its Pinot Noir. It differs from all other New Zealand wine areas in that it is inland, in the foothills of the Southern Alps. The level of sunlight is very high, something that accounts for the high levels of alcohol that are often found in Central Otago wines.

Nestled within a timeless and sensual landscape, Nanny Goat Estate Vineyard sits between 270m and 290m above sea level spread across two ancient, North East facing terraces. This is a region of climatic extremes with typically very hot summers, short autumns and bitterly cold winter days. Challenging conditions for producing world-class cool climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Successive periods of glaciation and recession, followed by erosion by Mata Au / Clutha River have shaped the Nanny Goat Estate landscape by creating distinct terraces of alluvial soils that are pastiche of loess, gravel, schist and mineral quartz. Generations of farming and the associated cultivation of lucerne and other feed crops have added organic matter to the wind blowen loessial topsoil providing us with a nice balance between vine vigor and free draining attributes.

The essence of Pinot Noir wine is its aroma of strawberry and cherry (fresh red cherries in lighter wines and stewed black cherries in weightier examples), underpinned in the most complex examples by hints of forest floor. Well-built Pinot Noirs, particularly from warmer harvests, also exhibit notes of leather and violets, sometimes approaching the flavor spectrum of Syrah.