Premium Festive Year-Starter Selection 6 Pack Value
Celebrate the new year with the Premium Festive Year-Starter Selection 6 Pack, featuring a sparkling array of Champagne, reds, whites, and a delightful rosé. This curated collection is designed to elevate any celebration, offering Champagne for memorable toasts, bold reds to complement hearty dishes, crisp whites for a refreshing sip, and a vibrant rosé for versatile enjoyment. Perfect for gatherings or intimate celebrations, this selection brings together festive flavors and premium quality for an unforgettable start to the year.
1 x Maxime Blin Son Naturel Optimiste (Organic) - Champagne, France
Winemaker "A full bodied smooth and lingering Champagne, round, long, harminious, with a minerality on the finish. Ideal for an aperiftif, to accompany oysters and fish.
Maxime Blin is served on Qatar Airways & Air Italy
80% Pinot Noir 20% Chardonnay
Champagne Maxime Blin has captured the attention of the world's champagne experts. This fourth-generation family owned champagne house has produced many award winning champagnes which are rated highly and celebrated for their expression of the famous terrior in which the vineyard is located. It is one of the few certified organic champagne producers in the worrld. Situated in the Champagne village of Saint Thierry near Reims - the center of the Champagne world - boasting Veuve Clicquot, Pommery, Ruinart and Taittinger, Champagne Maxime Blin is the rising star amongst its big name neighbours.
Maxime Blin has been certified organic since 2021. The company. produced its first organic champagne in 2022. Maxime Blin champagnes are highly sought after due to the qualtiy and low volume of champagnes it produces. It cultivates the three Champagne grape varieties, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay on vines with an average age of twenty years.
Maxime Blin produces 11 champagnes ( Carte Blanche, Carte Douce, Rosé, Millésime, Grande Tradition, Cuvée l'Onirique, Cuvée l'Authentique, Cuvée Maxime, Millesime 1998, Cuvée Craziness, Clés d'Eole). Among the brands' many admirers which include artists, musicians, and wine experts, the Italian actress Manuela Arcuri, every year for her birthday, orders the Cuvée 'Craziness'.
Champagne is the most iconic sparkling wine in the world, produced in the region of Champagne in France. Synonymous with celebration, champagne is typically produced from a few specific varieties of grapes: pinot noir, chardonnay, and pinot meunier. With effervescent flavors of citrus, almond, and apple, champagne comes in varying levels of sweetness and has a moderate amount of alcohol. The most treasured Champagnes age for a minimum of 3 years.
The Champagne region is located 140 kilometres from Paris, France. While the vines in this region have been producing wine since the Roman era, it is only in the past couple of hundred years that winemakers began producing Champagne using méthode champenoise - the complex method that produces the style of Champagne the world knows and loves today. Another important component of the production of champagne is the chalk and limestone soils which dominate the Champagne region. Vines grown in these conditions result in wines that are high in acidity - a key component to making good sparkling wine. Champagne's northerly location - about as north as grapes can ripen - also allow for higher acidity and lower alcohol levels which are also very important for producing quality sparkling wine.
The UNESCO World Heritage site of the wine growing region of Champagne is best known for the world's most famous wine product: champagne. The region of Champagne, traces its roots to the early medieval kingdom of Austrasia that was annexed to the French crown in the 1300s. Right from the early ages, the region has been famed for its hillside vineyards and its strictly regulated methods of creating those pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay grapes into – champagne. It is this ‘Method Champenois’ that connects champagne to its rich history, geographical location and image of luxury.
1 x McHenry Hohnen Calgardup Brook Vineyard Chardonnay (Organic) 2018 ~ Margaret River, Western Australia
95/100 Campbell Mattinson
91/100 Decanter World Wine Awards
97/100 - Top Chardonnay Halliday Wine Companion Awards 2023 (2020 vintage)
95/100 The Wine Front (2017 vintage)
93/100 James Suckling (2017 vintage)
94/100 The Wine Front (2016 vintage)
94/11 Decanter World Wine Awards (2015 vintage)
97/100 The Real Review (2015 vintage)
96/100 The West Australian Wine Guide 2017 (2015 vintage)
95/100 James Halliday Wine Companion 2017 (2014 vintage)
93/100 The Real Review (2014 vintage)
Bronze - Royal Melbourne Wine Awards 2019
Bronze - 2019 Langton's Margaret River Wine Show
Silver - Wine Show of Western Australia 2019
5-star Winery – Halliday Wine Companion
Halliday's Wine Companion Awards 2023 - Top Wineries of 2022 & 2023
Organic
Campbell Mattinson “Elegant power is a good way to describe it. It's flinty but not too much so, fleshed with stone fruit, touched up with meal and green apple, and intricately complex to close. All the while sweet fruit flows. It's an easy wine to get excited over.”
Decanter “Soft and creamy, with intense lemon curd augmenting baking spice, green pineapple and mango skin. Packed and phenolic, with freshness and length.”
The Winemaker “The nose opens with notes of oyster shell, frangipani and sea spray with delicate nashi pear pulp and nectarine. Wild fermentation with full solids provides flinty complexity and extended time on lees adds intrigue and excellent length to the palate. A distinctive saline acidity and attractive chalk-like structure complement the mineral nature of this unique Southern Margaret River vineyard near the Indian Ocean.”
Halliday Wine Companion Awards 2023, Erin Larkin "Fruit from the Calgardup Brook vineyard (planted 1997) on coastal limestone loam. All single-vineyard chardonnays are made in the same way here, highlighting the differences in terroir: Hand picked, whole-bunch pressed, full solids, wild ferment in barrel (25% new) and 4 months' maturation, partial mlf, fortnightly bâtonnage. Where the Burnside is granitic, mineral and fine, this is pithy, saline and expansive, with layers of cheesecloth and lanolin amongst the ripe stone fruit. More volume and density of flavour than the Burnside (neither here nor there qualitatively, simply an observation), this is sensational. Utterly." (2020 vintage)
Mike Bennie, The Wine Front "Far out. How good are McHenry Hohnen wines getting? And quite diverse in their feel compared to most from the region. Stellar. Lots of battonage, lots of lees, “I’m just obsessed with flavour” says winemaker Julian Grounds. Righteous. So much to like here. A quietly powerful, detailed chardonnay that shows with citrus, green apple, lashings of ‘mineral’, faint toast and whiffs of peanut/cashew. The palate follows a similar route, powerful in flavour but not stretching the palate with oomph, instead, precise, tight, true and long. Scintillating stuff here." (2017 Vintage)
Nick Butler, The Real Review "An attractive mix of white stone fruits, citrus rind and classy oak. It's creamy on the front palate, which dives into a tart lemon and lime acidity. Bright, fresh and balanced; it's a lovely wine, though lacking the core and fruit weight of warmer ripening seasons." (2017 Vintage)
Nick Stock, James Suckling "Quite savory and elegant chardonnay with aromas of fresh pastry and dry stones, as well as white melon and light peach. The palate has sleek, elegantly cut style with melon and peach here, too, Very crisp, long and elegant. Drink or hold. Screw cap." (2017 Vintage)
Gary Walsh, The Wine Front "White peach, mint nougat, subtle spice, stones and struck match. Medium bodied, cool and flinty, beautiful fine acidity, citrus and a suggestion of lemon curd, with a tight long lemon-laced finish. Great bone structure here, and a fine and exciting wine to drink." (2016 Vintage)
Nick Ryan, The Australian "The coolest of the three sites, feeling the force of the ocean breezes and planted on coastal sand. It shows. The wine is lean, tight and linear, smells of sea spray and the pith of preserved lemons, and hums with a fine, flinty acidity. For now, my pick of the three." (2016 Vintage)
Peter Forrestal, Decanter "Sourced from an estate vineyard in the region's cool south near Witchcliffe, this has restrained power and tightly coiled grapefruit and citrus flavours, before a mouth-puckering finish that lingers." (2015 Vintage)
Ray Jordan, The West Australian Wine Guide 2017 "Another superb wine from this vineyard which always seems to to produce wines of such delicate finesse and fineness. This is right on the money but still with an intensity and persistence that stamps the chardonnay style. The best yet from this vineyard." (2015 Vintage)
Mike Bennie, The Wine Front " We’ve all known that McHenry Hohnen has been a bit of a secret weapon for terrific (chardonnay particularly) Margaret River wines, but with their shift to biodynamic farming and now a new winemaker in Julian Grounds, hold onto your hats. Grounds has done his time at Giant Steps with Steve Flamsteed, and has papal blessings from Flamsteed in this new role. Indeed, word on the street is, many, many people are thrilled for this move. A touch of high end Yarra hits Margs. Nice one. Grounds in his early days has already reached out to say gday, personally, unprompted it felt, which says something about determination and intent. Stay tuned.
Complex bouquet shows stone fruit, green apple, faint flint/struck match, whiff of grilled nuts, faint fern character. Pitch perfect delicate. More assertive to taste with a flood of green apple, savoury oatmeal and nuttiness, gentle cedar spice, cool acidity. Even flow, superb balance, elegance. It’s very, very good, seamless, supple chardonnay. Classic. " (2015 Vintage)
James Halliday "The Calgardup Brook Vineyard lies just inland from the coast, with well weathered sandy, schisty soils; hand-picked, whole bunch-pressed to French oak (20% new), wild-fermented, no mlf, aged on lees. Lemon meringue is a great call for the bouquet, some spice also in the action; elegant white peach flavours give way to bouncy grapefruit zest on the well balanced and long finish." (2014 Vintage)
Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Light, bright yellow hue and a lifted ethyl acetate aroma, the volatility confirmed by the palate. It has issues. Most drinkers would not identify them, but the VA (volatile acidity) did inhibit the flavour and aroma. Extraordinarily, though, the longer this wine was exposed to the air, the better it tasted. Food (Comte cheese) also helped tame the beast. It soon became delicious. Very dry, nicely concentrated flavour and acidity, layers of complex aromas and flavours, good oak and 'worked' lees characters. A very good wine indeed. Wild ferment VA is forgiven." (2014 Vintage)
James Halliday "Whole bunch-pressed, wild yeast-fermented, matured in French barriques (20% new) with lees contact. Is very focused and tight, its flavours wound up in a ball of fruit, with generic white stone fruit and melon lurking in the shadows." (2013 Vintage)
Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Medium to full straw-yellow hue. The bouquet is toasty and lightly smoky, attractive and quite complex, with richness and concentration, depth and weight. Indeed, it's an opulent style, full-bodied and generously proportioned. The finish is very long and resonant, partly due to the heat from apparently high alcohol. (it certainly seems higher than the stated 13.5%) This needs food and would cope with strongly flavoured white meat dishes." (2013 Vintage)
James Halliday Wine Companion 2014 "This has the lightest colour of the three, here the soils, just inland from the coast, are sandy and schisty, and well weathered; it is the most intense and elegant, with white stone fruit and grapefruit at its core." (2012 Vintage)
James Halliday Wine Companion 2012 "Bright straw-green; the faintly funky bouquet is complex, an appropriate introduction for a palate with layers of flavour of white peach and fig/cashew ex partial mlf, before glorious grapefruit acidity takes over and drives the wine through to its lingering, pure finish." (2009 Vintage)
McHenry Hohnen was founded by one of the pioneers of the Margaret River winemaking region, David Hohnen and his brother in law, Murray McHenry, an accomplished fine wine retailer. Both have been making wine in Margaret River since the early 1970’s. McHenry Hohnen vineyards are 100% biodynamic. Their three unique vineyards (Burnside, Calgardup and Hazel’s) produce wines that are a reflection of the land. McHenry Hohnen focuses on crafting site-expressive wines and are known for producing some of the region's best wines.
Margaret River is one of the best-known wine regions in Australia, recognized internationally for the quality of its wines and the natural beauty of the region. Although originally renowned for its unusually refined Cabernet Sauvignon and intensely citrusy Chardonnay varieties, the region now produces Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blends and Shiraz.
Located in the south-western corner of Western Australia, it is famous for having a more 'European' wine style than its counterparts across Australia, owing to the regions temperate, coastal location, which is very similar to that of Bordeaux.
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 Chateau Roc de Segur 2018 - Bordeaux, France
Bronze - Roger, Voss Wine Enthusiast
Bronze - Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast (2015 vintage)
Silver - Concours General Agricole Paris
8% Petit Verdot, 8% Malbec, 26% Cabernet-sauvignon, 58% Merlot
Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast "Well balanced and ready to drink, this wine offers generous black fruits and acidity. Its light structure gives the wine shape."
Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast "This structured wine comes from a chateau in the the eastern Entre-deux-Mers. Firm tannins and acidity combine well with juicy black-currant flavors. A dry core indicates that the wine will age." (2015 vintage)
Wine Library "Tasting prifile includes currant, black cherry, plum, bell pepper, olive, oak, smoke, toast, tar, blackberry, cherry, asparagus, spice, ginger and vanilla."
The House of Ségur is an old French winery dating back to the 9th century. The Marquis de Ségur, Nicholas Alexandre (1697 – 1755) was the largest owner of vineyards in Bordeaux (owning three First Growths: Latour, Lafite and Mouton) which earned him the nickname “Prince of Vines” from King Louis XV. Under the Marquis' influence, the wines of Chateau Lafite became firmly established in the London market. British Prime Minister Robert Walpole was a frequent customer, purchasing a barrel every three months.
Today’s 47-hectare vineyard, planted in 1992, is owned by Gisèle and Daniel Vidal – it is situated on a vast limestone plateau overlooking the breathtaking Segur Valley.
Bordeaux, in the southwest of France, needs little introduction as one of the world's most famous, prestigious and prolific wine regions. Its three trump cards are diversity, quality and quantity. The majority of Bordeaux wines (nearly 90 percent of production volume) are the dry, medium- and full-bodied red Bordeaux Blends that established its reputation.
The finest (and most expensive) of these come from the great châteaux of the Haut-Médoc and the Right Bank appellations Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. The legendary reds are complemented by high-quality white wines, both dry styles (particularly from Pessac-Léognan) and the sweet, botrytized nectars of Sauternes.
A Bordeaux Blend is any combination of those grape varieties typically used to make the red wines of Bordeaux. Cabernet Sauvignon is widely accepted as a compulsory component of any Bordeaux Blend along with Merlot. In fact, the majority of Bordeaux Blend wines are often made exclusively from a blend of these two varieties. The remaining components are Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.
1 x Brown Hill Golden Horseshoe Reserve Chardonnay 2019 ~ Margaret River, Western Australia
95/100 - The Wine Companion
93/100 - Ned Goodwin, Halliday Wine Companion
88/100 The Real Review
‘SMALL PRODUCER OF THE YEAR’ ~ The West Australian Wine Guide 2010
‘SMALL PRODUCER OF THE YEAR’ ~ The West Australian Wine, Guide 2009
Erin Larkin, The Wine Companion "Hand picked, whole-bunch pressed, fermented in a combination of seasoned and new French oak. Toasty, chewy and packed with layers of flavour and texture. The saline acid ties it all to a post, the concentrated fruit forms a deep pool of flavour on the tongue. There's a lot to ponder, a lot to like, and thankfully, a whole bottle to drink. Get to it."
Ray Jordan 'Probably the best chardonnay from this small producer. Aromas of lime and light stone fruit with a trace of crunchy melon. It's a medium-bodied wine with the oak deliberately underplayed, though still taking an important role. A nice edge to the finish'.
Ned Goodwin 'A wine that glimpses the current zeitgeist, tauter expressions of chardonnay while also paying heed to the proclivity of Margaret River for generosity and texture. Honeydew melon and quice leap out of the blocks... a generous lick of medium French oak, toning the palate'.
Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Very light-straw colour. The aroma is reserved and a bit shy, with a faint floral overtone, while the palate is light but reasonably intense, straightforward and tickled up with a trace of sweetness. A pleasant wine but the price is a bit of an overreach."
The Western Australian Wine Guide 2018 "Brown Hill Estate is small family-run southern Margaret River producer has gone from strength to strength with a range of exceptional quality and value-for-money wines. The vines are all dry grown and on quite harsh gravelly soils, resulting in small yields. All grapes are hand-picked. The reds are put into a high percentage of new American and French oak. Great value and super wines." (2017 Vintage)
Decanter "A classic restrained nose which unfolds to real aromatic intensity on the palate. Grapefruit, grapefruit oil and a touch of green apple on the finish." (2017 Vintage)
Brown Hill Estate is a family run, multi-award winning Margaret River winery focussed on single vineyards. It utilizes traditional methods of handpicking and hand sorting to get the best quality from its grapes, and French coopered barrels in production.
Located in the south-western corner of Western Australia, it is famous for having a more 'European' wine style than its counterparts across Australia, owing to the regions temperate, coastal location which is very similar to that of Bordeaux.
Margaret River is one of the best-known wine regions in Australia, recognized internationally for the quality of its wines and the natural beauty of the region. Although originally renowned for its unusually refined Cabernet Sauvignon and intensely citrusy Chardonnay varieties, the region now produces Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blends and Shiraz.
Located in the south-western corner of Western Australia, it is famous for having a more 'European' wine style than its counterparts across Australia, owing to the regions temperate, coastal location which is very similar to that of Bordeaux.
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 Yabby Lake Single Vineyard Syrah 2019 - Victoria, Australia
91/100 Toni Paterson MW (2018 vintage)
91/100 Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine (2018 vintage)
96/100 GOLD James Halliday (2017 vintage)
95/200 Jeremy Oliver (2017 vintage)
92/100 The Wine Front (2017 vintage)
Four Stars - Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine (2018 vintage)
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards (2010 Vintage)
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards (2008 Vintage)
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards (2009 Vintage)
James Halliday 5 Star Winery
Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine “Elegant and beautifully balanced.....Opens with spicy cracked black pepper and bright notes of freshly picked blackberries. Plush and open with lovely freshness and vibrancy offering attractive fruit purity and peppery complexity....combines black cherry aromas with oak spices and a subtle touch of whole-bunch fragrance. There’s supple flesh on the palate with plenty of balanced tannin.”
The Winemaker "A perfumed and spicy Syrah, medium-bodied in style. The palate is concentrated and silky, with finely structured tannins, bright fruit characters, wonderful elegance and depth. Aged for 11 months in French oak. Stored carefully, this wine will age gracefully for ten years. "
Australian Wine Companion "This is another fantastic release under this label. Garden herbs, nuts, twigs and spice notes blend seamlessly with red and black cherries, licorice and wood smoke. Flamboyance is its middle name, but it has the discipline to make the most of it." (2017 vintage)
Yabby Lake Vineyard was established by the Kirby family in 1998 and over the past decade, Yabby Lake has built a reputation for single-vineyard Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay and Pinot Noir of great purity and character.
James Halliday "This high-profile wine business was established by Robert and Mem Kirby (of Village Roadshow), who had been landowners in the Mornington Peninsula for decades. In 1998 they established Yabby Lake Vineyard, under the direction of vineyard manager Keith Harris; the vineyard is on a north-facing slope, capturing maximum sunshine while also receiving sea breezes. The main focus is the 25ha of pinot noir, 14ha of chardonnay and 8ha of pinot gris; 3h of shiraz, merlot and sauvignon blanc take a back seat. The arrival of the hugely talented Tom Carson as Group Winemaker has added lustre to the winery and its wines, making the first Jimmy Watson Trophy-winning Pinot Noir in 2014, and continuing to blitz the Australian wine show circuit with Single Block Pinots."
Led by Tom Carson "one of Australia's most lauded winemakers" so cites Huon Hooke of the Real Review. Under Carson's direction, Yabby Lake's philosophy is to craft wines representative of their site and their season in which they were grown. Yabby Lake believe it’s this attention and care in the vineyard that is most critical to allowing this expression.
Huon Hooke "One of Carson’s biggest moments was winning the Jimmy Watson Trophy [Australia's most prestigious winemaker accolade] with his 2012 Block 1 Pinot Noir – the first pinot ever to win this coveted award."
Mornington Peninsula is one of Victoria's most important Australian wine regions, located an hour's drive south of Melbourne on the southern coast of Australia. It is one of Australia's coolest winegrowing regions and produces elegant Chardonnay and internationally award-winning Pinot Noir wines, and gaining a reputation for its quality medium-bodied, peppery shiraz.
Syrah is a dark-skinned red wine grape. Its origins have been popularly debated, but its modern viticultural home is unquestionably the northern Rhône Valley of eastern France. In Australia, Syrah is the flagship variety and has developed such a distinct personality that it is essentially regarded as a distinct variety, is commonly known as Shiraz.
1 x McHenry Hohnen Chloe Rose 2022 ~ Margaret River, Western Australia
95/100 Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion
5 Stars Winery - James Halliday
"Halliday Wine Companion - Australian Winery of the Year 2022 & 2023"
Top Rated Rosé of the Year 2024 - Halliday Wine Companion
Australian Certified Biodynamic
Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion " Mataro is the stepping stone for this super-dry and refreshing rosé. Aromas merely flutter in – rose petal, a dusting of spice and smoked meats. The palate is where all the action lies. Racy thanks to its acidity, plus there’s texture and a light phenolic grip making this pleasing to the last drop."
Saint Wine "Now under the sole stewardship of Murray McHenry the drive has intensified to create wines that are supported by a complex and diversified environment, a natural interdependence that creates specificity that cannot be replicated. A focus on single vineyard wines crafted by head winemaker Japo Dalli Cani delivers a heightened experience to the consumer expression of regionality and purity that underpins the McHenry Hohnen ethos."
Founded by one of the pioneers of the Margaret River winemaking region, David Hohnen, and his brother in law, Murray McHenry, an accomplished fine wine retailer. Both have been making wine in Margaret River since the early 1970s. McHenry Hohnen vineyards are 100% biodynamic. Their three unique vineyards (Burnside, Calgardup and Hazel’s) produce wines that are a reflection of the land. McHenry Hohnen focus on crafting site expressive wines and are known for producing some of the region's best wines.
Margaret River is one of the best known wine regions in Australia, recognized internationally for the quality of its wines and the natural beauty of the region. Although originally renowned for its unusually refined cabernet sauvignon and intensely citrusy chardonnay varieties, the region now produces high quality Semillon-Sauvignon blends and Shiraz.
Located in the south-western corner of Western Australia, it is famous for having a more 'European' wine style than its counterparts across Australia, owing to the regions temperate, coastal location which is very similar to that of Bordeaux.
Rosé derives its name from the French word for pink. In Spain it is rosado and in Italy rosato. Rosé’s flavours and styles are as varied as the food it matches. Rosé predates white and red wine with ancient rosé-style wines dating back 8,000 years. The colour of a rosé can vary dramatically. A deep fuchsia pink rosé may be bone-dry, though it’s likely to be full flavoured given balance by a gentle squeeze of tannin. Tannin primarily comes from the skin of a grape – as does colour. It’s tannin that sets rosé apart from white and red wine. Almost all wine grapes have clear juice; it’s the skins that give the colour. Grenache is the most popular grape used in rosé, with its lifted confectionary aromas, juicy red fruit flavours and mild-mannered tannins creating the textbook triumvirate for rosé. The temperate Provence region of France is home to some of the world’s most accliamed rosé, perhaps naturally, given it’s widely planted with grenache and its Rhône varietals; mourvèdre, cinsault and syrah.
Celebrate the new year with the Premium Festive Year-Starter Selection 6 Pack, featuring a sparkling array of Champagne, reds, whites, and a delightful rosé. This curated collection is designed to elevate any celebration, offering Champagne for memorable toasts, bold reds to complement hearty dishes, crisp whites for a refreshing sip, and a vibrant rosé for versatile enjoyment. Perfect for gatherings or intimate celebrations, this selection brings together festive flavors and premium quality for an unforgettable start to the year.
1 x Maxime Blin Son Naturel Optimiste (Organic) - Champagne, France
Winemaker "A full bodied smooth and lingering Champagne, round, long, harminious, with a minerality on the finish. Ideal for an aperiftif, to accompany oysters and fish.
Maxime Blin is served on Qatar Airways & Air Italy
80% Pinot Noir 20% Chardonnay
Champagne Maxime Blin has captured the attention of the world's champagne experts. This fourth-generation family owned champagne house has produced many award winning champagnes which are rated highly and celebrated for their expression of the famous terrior in which the vineyard is located. It is one of the few certified organic champagne producers in the worrld. Situated in the Champagne village of Saint Thierry near Reims - the center of the Champagne world - boasting Veuve Clicquot, Pommery, Ruinart and Taittinger, Champagne Maxime Blin is the rising star amongst its big name neighbours.
Maxime Blin has been certified organic since 2021. The company. produced its first organic champagne in 2022. Maxime Blin champagnes are highly sought after due to the qualtiy and low volume of champagnes it produces. It cultivates the three Champagne grape varieties, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay on vines with an average age of twenty years.
Maxime Blin produces 11 champagnes ( Carte Blanche, Carte Douce, Rosé, Millésime, Grande Tradition, Cuvée l'Onirique, Cuvée l'Authentique, Cuvée Maxime, Millesime 1998, Cuvée Craziness, Clés d'Eole). Among the brands' many admirers which include artists, musicians, and wine experts, the Italian actress Manuela Arcuri, every year for her birthday, orders the Cuvée 'Craziness'.
Champagne is the most iconic sparkling wine in the world, produced in the region of Champagne in France. Synonymous with celebration, champagne is typically produced from a few specific varieties of grapes: pinot noir, chardonnay, and pinot meunier. With effervescent flavors of citrus, almond, and apple, champagne comes in varying levels of sweetness and has a moderate amount of alcohol. The most treasured Champagnes age for a minimum of 3 years.
The Champagne region is located 140 kilometres from Paris, France. While the vines in this region have been producing wine since the Roman era, it is only in the past couple of hundred years that winemakers began producing Champagne using méthode champenoise - the complex method that produces the style of Champagne the world knows and loves today. Another important component of the production of champagne is the chalk and limestone soils which dominate the Champagne region. Vines grown in these conditions result in wines that are high in acidity - a key component to making good sparkling wine. Champagne's northerly location - about as north as grapes can ripen - also allow for higher acidity and lower alcohol levels which are also very important for producing quality sparkling wine.
The UNESCO World Heritage site of the wine growing region of Champagne is best known for the world's most famous wine product: champagne. The region of Champagne, traces its roots to the early medieval kingdom of Austrasia that was annexed to the French crown in the 1300s. Right from the early ages, the region has been famed for its hillside vineyards and its strictly regulated methods of creating those pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay grapes into – champagne. It is this ‘Method Champenois’ that connects champagne to its rich history, geographical location and image of luxury.
1 x McHenry Hohnen Calgardup Brook Vineyard Chardonnay (Organic) 2018 ~ Margaret River, Western Australia
95/100 Campbell Mattinson
91/100 Decanter World Wine Awards
97/100 - Top Chardonnay Halliday Wine Companion Awards 2023 (2020 vintage)
95/100 The Wine Front (2017 vintage)
93/100 James Suckling (2017 vintage)
94/100 The Wine Front (2016 vintage)
94/11 Decanter World Wine Awards (2015 vintage)
97/100 The Real Review (2015 vintage)
96/100 The West Australian Wine Guide 2017 (2015 vintage)
95/100 James Halliday Wine Companion 2017 (2014 vintage)
93/100 The Real Review (2014 vintage)
Bronze - Royal Melbourne Wine Awards 2019
Bronze - 2019 Langton's Margaret River Wine Show
Silver - Wine Show of Western Australia 2019
5-star Winery – Halliday Wine Companion
Halliday's Wine Companion Awards 2023 - Top Wineries of 2022 & 2023
Organic
Campbell Mattinson “Elegant power is a good way to describe it. It's flinty but not too much so, fleshed with stone fruit, touched up with meal and green apple, and intricately complex to close. All the while sweet fruit flows. It's an easy wine to get excited over.”
Decanter “Soft and creamy, with intense lemon curd augmenting baking spice, green pineapple and mango skin. Packed and phenolic, with freshness and length.”
The Winemaker “The nose opens with notes of oyster shell, frangipani and sea spray with delicate nashi pear pulp and nectarine. Wild fermentation with full solids provides flinty complexity and extended time on lees adds intrigue and excellent length to the palate. A distinctive saline acidity and attractive chalk-like structure complement the mineral nature of this unique Southern Margaret River vineyard near the Indian Ocean.”
Halliday Wine Companion Awards 2023, Erin Larkin "Fruit from the Calgardup Brook vineyard (planted 1997) on coastal limestone loam. All single-vineyard chardonnays are made in the same way here, highlighting the differences in terroir: Hand picked, whole-bunch pressed, full solids, wild ferment in barrel (25% new) and 4 months' maturation, partial mlf, fortnightly bâtonnage. Where the Burnside is granitic, mineral and fine, this is pithy, saline and expansive, with layers of cheesecloth and lanolin amongst the ripe stone fruit. More volume and density of flavour than the Burnside (neither here nor there qualitatively, simply an observation), this is sensational. Utterly." (2020 vintage)
Mike Bennie, The Wine Front "Far out. How good are McHenry Hohnen wines getting? And quite diverse in their feel compared to most from the region. Stellar. Lots of battonage, lots of lees, “I’m just obsessed with flavour” says winemaker Julian Grounds. Righteous. So much to like here. A quietly powerful, detailed chardonnay that shows with citrus, green apple, lashings of ‘mineral’, faint toast and whiffs of peanut/cashew. The palate follows a similar route, powerful in flavour but not stretching the palate with oomph, instead, precise, tight, true and long. Scintillating stuff here." (2017 Vintage)
Nick Butler, The Real Review "An attractive mix of white stone fruits, citrus rind and classy oak. It's creamy on the front palate, which dives into a tart lemon and lime acidity. Bright, fresh and balanced; it's a lovely wine, though lacking the core and fruit weight of warmer ripening seasons." (2017 Vintage)
Nick Stock, James Suckling "Quite savory and elegant chardonnay with aromas of fresh pastry and dry stones, as well as white melon and light peach. The palate has sleek, elegantly cut style with melon and peach here, too, Very crisp, long and elegant. Drink or hold. Screw cap." (2017 Vintage)
Gary Walsh, The Wine Front "White peach, mint nougat, subtle spice, stones and struck match. Medium bodied, cool and flinty, beautiful fine acidity, citrus and a suggestion of lemon curd, with a tight long lemon-laced finish. Great bone structure here, and a fine and exciting wine to drink." (2016 Vintage)
Nick Ryan, The Australian "The coolest of the three sites, feeling the force of the ocean breezes and planted on coastal sand. It shows. The wine is lean, tight and linear, smells of sea spray and the pith of preserved lemons, and hums with a fine, flinty acidity. For now, my pick of the three." (2016 Vintage)
Peter Forrestal, Decanter "Sourced from an estate vineyard in the region's cool south near Witchcliffe, this has restrained power and tightly coiled grapefruit and citrus flavours, before a mouth-puckering finish that lingers." (2015 Vintage)
Ray Jordan, The West Australian Wine Guide 2017 "Another superb wine from this vineyard which always seems to to produce wines of such delicate finesse and fineness. This is right on the money but still with an intensity and persistence that stamps the chardonnay style. The best yet from this vineyard." (2015 Vintage)
Mike Bennie, The Wine Front " We’ve all known that McHenry Hohnen has been a bit of a secret weapon for terrific (chardonnay particularly) Margaret River wines, but with their shift to biodynamic farming and now a new winemaker in Julian Grounds, hold onto your hats. Grounds has done his time at Giant Steps with Steve Flamsteed, and has papal blessings from Flamsteed in this new role. Indeed, word on the street is, many, many people are thrilled for this move. A touch of high end Yarra hits Margs. Nice one. Grounds in his early days has already reached out to say gday, personally, unprompted it felt, which says something about determination and intent. Stay tuned.
Complex bouquet shows stone fruit, green apple, faint flint/struck match, whiff of grilled nuts, faint fern character. Pitch perfect delicate. More assertive to taste with a flood of green apple, savoury oatmeal and nuttiness, gentle cedar spice, cool acidity. Even flow, superb balance, elegance. It’s very, very good, seamless, supple chardonnay. Classic. " (2015 Vintage)
James Halliday "The Calgardup Brook Vineyard lies just inland from the coast, with well weathered sandy, schisty soils; hand-picked, whole bunch-pressed to French oak (20% new), wild-fermented, no mlf, aged on lees. Lemon meringue is a great call for the bouquet, some spice also in the action; elegant white peach flavours give way to bouncy grapefruit zest on the well balanced and long finish." (2014 Vintage)
Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Light, bright yellow hue and a lifted ethyl acetate aroma, the volatility confirmed by the palate. It has issues. Most drinkers would not identify them, but the VA (volatile acidity) did inhibit the flavour and aroma. Extraordinarily, though, the longer this wine was exposed to the air, the better it tasted. Food (Comte cheese) also helped tame the beast. It soon became delicious. Very dry, nicely concentrated flavour and acidity, layers of complex aromas and flavours, good oak and 'worked' lees characters. A very good wine indeed. Wild ferment VA is forgiven." (2014 Vintage)
James Halliday "Whole bunch-pressed, wild yeast-fermented, matured in French barriques (20% new) with lees contact. Is very focused and tight, its flavours wound up in a ball of fruit, with generic white stone fruit and melon lurking in the shadows." (2013 Vintage)
Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Medium to full straw-yellow hue. The bouquet is toasty and lightly smoky, attractive and quite complex, with richness and concentration, depth and weight. Indeed, it's an opulent style, full-bodied and generously proportioned. The finish is very long and resonant, partly due to the heat from apparently high alcohol. (it certainly seems higher than the stated 13.5%) This needs food and would cope with strongly flavoured white meat dishes." (2013 Vintage)
James Halliday Wine Companion 2014 "This has the lightest colour of the three, here the soils, just inland from the coast, are sandy and schisty, and well weathered; it is the most intense and elegant, with white stone fruit and grapefruit at its core." (2012 Vintage)
James Halliday Wine Companion 2012 "Bright straw-green; the faintly funky bouquet is complex, an appropriate introduction for a palate with layers of flavour of white peach and fig/cashew ex partial mlf, before glorious grapefruit acidity takes over and drives the wine through to its lingering, pure finish." (2009 Vintage)
McHenry Hohnen was founded by one of the pioneers of the Margaret River winemaking region, David Hohnen and his brother in law, Murray McHenry, an accomplished fine wine retailer. Both have been making wine in Margaret River since the early 1970’s. McHenry Hohnen vineyards are 100% biodynamic. Their three unique vineyards (Burnside, Calgardup and Hazel’s) produce wines that are a reflection of the land. McHenry Hohnen focuses on crafting site-expressive wines and are known for producing some of the region's best wines.
Margaret River is one of the best-known wine regions in Australia, recognized internationally for the quality of its wines and the natural beauty of the region. Although originally renowned for its unusually refined Cabernet Sauvignon and intensely citrusy Chardonnay varieties, the region now produces Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blends and Shiraz.
Located in the south-western corner of Western Australia, it is famous for having a more 'European' wine style than its counterparts across Australia, owing to the regions temperate, coastal location, which is very similar to that of Bordeaux.
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 Chateau Roc de Segur 2018 - Bordeaux, France
Bronze - Roger, Voss Wine Enthusiast
Bronze - Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast (2015 vintage)
Silver - Concours General Agricole Paris
8% Petit Verdot, 8% Malbec, 26% Cabernet-sauvignon, 58% Merlot
Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast "Well balanced and ready to drink, this wine offers generous black fruits and acidity. Its light structure gives the wine shape."
Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast "This structured wine comes from a chateau in the the eastern Entre-deux-Mers. Firm tannins and acidity combine well with juicy black-currant flavors. A dry core indicates that the wine will age." (2015 vintage)
Wine Library "Tasting prifile includes currant, black cherry, plum, bell pepper, olive, oak, smoke, toast, tar, blackberry, cherry, asparagus, spice, ginger and vanilla."
The House of Ségur is an old French winery dating back to the 9th century. The Marquis de Ségur, Nicholas Alexandre (1697 – 1755) was the largest owner of vineyards in Bordeaux (owning three First Growths: Latour, Lafite and Mouton) which earned him the nickname “Prince of Vines” from King Louis XV. Under the Marquis' influence, the wines of Chateau Lafite became firmly established in the London market. British Prime Minister Robert Walpole was a frequent customer, purchasing a barrel every three months.
Today’s 47-hectare vineyard, planted in 1992, is owned by Gisèle and Daniel Vidal – it is situated on a vast limestone plateau overlooking the breathtaking Segur Valley.
Bordeaux, in the southwest of France, needs little introduction as one of the world's most famous, prestigious and prolific wine regions. Its three trump cards are diversity, quality and quantity. The majority of Bordeaux wines (nearly 90 percent of production volume) are the dry, medium- and full-bodied red Bordeaux Blends that established its reputation.
The finest (and most expensive) of these come from the great châteaux of the Haut-Médoc and the Right Bank appellations Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. The legendary reds are complemented by high-quality white wines, both dry styles (particularly from Pessac-Léognan) and the sweet, botrytized nectars of Sauternes.
A Bordeaux Blend is any combination of those grape varieties typically used to make the red wines of Bordeaux. Cabernet Sauvignon is widely accepted as a compulsory component of any Bordeaux Blend along with Merlot. In fact, the majority of Bordeaux Blend wines are often made exclusively from a blend of these two varieties. The remaining components are Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.
1 x Brown Hill Golden Horseshoe Reserve Chardonnay 2019 ~ Margaret River, Western Australia
95/100 - The Wine Companion
93/100 - Ned Goodwin, Halliday Wine Companion
88/100 The Real Review
‘SMALL PRODUCER OF THE YEAR’ ~ The West Australian Wine Guide 2010
‘SMALL PRODUCER OF THE YEAR’ ~ The West Australian Wine, Guide 2009
Erin Larkin, The Wine Companion "Hand picked, whole-bunch pressed, fermented in a combination of seasoned and new French oak. Toasty, chewy and packed with layers of flavour and texture. The saline acid ties it all to a post, the concentrated fruit forms a deep pool of flavour on the tongue. There's a lot to ponder, a lot to like, and thankfully, a whole bottle to drink. Get to it."
Ray Jordan 'Probably the best chardonnay from this small producer. Aromas of lime and light stone fruit with a trace of crunchy melon. It's a medium-bodied wine with the oak deliberately underplayed, though still taking an important role. A nice edge to the finish'.
Ned Goodwin 'A wine that glimpses the current zeitgeist, tauter expressions of chardonnay while also paying heed to the proclivity of Margaret River for generosity and texture. Honeydew melon and quice leap out of the blocks... a generous lick of medium French oak, toning the palate'.
Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Very light-straw colour. The aroma is reserved and a bit shy, with a faint floral overtone, while the palate is light but reasonably intense, straightforward and tickled up with a trace of sweetness. A pleasant wine but the price is a bit of an overreach."
The Western Australian Wine Guide 2018 "Brown Hill Estate is small family-run southern Margaret River producer has gone from strength to strength with a range of exceptional quality and value-for-money wines. The vines are all dry grown and on quite harsh gravelly soils, resulting in small yields. All grapes are hand-picked. The reds are put into a high percentage of new American and French oak. Great value and super wines." (2017 Vintage)
Decanter "A classic restrained nose which unfolds to real aromatic intensity on the palate. Grapefruit, grapefruit oil and a touch of green apple on the finish." (2017 Vintage)
Brown Hill Estate is a family run, multi-award winning Margaret River winery focussed on single vineyards. It utilizes traditional methods of handpicking and hand sorting to get the best quality from its grapes, and French coopered barrels in production.
Located in the south-western corner of Western Australia, it is famous for having a more 'European' wine style than its counterparts across Australia, owing to the regions temperate, coastal location which is very similar to that of Bordeaux.
Margaret River is one of the best-known wine regions in Australia, recognized internationally for the quality of its wines and the natural beauty of the region. Although originally renowned for its unusually refined Cabernet Sauvignon and intensely citrusy Chardonnay varieties, the region now produces Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blends and Shiraz.
Located in the south-western corner of Western Australia, it is famous for having a more 'European' wine style than its counterparts across Australia, owing to the regions temperate, coastal location which is very similar to that of Bordeaux.
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 Yabby Lake Single Vineyard Syrah 2019 - Victoria, Australia
91/100 Toni Paterson MW (2018 vintage)
91/100 Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine (2018 vintage)
96/100 GOLD James Halliday (2017 vintage)
95/200 Jeremy Oliver (2017 vintage)
92/100 The Wine Front (2017 vintage)
Four Stars - Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine (2018 vintage)
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards (2010 Vintage)
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards (2008 Vintage)
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards (2009 Vintage)
James Halliday 5 Star Winery
Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine “Elegant and beautifully balanced.....Opens with spicy cracked black pepper and bright notes of freshly picked blackberries. Plush and open with lovely freshness and vibrancy offering attractive fruit purity and peppery complexity....combines black cherry aromas with oak spices and a subtle touch of whole-bunch fragrance. There’s supple flesh on the palate with plenty of balanced tannin.”
The Winemaker "A perfumed and spicy Syrah, medium-bodied in style. The palate is concentrated and silky, with finely structured tannins, bright fruit characters, wonderful elegance and depth. Aged for 11 months in French oak. Stored carefully, this wine will age gracefully for ten years. "
Australian Wine Companion "This is another fantastic release under this label. Garden herbs, nuts, twigs and spice notes blend seamlessly with red and black cherries, licorice and wood smoke. Flamboyance is its middle name, but it has the discipline to make the most of it." (2017 vintage)
Yabby Lake Vineyard was established by the Kirby family in 1998 and over the past decade, Yabby Lake has built a reputation for single-vineyard Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay and Pinot Noir of great purity and character.
James Halliday "This high-profile wine business was established by Robert and Mem Kirby (of Village Roadshow), who had been landowners in the Mornington Peninsula for decades. In 1998 they established Yabby Lake Vineyard, under the direction of vineyard manager Keith Harris; the vineyard is on a north-facing slope, capturing maximum sunshine while also receiving sea breezes. The main focus is the 25ha of pinot noir, 14ha of chardonnay and 8ha of pinot gris; 3h of shiraz, merlot and sauvignon blanc take a back seat. The arrival of the hugely talented Tom Carson as Group Winemaker has added lustre to the winery and its wines, making the first Jimmy Watson Trophy-winning Pinot Noir in 2014, and continuing to blitz the Australian wine show circuit with Single Block Pinots."
Led by Tom Carson "one of Australia's most lauded winemakers" so cites Huon Hooke of the Real Review. Under Carson's direction, Yabby Lake's philosophy is to craft wines representative of their site and their season in which they were grown. Yabby Lake believe it’s this attention and care in the vineyard that is most critical to allowing this expression.
Huon Hooke "One of Carson’s biggest moments was winning the Jimmy Watson Trophy [Australia's most prestigious winemaker accolade] with his 2012 Block 1 Pinot Noir – the first pinot ever to win this coveted award."
Mornington Peninsula is one of Victoria's most important Australian wine regions, located an hour's drive south of Melbourne on the southern coast of Australia. It is one of Australia's coolest winegrowing regions and produces elegant Chardonnay and internationally award-winning Pinot Noir wines, and gaining a reputation for its quality medium-bodied, peppery shiraz.
Syrah is a dark-skinned red wine grape. Its origins have been popularly debated, but its modern viticultural home is unquestionably the northern Rhône Valley of eastern France. In Australia, Syrah is the flagship variety and has developed such a distinct personality that it is essentially regarded as a distinct variety, is commonly known as Shiraz.
1 x McHenry Hohnen Chloe Rose 2022 ~ Margaret River, Western Australia
95/100 Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion
5 Stars Winery - James Halliday
"Halliday Wine Companion - Australian Winery of the Year 2022 & 2023"
Top Rated Rosé of the Year 2024 - Halliday Wine Companion
Australian Certified Biodynamic
Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion " Mataro is the stepping stone for this super-dry and refreshing rosé. Aromas merely flutter in – rose petal, a dusting of spice and smoked meats. The palate is where all the action lies. Racy thanks to its acidity, plus there’s texture and a light phenolic grip making this pleasing to the last drop."
Saint Wine "Now under the sole stewardship of Murray McHenry the drive has intensified to create wines that are supported by a complex and diversified environment, a natural interdependence that creates specificity that cannot be replicated. A focus on single vineyard wines crafted by head winemaker Japo Dalli Cani delivers a heightened experience to the consumer expression of regionality and purity that underpins the McHenry Hohnen ethos."
Founded by one of the pioneers of the Margaret River winemaking region, David Hohnen, and his brother in law, Murray McHenry, an accomplished fine wine retailer. Both have been making wine in Margaret River since the early 1970s. McHenry Hohnen vineyards are 100% biodynamic. Their three unique vineyards (Burnside, Calgardup and Hazel’s) produce wines that are a reflection of the land. McHenry Hohnen focus on crafting site expressive wines and are known for producing some of the region's best wines.
Margaret River is one of the best known wine regions in Australia, recognized internationally for the quality of its wines and the natural beauty of the region. Although originally renowned for its unusually refined cabernet sauvignon and intensely citrusy chardonnay varieties, the region now produces high quality Semillon-Sauvignon blends and Shiraz.
Located in the south-western corner of Western Australia, it is famous for having a more 'European' wine style than its counterparts across Australia, owing to the regions temperate, coastal location which is very similar to that of Bordeaux.
Rosé derives its name from the French word for pink. In Spain it is rosado and in Italy rosato. Rosé’s flavours and styles are as varied as the food it matches. Rosé predates white and red wine with ancient rosé-style wines dating back 8,000 years. The colour of a rosé can vary dramatically. A deep fuchsia pink rosé may be bone-dry, though it’s likely to be full flavoured given balance by a gentle squeeze of tannin. Tannin primarily comes from the skin of a grape – as does colour. It’s tannin that sets rosé apart from white and red wine. Almost all wine grapes have clear juice; it’s the skins that give the colour. Grenache is the most popular grape used in rosé, with its lifted confectionary aromas, juicy red fruit flavours and mild-mannered tannins creating the textbook triumvirate for rosé. The temperate Provence region of France is home to some of the world’s most accliamed rosé, perhaps naturally, given it’s widely planted with grenache and its Rhône varietals; mourvèdre, cinsault and syrah.