100 points)

Mac Forbes makes some great wines from fruit grown in the Yarra Valley; Pinot Noir and Chardonnay released as Single Vineyard, and Village. As well as Cabernet and Merlot released under the 'Hugh' label. But for me the most interesting stand out has been the RS range of Riesling which predominately comes from the Strathbogie…

ByCrispyJune 21, 2023

DRINK > WINE DRINK > WINE > Pinot Noir

WINE > Chatto ‘Bird’ Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021 (93/100)

Its the beginning of winter and for me that always means a range of delicious foods come onto the menu. It is a time to enjoy anything with truffle, slow cooked meats, rich pate, sharp smelly cheese, and warm soups. And being a pinot-phile I am drawn to drinking Pinot Noir over any other varietal,…

ByCrispyJune 15, 2023

DRINK > WINE DRINK > WINE > Pinot Noir

WINE > Terra Sancta – Shingle Beach Pinot Noir

PREFACE The first think you notice with Terra Sancta wines is how the label jumps out at you, it is both bold and totally different to what you find from most Australian and New Zealand premium wines today and yet this could easily be a classic European bottle with its styling. This feels reflective…

ByCrispyMay 24, 2023

DRINK > WINE DRINK > WINE > Merlot

WINE > Paternoster ‘Heaven’s Door’ Merlot 2001

Ferreting around in the cellar and looking for a nice bottle to share with my father I found a bottle of Paternoster ‘Heaven’s Door Merlot’ sitting on a bottom shelf, it was a 2001 vintage. I vaguely remembered buying the wine from Cloud Wine in South Melbourne after one of Geoffrey’s wine tasting…

ByCrispyMay 12, 2023

DRINK > WINE DRINK > WINE > Pinot Noir

WINE > Irrewarra Pinot Noir 2020

The Irrewarra Pinot Noir comes from grapes dry grown on a plot of land planted in 2001 by the Calvert family, in the Western Plains of Victoria. This wine made Nick Farr now also wine maker for ByFarr Wines. Nick Farr readily acknowledges the influence of his father (the legendary Gary Farr who established…

ByCrispyMay 10, 2023

CARS DESIGN

DRIVE > Ineos Grenadier

Land Rover Defender The Ineos Grenadier features the marketing line “built on purpose” and that is exactly what you get with this new entry to the four wheel drive all terrain workhorse car market. If you are not aware of the back story of how in 2017 billionaire Jim Ratcliffe CEO of Ineos (a…

ByCrispyMay 5, 2023

EAT EAT > MELBOURNE

EAT > Ishizuka (Melbourne)

It's not easy to find Ishizuka, there are few discreet signs near the street entrance, leading down a narrow lane, to a door and what looks like an apartment complex lift lobby. Take the lift to the basement and you are ushered into a very special room where you are elevated to one…

ByCrispyMay 3, 2023

DRINK > WINE DRINK > WINE > Pinot Noir

WINE > Bindi Dixon Pinot Noir 2021

I have been a fan of Bindi wines for 5 or 6 years and a regular collector of the Bindi Dixon which has continued to be an outstanding representation of the best Pinot Noir from the Macedon region of Victoria. But there is something special about the 2021 release that lifts it above recent releases…

ByCrispyApril 28, 2023

DRINK > WINE DRINK > WINE > Tempranillo

WINE > La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904 (2011)

There are some wines that are truly remarkable, recalling them evokes memories that touch all of the senses, reminding you of where you were, what you ate, who you were with. I clearly recall the first time I tasted the La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva, it was in New York at the super…

ByCrispyApril 20, 2023

DRINK > WINE DRINK > WINE > Pinot Noir

WINE > Hurley Lodestone Pinot Noir 2020

THE VINEYARD The original Hurley Farm was established by Irish settlers (William and Johanna Hurley) in the 1860's, but it is the current owners Tricia Byrnes and Kevin Bell who first planted vines at the Balnarring property on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria in 1998. Their the sole intention was to establish single vineyard pinot…

ByCrispyApril 18, 2023

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