2024 Wine Companion – the Halliday Stars Keep Shining ๐๐๐๐๐
The 2024 Halliday Wine Companion has just been released, reviewing over 3,500 Australian wineries & their wines. We are delighted to retain our 5-red-star winery rating, the highest awarded by the Halliday team. Plus, five new wines were awarded scores of 92 – 95 points. It’s satisfying to see wines from all our ranges receiving high scores, from our affordable everyday Varietal range to our premium Flagship range. We hope you enjoy exploring & tasting some of the Halliday team’s favourites.
Newly rated in the 2024 Halliday Wine Companion
2021 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
95/100 Gold
“A 60/40% blend from South Australia; hand-picked, destemmed, pumped to tank for settling, the semillon fermented in new French puncheons, the sauvignon blanc tank fermented, both parts using cultured yeast; matured for 12 months in barrel and tank, no mlf. Absolutely awash with flavour, ranging from citrus to exotic tropical notes. Yale Norris winemaker.” Reviewed by: James Halliday, August 2023
2021 Sangiovese
95/100 Gold
โMachine-harvested, hand-sorted; very good colour. Fragrant bouquet and a complex, medium-bodied palate with cherry all-sorts: red, black and spiced. Overall a very good wine. Finely milled tannins the icing on the cake.โ Reviewed by: James Halliday, July 2023
Vintage now sold out. Vintage 2022 pre-release is available to Discoverer’s Wine Club Members.
General release 01 September 2023.
2022 Sauvignon Blanc
92/100 Silver
“Hand-picked Kangaroo Island fruit, destemmed, pumped to tank for 24-hour skin contact. A counter-intuitive wine, with Old World experience. Despite fearing the worst, it isn’t phenolic, perhaps the cultured yeast is the sauvignon blanc clone isolated, not genetically manipulated. It’s a wine with superior mouthfeel. Yale Norris winemaker.” Reviewed by: James Halliday, July 2023
2022 The Rose
94/100 Silver
“Ultra-pale partridge eye. Jacques Lurton had primary responsibility for this wine, underlining the skilled balance between wild strawberries and forest nuances sneaking up to a mouth-cleansing finish. Ideal for Chinese cuisine.”
Reviewed by: James Halliday, June 2023
Vintage now sold out. Vintage 2022 pre-release is available to Discoverer’s Wine Club Members.
General release 01 September 2023.
2023 Halliday Wine Companion-rated wines
2021 The Red Shiraz
94/100 Silver
โ30% extended maceration post mechanical harvest late April. Matured 5 months in French puncheons (30% new). The crimson-magenta hue is striking. Positively juicy, with black cherry and plum fruit; tannin extract minimal. Altogether unusual wine, and it would be interesting to buy 6 or so bottles and track its development over the next 5 years or more.โ Reviewed by: James Halliday, December 2021
Petiyante Sparkling Chardonnay/Pinot Noir
92/100 Silver
“A playful sparkling in name and deed – Petiyante is a nod to the French word for bubbly. Lemon tart, baked apples, white florals and citrus zest is a good representation of the island’s cooler climate. Bright on entry, the grapefruit and sherbety lift melds well with a sense of fresh-baked bread. Fine and steely.”
Reviewed by: Jenni Port, February 2020
2019 Old Rowley Shiraz Grenache
95/100 Gold
“A brilliant purple sheen is an enticing introduction to this smart, young Shiraz grenache. Softness is the key here together with a discreet, still emerging personality. It has a way to go. Pepper, spice, blackberries and red earth aromas. Deliciously ripe palate with dark cherry, black fruits and grenache violets and confection. Tannins are firm. Bottle age is a must.” Reviewed by: Jenni Port, February 2020
2018 Boundary Track Shiraz
96/100 Gold
“Estate-grown bush vines, hand picked and sorted, berry by berry. Wild fermented in 1000L ceramic eggs; left on skins for 8 weeks for conclusion of mlf, thence matured in French demis (25% new) for 24 months. Still holding a crimson edge to the hue, it is a beautifully made wine with silky tannins and fruit freshness, the oak playing a nigh-on unseen hand. One glass insists on another.”
Reviewed: James Halliday, December 2021
2015 The Investigator Cabernet Franc
95/100 Gold
“Hand-picked, destemmed into demi-muids for wild fermentation, 20% skins return, maceration continued until mlf complete, the wine drained and the skins and stems passed through the hand basket press, matured for 2 years on lees in demi-muids. Jacques Lurton has always loved cabernet franc, and this spicy red-fruited wine, plus its diamond dust tannins, shows why.” Reviewed by: James Halliday, February 2019
2017 The Cygnet Shiraz
95/100 Gold
“Organically managed estate bush vines, hand picked, destemmed and and whole-berry table-sorted. Wild-yeast fermentation in used 600L demis, mlf completed before the must is basket pressed and gravity racked to new 600L French demis for 24 months’ maturation. The quality of the oak is clearly good and is still to pull its head in, but will certainly do so as part of a long future. It’s an elegant wine and already attractive, with more in store as the oak diminishes.โvReviewed by: James Halliday, December 2021
Not yet released. Discoverer’s Wine Club Members receive advance access to all vintage releases.
2015 The Cygnet Shiraz
97/100 Gold
“Hand-picked bushvine vineyard, destemmed into demi-muids for wild fermentation and extended maceration on skins until mlf completed, the juice run off and the skins pressed in a hand-operated basket press, blended after 2 years in demi-muids. An extremely complex and powerful wine with black fruits, spices, oak, tannins, earth and sea spray moulded into a single flame of flavour.”
Reviewed by: James Halliday, February 2019
2016 The Independence Malbec
96/100 Gold
“Hand-picked fruit, destemmed, table-sorted then barrel fermented in seasoned 600L demi-muids; left 5 weeks on skins, matured 24 months in new 600L demis. Deep crimson-purple hue, showing no sign of age. An alluring, expressive bouquet with licorice, polished leather, eastern spices, dried plum and earth all calling out. The palate tucks in behind that array, giving substance and cedary oak tannins on the long, perfectly balanced finish.โ
Reviewed by: James Halliday, December 2021
Not yet released. Discoverer’s Wine Club Members receive advance access to all vintage releases.
