Notes of Toffee Apple initially - a little reductive to begin with. Pale dirty crimson - transparent in parts - quite Burgundian in colour. A light to medium weight palate but Medium intensity. Like a good Village, verging on Premier Cru. Interesting and tasty but needing about 4 or 5 years more to develop complexity. Jim Chatto is regarded as one of Australia’s best winemakers having been in charge at Mt Pleasant in the Hunter Valley and now running his own show in Tasmania. — 3 years ago
In the running for favorite wine, neck and neck with Stony Run Riesling. Yum! — 4 years ago
Revisiting the ‘20 Juvie with two more years in the cellar in it. Pleased to say it has mellowed quite a bit — medium purple with a nose that’s bright, sweet and full of dark fruit. The palate is long and warm (no longer ‘running hot on 15% abc’ as note on release) with kirsch, plum and subtle tannins. Excellent value. — a year ago
A bold nose of apricot pastry, maybe sweet apple tart, with notes of cinnamon, pineapple and subtle sweet lemon. Medium to heavy body, beautiful deep golden color inside, with lighter gold on the edges. The palate explodes with delicate oak, orange peel, roasted pineapple, lemon peel, bright acidity, slightly burnt brioche crust, apricot and a long lingering finish of tingly acid, with a slight dryness, but it goes running forever and it’s beautiful. Maybe even a slight wet-slate minerality at the verryyyy end. — 3 years ago
First time trying and wow - nicely woven integrated wine but my friend and fellow wine nerd @Shay A says it best so borrowing his comments from 2018 and I quote
“Jarvis winery is one of my all time favorite winery visits in Napa. Their caves are the most impressive I've seen, along with their natural springs running through the tunnels. Their merlot is my favorite out of Napa, and their
Cab Franc is a close second. This is 95% CF, 5% merlot. It balances ripe Napa CF and Loire Valley CF. Streak of green bell pepper down the middle with herbal spice, ripe
blackberry and stemmy dark fruits. There is plum, and spice cake on the finish. This needed an hour+ for the mid palate to beefen up and match the entry and finish”
Bravo and well said Shay - glad I found my patience with this wine bud — 4 years ago
Blue-red berries layered with a pervasive malty sweetness and cocoa-accented depths. Red jolly ranchers rolled in iron and mineral dust. Robust; a bit inky, but light-footed; lively acids running through. Classy bottle; aging beautifully with a long way to go. — a year ago
This wine must be the best value red in Coonawarra and also from the great 2018 vintage. Excellent value at $17.50 per bottle. Initial aromas of mint and blackberry. Excellent structure for such an inexpensive red. Bought this at the Cellar Door exactly a year ago when we were in Coonawarra doing vintage at Bellwether. Around 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Shiraz. Weirdly, another thing I liked was the really light empty glass bottle. Had my last bottle of a dozen 170 weeks later on 7th July 2025 with consistent notes. Must be in the running for best value red wine in Australia. — 3 years ago
Still up and running
The comparison with a Cornas makes sense
I trust other vintages are even better
Quite dark fruit like blueberry
White pepper and coriander
Velvety fee
Long and intriguing
I have a feeling that my grey mood is making me underrate some wines as if i can't enjoy them fully😑 — 4 years ago
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego
2023 vintage. Light-medium body with a consistent palate presence. No über-demonstrative characteristics but no gaping holes either. Pleasant, pretty and unafraid to converse throughout. At $15.10 resto cost a bottle, beyond decent value with most red Bourgogne efforts running me $35-$50 these days. Picked up two cases. The proverbial cheap chicken and the nice price. 03.28.25. — 3 months ago