This Week's Must-Try Wines from Vinous

Welcome to this week's Vinous Top Ten! Each week we compile a list of ten top wines from the Vinous database that you need to add to your wine wish list. With all the various regions, producers, and grapes, no week will be the same! All of the wines listed in this feature are available for purchase on Banquet . This week's must-try wines are from Josh Raynolds’ article, Western Australia: Old World–Style Reds and Whites . Enjoy an excerpt from this article and notes for this week's top ten below! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Western Australia is a virtual island unto itself within the country’s wine world. Its most famous viticultural region, Margaret River, is located almost 3,000 kilometers from the heart of the famed Barossa Valley, with precious little of anything except space in between. It’s a long way to the west, and the style of wines couldn’t be any more different.” --Josh Raynolds, Western Australia: Old World–Style Reds and Whites, July 2021 1. 2014 Cape Mentelle Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2. 2018 Cape Mentelle Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon 3. 2018 Cloudburst Chardonnay 4. 2016 Howard Park Shiraz Leston 5. 2016 Leeuwin Estate Shiraz Art Series 6. 2017 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series 7. 2015 Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec Tom Cullity 8. 2017 Vasse Felix Chardonnay 9. 2018 Vasse Felix Chardonnay Heytesbury 10. 2016 Vinaceous Wines Red Right Hand

Vinaceous

Red Right Hand Tempranillo 2016

Delectable Wine
9.1

Shimmering ruby. Smoke-tinged cherry and dark berry scents, along with cracked pepper and mocha accents. Juicy and focused on the palate, offering lively dark fruit and spicecake flavors that deepen and pick up a spicy nuance on the back half. Rounded tannins build slowly on the long, sappy finish, which leaves behind a hint of bitter cherry. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, July 2021)
— 3 years ago

Alex liked this

Vasse Felix

Tom Cullity Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec 2015

Delectable Wine
9.6

Inky ruby. A hugely perfumed bouquet evokes ripe dark berries, incense, vanilla, exotic spices and candied flowers, and a smoky oak nuance builds slowly in the glass. Sappy and penetrating on the palate, offering wonderfully concentrated yet lively cherry liqueur, black currant, fruitcake, lavender pastille and mocha flavors that are accented by cracked pepper and mineral flourishes. Shows outstanding energy and smoky persistence on the dark-fruit- and floral-dominated finish, which features building spiciness and youthfully gripping tannins. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, July 2021)
— 3 years ago

Cape Mentelle

Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc - Sémillon Blend 2018

Delectable Wine
9.1

Brilliant silver-straw. Lime zest, honeysuckle, succulent herbs and chalky minerals on the incisive nose. Dry, tightly focused and lithe on the palate, offering intense citrus and orchard fruit flavors that reveal a hint of waxiness and a refreshingly bitter quinine note. Shows a delicate touch and finishes clean, nervy and quite long, with resonating mineral character and a hint of lemon thyme. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, July 2021)
— 3 years ago

Vasse Felix

Heytesbury Margaret River Chardonnay 2018

Delectable Wine
9.6

Limpid yellow. Vibrant, gently oak-spiced aromas of fresh citrus and orchard fruits, along with suggestions of anise and smoky minerals. Stains the palate with concentrated yet lively Meyer lemon, Anjou pear and bitter quinine flavors that are sweetened by a subtle vanilla note. Shows superb clarity and minerally thrust on the strikingly long, focused finish, which leaves a suggestion of honeysuckle behind. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, July 2021)
— 3 years ago

Alex liked this

Leeuwin Estate

Art Series Margaret River Shiraz 2016

Delectable Wine
9.1

Dark violet. Oak-accented black and blue fruit flavors are complemented by hints of woodsmoke, espresso and baking spices. Round and fleshy in the mouth, offering appealingly sweet blackberry and cherry-vanilla flavors that firm up on the back half. Closes long and smooth, with velvety tannins and repeating smoke and blue fruit notes. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, July 2021)
— 3 years ago

Howard Park

Leston Margaret River Shiraz 2016

Delectable Wine
9.3

Deep, shimmering violet. Intensely perfumed cherry, cassis, potpourri and licorice aromas are complemented by smoky minerality and exotic spice nuances. Sappy and seamless in texture, offering bitter cherry and blue fruit flavors that expand and become sweeter with aeration. Shows excellent clarity and finishes impressively long and spicy, with round, even tannins and a lingering suggestion of blueberry preserves. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, July 2021)
— 3 years ago

Cape Mentelle

Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

Delectable Wine
9.3

Shimmering ruby. Smoke- and mineral-accented cherry and cassis scents are complemented by cigar box, cured tobacco and rose nuances. Silky and concentrated on the palate, offering penetrating dark berry and bitter cherry flavors supported by a spine of juicy acidity. Distinctly energetic in style, finishing with sharp clarity and slowly building, fine-grained tannins. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, July 2021)
— 3 years ago

Vasse Felix

Margaret River Chardonnay 2017

Delectable Wine
9.3

Translucent yellow. Meyer lemon, pear nectar, jasmine, vanilla and a hint of buttered toast on the intensely perfumed, mineral-accented nose. Juicy and energetic on the palate, offering sappy citrus and orchard fruit, floral, ginger and sweet butter flavors and a suggestion of salty minerality. Shows impressive energy and mineral bite on the chewy, penetrating finish, which features a repeating floral note. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, July 2021)
— 3 years ago

Leeuwin Estate

Art Series Margaret River Chardonnay 2017

Delectable Wine
9.6

Shimmering straw-yellow. Vibrant, mineral-accented aromas of white peach, pear, honeydew melon and Meyer lemon, along with a bright floral overtone. Juicy and densely packed, conveying a suave blend of richness and vivacity to the mineral-drenched citrus and orchard fruit and floral flavors. Takes on smoky lees, sweet butter and iodine notes with air and shows superb clarity on the strikingly long finish, which echoes the mineral and floral notes. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, July 2021)
— 3 years ago

Cloudburst

Margaret River Chardonnay 2018

Delectable Wine
9.5

Pale yellow-gold. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes fresh citrus, orchard and tropical fruits, iodine, buttered toast and pungent flowers, and a tarragon nuance builds with air. Shows superb concentration as well as energy, offering vibrant tangerine, Anjou pear, pineapple, sweet butter and anise flavors that tighten up slowly on the back half. Powerful yet graceful in style, displaying sharp definition and minerally thrust on an impressively persistent finish that features resonating floral and pear nectar flourishes. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, July 2021)
— 3 years ago