Ned Goodwin MW, 2023

Masso Montepulciano 2021
96 Points
Arguably the finest wine at this address. Beautifully crafted, assuaging monte's tendency toward an acerbic dryness by promoting its floral freshness with gentle extraction and ample whole berries. Embraces the variety's sinuous, ferruginous tannins, sans perceivable new oak nor forfeit of power. In essence, not too much messing about. Very good drinking. The Italianates, the strong suit here.

Ourea Sagrantino 2020
95 Points
Sagrantino will never be responsible for wines of any great finesse. Yet when handled well, as in its spiritual home of Montefalco, it can produce wines of power, breadth, uncanny freshness and ferocious tannins, implacable but for patience and the virtues of time. This variety bodes well for Australia, and for the changing climate. A fine example. Think sage, mint, thyme, rosemary, salami and desiccated black cherry strung across a ferrous carapace, devoid of sweetness.

Cinquecento Sangiovese 2020
95 Points
Exemplary sangiovese. Among the best I've tasted in this country. This is an apogee of modern styling, without any forfeit of varietal personality, be it the frisk of tannins or flirt of freshness. Dried red cherry, lilac and anise brushed with thyme, sage and mint. The tannins, expansive, spindly and so refined. The oak, present yet an adjunct to the greater mould. Damn! Long and energetic. Exceptional.

Marsican Shiraz 2019
95 Points
A big, heavy bottle for an impactful wine. Very dense. A morass of dark fruits, molten and almost llicorella of pungency, oozes across a landscape saturated with lavender, five-spice, licorice strap and mace. The oak, positioned well. The fruit, capable of handling almost anything thrown at it. Long and forceful. Southern Rhône of feel, without the tannic mettle. This has some way to go.

Savitar Shiraz 2019
94 Points
Denser, more oaky and built for a longer life, perhaps, than its G.A.M. shiraz sibling. A regional stalwart, in the classicist mould. Coffee beans, vanilla, cedar and dark fruit allusions. Raspberry bonbon sweetness expands with air, sousing the finish. A bit hard to get past the oak at this stage, but time will surely imbue the benefit of the doubt.

G.A.M. Shiraz 2019
94 Points
A rich wine that plies a pulpy jubilance laden with blackcurrant, blueberry, anise and baking spices alongside a bracken density doused with coffee grind and cocoa nibs. The result is a confluence of freshness, svelte tannins, a well-positioned curb of oak and a nourishing finish that will please traditionalists, as much as lovers of fresher, contemporary styles.

Angela Shiraz 2020
93 Points
Modern shiraz from a warm place, albeit riding a sleigh of tension. A clench of reduction confers floral and iodine scents, evincing an air of somewhere considerably cooler. Boysenberry sweetness across the mid-palate suggests otherwise. Loads of salami smokiness, licorice, lavender, clove and thyme, too. A little drying at the finale, but pretty convincing.