“Beautiful spot for wine tasting - and lovely wines. We had an excellent time with Ben who taught us a lot about their wines and made the experience fun. Great value getting the premium wine tasting selection.”
ANISHA, May 2022
7 August 2023 |
Zoe Crittenden
Halliday Wine Companion Awards 2024
The Halliday Wine Companion 2024 was released in August 2023 and we were thrilled to learn we had retained our Red Five Star Winery Rating and achieved six gold medal scores.
Here are the highlight reviews from the Halliday Wine Companion 2024.
2018 Cri de Coeur Savagnin Sous Voile - 97 points, GOLD
Seriously, Rollo Crittenden and Matt Campbell. What are you two winemakers doing? Not much it seems, as you left this wine in old barrels without touching them basically: no top-up, admittedly under a flor for its four years of life, then unfined, unfiltered to bottle. Easy winemaking, eh? OK, I know that’s not true at all because this vin jaune style is very, very difficult to make. To date, this shows amazing poached quinces, ripe yellow peach with lemon zest and preserved lemons. Nutty aldehydes are embossed into the wine, the palate is alive with acidity and vitality. It’s complex and delicious and it gives me goosebumps. Yep. Perfect.
2021 Cri de Coeur Chardonnay - 95 points, GOLD
The mistake with this wine – or any chardonnay, for that matter, is to serve it too cold. That just muffles the flavours. Guilty. However, this opened up in no time allowing a full spread of stone fruit, lemon, mandarin, ginger fluff cake and clotted cream. The oak is neatly embedded into the body, adding some depth and spicy nuances, and the superfine acidity drives this to a Formula 1 finish.
2021 Cri de Coeur Pinot Noir - 95 points, GOLD
The cooler season seems to suit Cri de Coeur as of all the pinots, this has the deepest colour; a vibrant garnet, and has amalgamated the best at this early stage. Fragrant with florals and autumn leaves after rain with flavours of morello and sweet red cherries, tamarind and turmeric, pepper and aniseed melding into the medium-bodied palate. The raw silk tannins have some sway and are just coming into unison, with the acidity allowing a lingering finish.
Cri de Coeur Macvin #4 - 95 points, GOLD
The fourth incarnation of this excellent wine was made by siphoning off some 2018 savagnin under flor, adding sweet ‘22 savagnin juice then fortifying the blend. Lovely golden amber glint to the colour; full of honeycomb and quince paste, grilled nuts and seaweed with moreish aldehydes and wafts of antique furniture fragrance. The palate is clean and lively with the acidity curtailing the sweetness and evening the palate. The golden fruit flavour is very much at the forefront, making this absurdly fresh.
2021 The Zumma Chardonnay - 95 points, GOLD
It’s always enjoyable to taste the Crittenden range of chardonnays and once at the Zumma end, the top tier being Cri de Coeur, it’s not so much about being better but highlighting differences. Smoky, flinty and a little funky with lots of citrus and stone fruit dressed up with spices and cedar oak. There’s an evenness across the palate with plenty of mouth-watering acidity. Really delicious.
2022 Peninsula Pinot Gris - 95 points, GOLD
Anyone who claims not to like pinot gris obviously hasn't tried this – it will convert naysayers because it’s really, really good. Delicious actually. You’ll love it. Trust me. It’s full of nashi pear and ginger spice, baked apples and lemon zest with a touch of clotted cream. Not sweet, this is textural and rich yet the finish lingers and is left revitalised thanks to tangy acidity.
You can review the full list of wines online or purchase these wines here.
