Regional Range Reviews
Regional Range, Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2010
Nicks Wine Merchants, www.nicks.com.au, November 2010
A great value quaffer - perfect for everyday summer drinking
Brilliant very pale straw colour with watery hue. Delicate aromas of melon, tropical fruit and citrus that gradually builds in intensity. The palate is quite mouthfilling with flavours of peach, tropical fruit and citrus. Excellent mouthfeel and concentration. Clean crisp finish with aftertaste of tropical fruit, peach and spice.
Ciao Cuisine, Wine with Winsor, November 2010
Kirrihill makes reliably good wines from vineyards in the Clare Valley and Adelaide Hills in South Australia. This is particularly good value with lively, zesty fruit flavours; white stone fruit and refreshing green apple characters to the fore. It's a very modern chardonnay with minimal oak, but lashings of acid and minerality. The old "Anything But Chardonnay" club is dead. Now it's "Always Bring Chardonnay".
Wine Diva, www.winediva.com.au, November 2010
This delightfully modern wine from Kirrihill's Regional Range shows juicy peach, nectarine and grapefruit aromas that follow through onto the palate. A well balanced wine with creaminess from the lees stirring, a hint of oak and zesty acidity - all at an enviable price point!
www.wineandfoodgossip.com - blogger, November 2010
The Adelaide Hills is gaining a reputation for Chardonnay and this regional vineyard chardonnay is a great example. Lees stirring has added texture and with only part of the wine being in oak it is a well balanced fruit driven style with fresh varietal characters and a hint of oak. It has flavours and aromas of peach, nectarine and grapefruit with good zesty acidity. Certainly value for money here so keep an eye out for this one over the warm months ahead.
Sunday Examiner, Winsor Dobbin, October 17 2010
Adelaide Hills Chardonnay ($15) a lively, zingy chardonnay with plenty of refreshing green apple flavours.
Regional Range, Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
James Halliday's 1001 Wines Under $20
"The wine is sourced from the K51 Vineyard northeast of the Clare township, and the high altitude Kalimna Vineyard in Armagh, northwest of the town. The parcels were separately vinified in open fermenters before spending 6 months in French and American oak. All this is reflected in the wine, which marries oak and tannin complexity with juicy blackcurrant fruit, and far outperforms its price range."
Rated: 92 Points
James Halliday's Top 100, 2011
Rated: 92 Points
Regional Range, Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
James Halliday's 1001 Wines Under $20
Rated: 88 Points
James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2012
Rated: 88 Points
Winestate Clare Valley and Surrounding Regions Tasting 2011
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www.wineandfoodgossip.com - blogger, November 2010
The Regional Cabernet Sauvignon is a vibrant full bodied and well balanced wine with a great length of flavour; quite an elegant wine. These wines have to be some of the best value for money wines I have tasted in some time.
Regional Range, Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
National Liquor News, July 2009
This wine has ripe blackcurrant and dark cherry fruit notes, with a juicy core of blackcurrant and a dry, dusty finish.
Drinks Trade, July 1. 2009
Our panel of experts braved 140 cabernet sauvignon and blends from across the country in the recent Drinks Trade Wine List tasting session. Kirrihill Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was voted one of the top four Cabernet Sauvignons.
Notes:
Travis: Strong liquorice flavours. Good density with a soft structure.
Stephen: It’s got great fruit, with balanced tannins and good length.
Scott: Big and juicy, yet simple and soft.
Rob: You’re getting a real bargain out of this one.
Clare Valley & surrounding regions, Winestate, August 1. 2009
Beautifully perfumed nose - smells like a basket of fresh berries. Syrupy-rich in the mouth. Good wine from a difficult year.
Rating:«««¶
John Crook, Westside News, Grape Vine, August 5. 2009
Little comes out of the Clare Valley which fails to please the palate. Targeted vineyards of the Clare produce the right ingredients for the recent release of 2008 Kirrihill Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Separate parcels from the selection achieve a real balance of flavours, ensuring yet another classic Clare Cabernet. The fruits explode with fl avours of plum and mulberry, along with delicious dark cherry. The price is as pleasing,
David Ellis, Hornsby Advocate, August 6. 2009
The 2008 Kirrihill Clare Valley cabernet sauvignon, which is made jointly by Stephens and side-kick Marnie Roberts, captures classic Clare plum, mulberry and dark cherry on the palate, coupled with aromas of blackcurrants and violets. Nicely priced, this is a real-value, buy-now, drink-now red for the next time you chuck a steak on the barbie.
Kerry Skinner, Illawarra Mercury, Grape expectations, September 9. 2009
One of two new wines; the other is a shiraz, introduced by Klrrihill winemaker Donna Stephens under its regional label. Matured in a combination of American and French oak for nine months, black berry and plum fruit fl avours, background minty and chocolate characters, nicely balanced oak and full, juicy tannins. Drink it with barbecued lamb chops.
Jeff Collerson, Daily Telegraph, Wine, September 8. 2009
Top value for a red from SA’s Clare Valley, where cabernet is held in high esteem. Winemaker Donna Stephens monitored several vineyards to ensure they yielded authentic cabernet sauvignon character. This has a savoury, earthy bouquet with black fruits and a hint of bitter chocolate on the palate. Fine ripe tannins lead to awell-balanced finish.
Regional Range, Clare Valley Shiraz 2010
James Halliday's 1001 Wines Under $20
"The colour is particularly good for a wine at this price, strong purple-crimson, and heralds a medium- to full-bodied shiraz stacked with blackberry fruit and perfectly judged tannins running through the palate from start to finish. There is so much structure that the wine easily carries its alcohol and, on the assumption it makes it safely to bottle, will represent ridiculously good value. It has a 5-year future."
Rated: 93 Points
Regional Range, Clare Valley Shiraz 2009
James Halliday's 1001 Wines Under $20
"Vibrant crimson. While barely medium-bodied, the wine packs a lot of fruit into its bouquet and palate, ranging from cherry, plum and blackberry to some spicy notes and a whiff of oak."
Rated: 90 Points
James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2012
Rated: 90 Points
Winestate, Wine & Spirit Insider, Top 40 Best Buys July/Aug 2011
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Winestate, Clare Valley and Surrounding Regions Tasting 2011
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Regional Range, Clare Valley Shiraz 2008
Vintage Direct, (the newsletter of Nick’s Wine Merchants), May 2009
Spectacular, opaque, black purple colour with black purple hue. Paint like cling to the glass walls. Lifted nose of fresh blackberry juice, followed by liquorice and spice. The palate has excellent weight and concentration. Flavours of ripe plum, liquorice and blackberry over a vanilla background. Fine grained, perfectly balanced tannins. Very long spicy liquorice and black pepper aftertaste.
Rating: 94
Value: «««««
Cellar 2-3 years (2011-2012)
Liquid Assets, Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine, July 1. 2009
This Clare Valley Shiraz is made in Kirrihill’s state-ofthe-art winery, a building offering inspirational 360 degree views of the surrounding pristine vineyards.
The blend of top quality fruit and specialised winemaking produces a red that is powerful and intense yet not heavy. Full of sweet blackberry and plum fruit with hints of chocolate, liquorice and exotic spices, it has an elegant freshness and will hold its brightness for years to come.
Peter Forrestal, Quaff.com.au, June 12. 2009
I found this Shiraz delightfully aromatic with ripe sweet redcurrant and blackberry fl avours, fleshy, almost slippery texture, and balanced fi ne tannins. There is some substance too, so although it’s made for early drinking you’ll find richness and concentration.
Rating: Bloody Good
The top 40 best buys listing, Winestate, August 1. 2009
Pungent earthy/cassis aromas with a heavy, heady, spicy background. Great palate - vibrant, inky and fleshy, with subtle oak and fine tannins.
Winestate varietal tasting - World’s greatest Shiraz challenge IV, September/October 2009
Very ripe meaty/toasty nose and quite oily in the mouth, with ripe plums and velvety tannins.
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The JAMES HALLIDAY TOP 100 best buys listing under $20, November 2009
Very good colour, opens with rich dark fruit aroma's, then abundant plum and blackberry fruit on the medium to full bodied pallet, supported by ripe tannins and a modicum of french oak.-94 points
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