Peach

Apple

This is a rich and ripe martinborough Chardonnay which displays concentrated ripe stone fruit and and gentle integrated oak on the palate.

Fabulous Pinot Noir with amazing depth of flavour especially at this price; a wine that really puts Marlborough's best foot forward thanks to winemaker Rebecca Salmond, who sources grapes from the region's Southern Valleys. Flavours are of ripe cherry, blackberry and spice lead into a lovely, elegant yet weighty palate with superb fruit ripeness and intensity. This wine will continue to age for two years plus and pairs well with lighter red meat dishes.

2024 vintage

95 POINTS - OUTSTANDING
”An enticing, pure fruited bouquet with a complexity from mineral and sea spray ideas, cape gooseberry, peach and red apple flesh then citrus. As the wine opens out warming in the glass the aromas and flavours of grapefruit and white spice, lemon verbena and fresh sage with a touch of Thais basil. Plenty of stony mineral and a light sea spray complexity along with a backbone of acidity and lengthy fruit-led finish. Taut and ripe, lengthy and well made with best drinking from day of purchase through 2031.” APR 26

"Bottled just one month before my tasting, Clape’s 2023 Cornas opens with a deep, introverted bouquet of cassis, mulberries and licorice mingled with carnal notes. Medium- to full-bodied, dense and structured, it’s built around a firm, somewhat austere palate with a good chassis of youthful tannins that lead to a spicy, lead pencil-inflected finish. Despite its brooding character, it should benefit from time in the cellar."

Wine Advocate 95/100
Review Date: 05/2026

Lovely mid-depth colour with purple tints. Lifted red fruit and earthy notes on the nose. Ripe fruit and low oak impact on the palate, with the new oak providing a slight vanillin sweetness that compliments the berry fruit. The ripe fruit tannins are complemented by the natural fruit acidity, resulting in a very long finish for the wine. A stylistically typical medium-bodied Hunter Valley Shiraz from a very good year.

"One of the smart purchases this year is the 2022 La Dame de Montrose, a second wine that would embarrass numerous classified growths. Based on 71% Merlot, the Dame sees a more reductive élevage than the grand vin, which is perfectly adapted to this variety. Opening to reveal aromas of sweet cassis, cherries and berries mingled with hints of violets, spices and orange zest, it's full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with a powerful but controlled profile."
William Kelley, March 2025, RobertParker.com

"The 2022 La Dame de Montrose has a very delineated bouquet that's more mineral-driven than previous vintages, featuring bright blackberry and boysenberry fruit tones. The palate is well balanced, fleshy and quite approachable, with smooth tannins and a lingering graphite-infused finish. It is one of the best second wines from Montrose in recent years."
Neal Martin, February 2025, Vinous.com

Commercial Description

This Pinot Noir is from our Ballochdale Vineyard, high in the Awatere Valley, Marlborough. This is the first wine Sir George made from this vineyard he acquired in 2023. The vineyard sits at 300m high and is one of the highest and most southerly vineyards in the Awatere Valley, Marlborough.

In Appearance : Deep ruby-red
On the Nose : a bouquet of cherries, red berry and Christmas cake spice with hints of vanilla and chocolate.
On the Palate : The palate has beautiful ripe, dried fruit and zest notes with a silky, fine structure. It has a brilliantly long finish from textured, mature tannins and bright acidity.

Last Bottles of our Inaugural 2021 vintage and the 2022 who took home BEST SEMILLON in Show at Barossa Wine Show 2024!

SALVIS GRATIA* (meaning 'Saving Grace') is a small-batch labour-of-love, carefully hand harvested from some of the last remnants of the Madeira Semillon clone in the Barossa, planted by the Fechner brothers in 1983. SALVIS GRATIA* is an exciting addition to our 'Barossa Nouveau' series joining our established Old Vine Grenache stars Pax Aeterna and Lux Venit* Rosé. This series is all about championing these remnant Old Vine varietals that have always been special, but have sometimes fallen off the radar as new varietal fads come and go. Like PAX and LUX, SALVIS is made in a minimal intervention style - hand harvested, gently whole bunch pressed, 25% completed ferment and matured in new sirugue french oak puncheon. SALVIS GRATIA* is a sublime, zesty, elegantly opulent expression of Barossa Semillon... it's an absolute ripper!

TASTES like: Lemon Curd / White Nectarine / Toasted nuts

SMELLS like: Beeswax / White Florals / Citrus

DELICIOUS with: Lemony Roast Chook / Delicate Salmon Sashimi / Creamy Lobster Risotto / Soft, Tart Goats Cheese

As always; unfined & vegan friendly. Only 493 dozen made

Winemakers: Daniel Chaffey Hartwig, Huon Fechner + Theo Engela
Varietal: Semillon
Alc/Vol: 13.2%
pH: 3.1
Acidity: 6.3

“The 2021 Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo marries finesse and power. Open-knit aromatics make a strong first impression. Layered and resonant in the glass, with tons of supporting structure, the Rio Sordo is going to need a few years to come into its own. Crushed rose petal, cedar, spice and tobacco lend notable finesse. The 2021 needs time, but it’s got the goods. The explosive, aromatic finish is sublime. Drink 2027-2041 

96/100 Vinous, Antonio Galloni

Rio Sordo is famous for its noble rusticity and silky quality in the mouth thanks to lower calcium levels in the soils of this vineyard. The wine develops gamey mushroom qualities over time that scream out for it to be served with a decent roast beast.

Rio Sordo is one of the great red wines of Italy and is made entirely from the great structured red grape, Nebbiolo; exceptional in taste, complexity and its ability to age for at least a decade, evolving into a silky delicious wine over this time. It's made by the Produttori del Barbaresco. This highly respected winery cooperative was founded in 1958 and now has 51 members who collectively own approximately 100 hectares of the entire appellation, which means they own approximately a seventh of the appellation. The single vineyard wines, such as this one, are only made in highly rated vintages (all of the grapes go into a blend in other years) and released after four years maturation in the riserva programme.

All single vineyard cru wines from Produttori del Barbaresco are fermented at 30°C and given 32 days of skin contact time before being pressed in large oak barrels for 36 months of maturation in wood followed by a further nine months aging in bottle, prior to release.

“The 2021 Pora Riserva is a stunning, generous wine, with great aromas and layers of delicious flavors including succulent raspberry, Morello cherry, star anise and blood orange. While it’s already immensely enjoyable, it also has a long life ahead. Drink 2028-2036.”
96/100 Kerin O’Keefe

Pora is located in a warm and fertile site on a beautiful hillside with west and south exposures nearer to the valley floor. The resulting style is generous with ripe velvety tannins and a certain smoothness.

We have secured small volumes of this age worthy, complex Barbaresco, which comes from the Pora Vineyard, one of nine single vineyard cru Barbarescos made only the best vintages by Produttori del Barbaresco. This wine is full bodied, bone dry and super concentrated with earthy, mushroom aromas tempered by rose petals and delicate red floral aromas. It's produced by one of Italy's and the world's highest quality minded wine cooperatives, which has 51 members who collectively own approximately 100 of the nearly 700 hectares in this appellation in Piemonte, north west Italy.

This highly respected winery cooperative was founded in 1958 and now has 51 members who collectively own approximately 100 hectares of the entire appellation, which means they own approximately a seventh of the appellation. The single vineyard wines, such as this one, are only made in highly rated vintages (all of the grapes go into a blend in other years) and released after four years maturation in the riserva programme. 

All single vineyard cru wines from Produttori del Barbaresco are fermented at 30°C and given 32 days of skin contact time before being pressed in large oak barrels for 36 months of maturation in wood followed by a further nine months aging in bottle, prior to release. 

“The compelling 2021 Ovello Riserva from Produttori del Barbaresco opens with captivating aromas of dark culinary spice, underbrush, rose and mentholated notes. Delicious and full-bodied, the palate doles out ripe Marasca cherry, cranberry, star anise and ground clove. Firm, well-integrated tannins lend just the right amount of grip while fresh acidity keeps it bright and balanced.
Drink 2028–2036.”
97/100 Kerin O’Keefe

The Ovello site has more clay, and the resulting wines are plump and fruit forward meaning they often drink earlier, as well as being super age worthy too. Classic ripe cherry notes that develop autumnal qualities and  more of the tar and spice that Barbaresco is famous for with age.

Ovello is one of the great red wines of Italy and is made entirely from the great structured red grape, Nebbiolo; exceptional in taste, complexity and its ability to age for at least a decade, evolving into a silky delicious wine over this time. It's made by the Produttori del Barbaresco. This highly respected winery cooperative was founded in 1958 and now has 51 members who collectively own approximately 100 hectares of the entire appellation, which means they own approximately a seventh of the appellation. The single vineyard wines, such as this one, are only made in highly rated vintages (all of the grapes go into a blend in other years) and released after four years maturation in the riserva programme.

All single vineyard cru wines from Produttori del Barbaresco are fermented at 30°C and given 32 days of skin contact time before being pressed in large oak barrels for 36 months of maturation.