Allies is a collaboration between Barney Flanders and David Chapman who started making wine together in 2003, 200 cases of Pinot Noir, whilst both working at Moorooduc Estate on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula where there first 3 vintages where made.Today they produce a little over 1000 cases divided between Viognier, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz. In 2006 they made their first Garagiste wines with 150 cases of Pinot Noir and 125 cases of Chardonnay.

Best with fresh natural oysters, lightly seared scallops, bbq prawns and salt and pepper calamari are probably the most obvious yet the best food partners.

Pale Gold, bright hue; the bouquet is understated, showing ripe lemon, cinnamon and a suggesed of steely minerality; the palate follows the line with tighly wound lemon fruit, enveloping a core of fine French oak, cashews and clove; racy acidity provides long, even and precise finish, promising a graceful evolution over time. Rating 95 points. James Halliday.

The Stoneaxe vineyard is planted to two clones, PT23 and one locally referred to as Mount Ida. In 2007 the PT23 was particularly good showing an extra dimension of flavour, tannin and colour. We felt that the wine would be quite powerful and would benefit from the extra structure and complexity of some whole bunch inclusion, 50% in this case. We particularly like the extra dimensions of power and complexity in this wine and decided it would be a worthy candidate for our first Garagiste Syrah. The wine was matured in one year old French oak Puncheons for 11 months then bottle matured for another 8 months prior to release. A powerful wine showing spice, plum and quince with some smoky notes from the stems. Long and powerful on the palate with lots of tannin adding structure to balance the concentrated flavours. 100 cases produced.

Purple-crimson, bright and clear; vibrant plum aroma and flavour, with exceptional thrust on the palate aided by fine-grained tannins and perfectly judged oak. Screwcap. 13.6% alc. Rating 96 points; Drink 2020 $44 Date Tasted Aug 08; James Halliday Australian Wine Companion

Pete Bissell is able to draw out the finest expression of Coonawarra cabernet, with depth, width and great length to its panoply of black fruit aromas and flavours; new French oak and persistent, fine-grained tannins provide a perfect framework for a wine destined to live for decades. Sublime power and grace. From Coonawarra, SA; Drink to 2025 with Moroccan lamb; 97 points, $90, ProCork, 15% alc; Halliday’s Top 100 Wines for 2009 – The Weekend Australian November 14-15, 2009

Power and grace; loaded with sweet oak, the quality of fruit beneath is up to the task; layered cassis, redcurrant, cedar and violet bouquet; great concentration of fruit on the palate, with a refreshingly vibrant core of acid and pure fruit; lots of slippery fine-grained tannins that counterpoint the vibrant and complex fruit with ease; wonderfully long and satisfying. ProCork. 15% alc. Drink 2025 $95 Date Tasted Feb 09; 97 Points. James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2010 Edition.

Peter Bissell is one of Coonawarra's best modern winemakers, and The Tally numbers among the region's best wines. The 2007 vintage is still envolved but it's all there. Floral, mint, blackcurrant and mocha meet the nose, and the palate has essency concentration, great flow and a grippy finish. 14.5 per cent alc. Cellaring? yes, two to 12 years. Food idea: roasted winter vegetables. Five Stars - Ralph Kyte-Powell, Wine Style, The Age, July 22, 2009.

Wine Advocate #143 (Oct 2002) Robert Parker (89-93) points  Drink 2002-2010 $US45.00. Aged in a combination of French and American oak (25% new), the 2001 Shiraz easily conceals its 14.6% alcohol behind an explosion of huckleberry and blackberry fruit, with hints of mint and oak in the background. Layered, dense, chewy, and opulent, it should be an outstanding Shiraz ... if it is not excessively fined or filtered at bottling. Anticipated maturity: now-2010.

Wonderful rich Shiraz flavours with our trademark smoky, mint and berry nose. This vintage is quite an approachable wine now, well balanced and with a long finish. As with the Cabernet, the Shiraz has developed some quite addictive flavours from the longer ripening period. Displaying fruit and oak with a soft tannin structure, the wine is delicious with food.

A rich, powerful and assertive shiraz whose fruit profile just manages to stay within the bounds of genuine ripeness. Deep, dark and spicy, its meaty, leathery and slightly briary aromas of intense red and black berry fruits are backed by dusty clove and vanilla-like oak. The palate backs a substantial weight of slightly angular and brambly fruit with a firm and palate-coating extract of drying tannin. Finishing with nutty, savoury qualities, it’s long and persistent, if at present slightly raw and awkward. An unashamed cellar style, it will take some time to reach its ultimate balance and integration. (Great Western, $105 retail, approx., 18.7/95, drink 2024-2034) Jeremy Oliver

More concentration of power and greater structure than Bin O; blackberry with splashes of licorice and spice; will be seriously long-lived, and is not yet showing its best. 14.5º alc. Rating 95 Drink 2010 $99 Date Tasted Jan 07 James Halliday Wine Companion 2008

A multi dimensional bouquet of roasted meats, mineral, cola, tar and blackberry. Give this one time to open up, this monster is built for the long haul! The palate starts out thick and coating; immediately powerful and explosive, you are then thrown a huge chunk of fruit while the acid and tannin roll around trying to tame it. The wine shows great oak handling and remains succulent, complete and perfectly balanced.
 
The grapes were crushed into and fermented in open top potters, with regular pump overs twice daily to extract colour and tannin. The grapes were then pressed and the wine was transferred to tank and then racked to barrel for oak maturation. Barossa Valley South Australia. The vineyard is located to the south of the township of Greenock in the western Barossa Valley. The Branson vineyard was planted in 1990 to Shiraz and Cabernet. Grown on the fabled deep red clay soil that dominates the area, a key element in the unique terroir of this small pocket of the Barossa Valley.

Bream Creek Vineyard is planted on a northeast ridge above Marion Bay on the edge of the Tasman Sea. This gently sloping site, coastal location and maritime influence, create a highly favourable microclimate. Bream Creek wines are hand crafted to capitalise on the stunning flavours that originate from predominantly old vines. The wines are ripe and ready upon release but are built to age. The Pinot Noir in particular is crafted to the most traditional methods, inoculated by wild ferments. These techniques retain delicate flavours with multiple dimensions, palate weight and structure. Bream Creek was matured in a combination of carefully selected new and prior use French oak barriques.

Illustrious Pinot Noir grown to older vines at the lower latitudes of Tasmania's southeast. The idyllic growing conditions deliver outstanding grapes which are vinified by an artisanal team into an elegant, velvety Pinot wine with alluring aromatics and a profound cool climate palate.

Located to the east of Hobart near Marion Bay, Bream Creek, established 1972, is one of Australia’s southernmost vineyards. It produces wines of a finely sculpted, delicate style, dictated by the truly cool growing climate! Chris Shanahan

Bright crimson red. Complex spicy, dark berry fruit and floral aromas, mingle with subtle oak, earth and glace cherry. The palate is seamless and well structured with layers of finely textured flavours. Combined with a touch of forest floor, fine tannins build to great length with a nice firm subtle finish. Have this magnificently versatile, food oriented Pinot wine with meats, salmon or game.

Just released, this is an elegant yet powerful and intense wine with a complex bouquet of white pepper, spicy dark cherry and briars. The palate is well structured, and shows very good fruit depth and intensity with good length and attractive powdery tannins. Still showing the firmness of youth, so responds very well to several hours breathing and being brought to room temperature. Excellent cellar potential.

Quite rich and ripe, there's always a lot on offer in the Bream Creek pinot's; they've proven their ability to age reliably too. The nose carries a wealth of deep cherry fruit aromas, saffron, pouch tobacco, beetroot and sweet, earth aromas, blood plums and spiced plum pudding. The palate's fleshy, more in the dark-plum spectrum; ripe but fine tannins run the entire length and are poised to deliver years of drinking enjoyment. Builds to a big, juicy finish. Score: 96 points; Price: $34; Alc./Vol: 13.6%; Drink: 2016; Screwcap; Nick Stock, Good Wine Guide 2012

Brook Eden vineyard in North East Tasmania is the culmination of a five year search for a vineyard site capable of producing truly exquisite, cool-climate still and sparkling wines. There are only a few such places in the world. Established in 1988 on the banks of Pipers Brook in northeast Tasmania, Brook Eden is nestled in a picturesque valley of rolling green hills. The vineyards are sited along an ancient ridge of deep, gravelly, well-drained, volcanic soil, which runs down to Pipers Brook on one side and a spring-fed, native wetland on the other.

Peter McIntosh and Sue Stuart purchased Brook Eden from Sheila Bezemer in 2004. At 41° south and at an altitude of 160 m it is one of the coolest sites in Tas, and (in the words of the new owners) 'represents viticulture on the edge'. While the plantings remain the same (1 ha pinot noir, 0.75 ha chardonnay and 0.25 ha riesling), yield has been significantly reduced, resulting in earlier picking and better quality grapes. James Halliday Wine Companion

Deep red cherry in colour, medium bodied, with a complex nose of ripe berry fruits and smoky dark chocolate. Raspberries, plums, blackcurrant and dark chocolate fill the palate, with just a touch of firm, ripe tannins to soften over the next year or so. Will benefit from time in the bottle, allowing the nose and palate to open out and develop. This Pinot also exhibits low alcohol from the wild yeast (naturally occurring) ferment we used with this vintage. Cellar for 5+ years. 12% alc/vol.

A very attractive medium-bodied wine with plum, blackberry and black cherry fruit; good length, restrained alcohol and fine tannins. Cork. 14.5% alc. Rating 93 Drink 2015 Date Tasted Dec 06 James Halliday Australian Wine Companion

The 2005 Draycott Shiraz also contains 5% Mourvedre. The Shiraz was sourced from a 45-year-old vineyard and the wine was aged in French oak, 35% new. Purple-colored, the nose reveals toasty oak, mineral, licorice, black raspberry, and blueberry. Medium-bodied and elegant, the wine offers layers of savory flavors, outstanding depth, and a long, smooth finish. The wine has enough stuffing to permit 5-7 years of further evolution in bottle but can be enjoyed now and over the next 12-15 years. Wine Advocate # 173 Oct 2007 Jay Miller 93 Drink: 2007 - 2022

Ripe and supple, showing a distinct black pepper note running through the rich cherry and sweet leather flavors, with the fruit lingering on the plush finish. Rich without being over the top. Best from 2009 through 2017. 490 cases made. 92 points Wine Spectator

Inky ruby. Pungent cherry and cassis aromas are complicated by cured meat and licorice. Fleshy and sweet, with deep red berry preserve flavors, supple tannins and a late note of cola. This is very open right now, and showing excellent finishing sweetness, but I suspect it will gain complexity with a few years of additional bottle aging. (Sept/Oct 08) 90(+?) points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

The expressive nose screams Chablis and blind, it would be virtually impossible to mistake this for anything else as the aromas are spot on classic with the green fruit, tidal pool, iodine and salty character, all of which are also reflected by the extremely fresh and at this point, still completely primary flavors that are nicely rich and full yet retain a fine sense of underlying detail that is supported by a firm acid spine on the understand, driving and impeccably balanced finish. This isn't quite as complex as the Blanchots but I think that it will ultimately be every bit as good. We'll see in a few years. Tasted: Oct 01, 2008 Score: 91-94 Drink: 2013+ Comments: Don't miss! Issue 32 Allen Meadows; Burghound

This 12.5 ha domaine is directed by Christian Moreau and his son Fabiènne describe the 2007 vintage as one where the growing season was "jump started by a very not April that ultimately caused the vines to be almost one month in advance of their normal development. The summer however was not pretty and we had a bit of hail damage in Vaillons as it hit one side of the vineyard but other than that, we were fortunate. We began picking on the 8th of September, which is earlier than some but it's due to the fact that we have mostly old vines that naturally regulate yields and tend to be ready to pick 4 to 5 days earlier than young vines. We had less yield than we had in 2004 with good sugars as there was very little chaptalization. The malos were very long as there was quite a bit of malic acidity but long malos are generally a good sign as the wines are full of gas and thus protected. As to the wines themselves, they're like slightly richer 2004s with excellent transparency, balance and plenty of energy. Our general policy is not to stir the lees though we will upon occasion. In the case of 2007 we felt that the wines were naturally rich enough and thus we did no lees stirring at all". I have said it before but it bears repeating: the quality here is so good that Chablis now has, along with Domaine William Fèvre, another leading light to add to the region's traditional stars of Raveneau and Dauvissat.

This is a serious syrah and one of the most impressive vintages sinces the first in 2001. 97 Points; Gourmet Traveller, June/July 2010

Big, dense wine with an almost chewy texture. While hard to read, the wine is after all in its infancy, it is easy to recognise the power and complexity in this big and forboding Syrah. Strong, sweet fruit is interwoven with ripe tannins . The wine coats the mouth and lingers long after it has been swallowed. I can identify an array of dark fruits, Oriental spices, vanilla, bitter chocolate and very classy oak but there is a myriad of other flavours yet to be released. 95 Points; Bob Campbell MW

This is from a vineyard in Bannockburn. A dark colour, it has sweet dark fruit aromatics with some jammy, meaty notes. The palate is rich and sweetly textured with a delicious savoury edge to the focused, expressive fruit. An extremely elegant wine. ‘There’s a silky-like sheen that runs through the palate’, says Rod. 92–94/100

Craggy is now the largest producer of Pinot Noir in Central Otago – here are three of the wines they make. These wines were not finished as I tasted them so a range of scores is given for each. All are hand-picked, and then destemmed. Rod says that they have given up on cold soaks. All are fermented with indigenous yeasts and are punched down. This is an extremely impressive line up of wines, showing fantastic fruity purity and quite a bit of elegance, as well as a variation in style that presumably has to do with the vineyard sites – terroir, if you want to use this term. Jamie Good, Wine Anorak

Tight, focused wine with good fruit purity that reveals impressive minerality. The wine has obvious power and energy. It is a taut and vibrant Pinot Noir revealing an array of red fruits plus a suggestion of floral characters. Good cellaring potential. 94 points; Bob Campbell MW

An elegant, seamless red with red and dark berry, Oriental spice/star anise and subtle floral flavours. A peacock’s tail of layered flavours is displayed on the finish. Subtle power and extraordinary length with a great mouthfeel and silken texture. It’s a restrained, elegant wine with great potential. Sophia has long ranked as one of my favourite NZ blended reds. 97 Points and 5 Stars, Bob Campbell MW for Gourmet Traveller Wine 2010

The 2008 Sophia is initially very closed on the nose with reluctant aromas of bilberry, black plum and a touch of cassis, later offering black olive and a hint of melted tar. The palate is underpinned by a firm tannic backbone, quite broody and uncompromising at first but delivering a scintillating, saline finish with crisp blackberry and boysenberry with great minerality." - 94 Points, Neal Martin for Robert Parker's THe Wine Advocate, 2010

Brilliant deep ruby red in colour, the nose was tightly bound but beautifully aromatic with plush, sleek dark plum and savoury red fruits along with a new oak lift. On palate, the wine was still restrained, needing to open up, but clearly showing lovely sweet, ripe flavours of red and dark plums, red flowers, all within a fine-grained, tightly packed structure. Excellent fresh acidity added to the vibrancy. A wine that will develop silken textures with fragrance and cedar over the next 12-15 years.” - 18.5 Points, Raymond Chan, 2010

Bold and youthful in colour, it is highly fragrant, with blackcurrant, spice and coffee aromas. Mouthfilling and dense, yet supple, it is richly flavoured, with fine-grained tannins, and lovely texture and richness. Drink now or cellar. 5 Stars * * * * * Michael Cooper

Dark red core with vivid crimson hues. Blackcurrant, wild thyme, crushed autumn leaf and a dusting of cocoa powder provide aromatic intensity and complexity. The highly focussed fruit and sheer purity is given substance via layers of fine, dusty tannin. Harmonious and long. Craggy Range

Craggy is now the largest producer of Pinot Noir in Central Otago – here are three of the wines they make. These wines were not finished as I tasted them so a range of scores is given for each. All are hand-picked, and then destemmed. Rod says that they have given up on cold soaks. All are fermented with indigenous yeasts and are punched down. This is an extremely impressive line up of wines, showing fantastic fruity purity and quite a bit of elegance, as well as a variation in style that presumably has to do with the vineyard sites – terroir, if you want to use this term.

From Bendigo, which is a warmer site. Shy on the nose. The palate shows nice purity of dark fruits with a savoury, brooding sort of character. Nice stuff: quite rich, but also reasonably restrained. Rod describes this as a ‘brooding blockbuster’, but says that it is currently ‘closed in on itself’. 91–93/100 Jamie Good, Wine Anorak

As with Chardonnay produced in 2006, the very cool conditions that prevailed throughout the summer of that year likewise resulted in very low yields of the Bordeaux grape varieties at Cullen Wines. Those conditions have led, however, to the production of a very refined and elegant Diana Madeline and a wine that at 13% alcohol demonstrates unequivocally that fruit intensity and depth do not require a high alcohol content!

This wine is very reminiscent of the Cabernet Merlot made in 1982, a year that was likewise very cool and resulted in harvesting occurring appreciably later than usual and at relatively low Baumés. Some idea of the potential of the 2006 Diana Madeline can be gauged by the fact that the 1982 Cabernet Merlot is still drinking very well and showing no signs of being on its last legs.

The 2006 Diana Madeline was made from a blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Malbec. The wine was matured for 15 months in French barriques, of which 40% were new.

Deep ruby red / garnet with a crimson meniscus. A combination of fresh and complex chocolate and black berry Cabernet fruit aromas. Elegant, rich and flavoursome. Classic fresh, “crunchy” black berry Cabernet fruit are backed by firm but unobtrusive tannins. Great length and leaves lovely lingering flavours. Delicious! Cellaring: At least 20 years.

Rainer Breit and partner Wendy Oliver purchased their property in 1996 with 1.6 hectares of what were then 11-year-old pinot noir vines. Rainer Breit, a self-taught winemaker, uses the full bag of pinot noir winemaking tricks: cold-soaking, hot-fermentation, post-ferment maceration, part inoculated and partly wild yeast use, prolonged lees contact, and bottling the wine neither fined nor filtered. - James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2008

Fractionally deeper colour; a particularly rich, velvety smooth pinot seemingly achieved without effort, and certainly without any alcohol push; will evolve for seven years or more; well worth all the patience at your command. Screwcap.13% alc. Rating 96 Drink 2017 $70 Date Tasted Feb 09 James Halliday Australian Wine Companion

Rainer Breit and partner Wendy Oliver have achieved a great deal in a remarkably short period of time. In 1996 they purchased their property at Curlewis with 1.6 hectares of what were then 11-year-old pinot noir vines; previously, and until 1998 the grapes had been sold to Scotchman's Hill. They set to and established an on-site winery, making 800 cases of very good Pinot Noir in their first vintage of 1998. Rainer Breit is a self-taught winemaker, but the full bag of pinot noir winemaking tricks was used in 1998: cold-soaking, hot-fermentation, post-ferment maceration, part inoculated and partly wild yeast use, prolonged lees contact, and bottling the wine neither fined nor filtered. While Breit and Oliver are self-confessed 'pinotphiles', they have planted a little chardonnay and buy a little locally-grown shiraz and chardonnay, but do not yet make these wines on a commercial scale. James Halliday

Winery note for 2004 Curlewis Syrah: Bottled 2nd May 2006. A bit riper than the 2003 but more oak treatment to balance it. Give it at least 12 months in bottle to produce its best.

The fruit was hand harvested from our oldest Pinot Noir vineyard (planted in 1971). The fruit is grown without the use of synthetic fungicides, pesticides or herbicides. The grapes were then hand sorted at the winery before being destemmed and transferred by gravity to an open fermenter. Fermentation proceeded naturally without the addition of yeast. After 21 days maceration and fermentation, the wine was carefully pressed, settled overnight and then filled to barrel via gravity. It is allowed to mature for 10 months at 16˚C. The wine is then racked by gravity and filled to bottle without fining or filtration. Malolactic fermentation was allowed to proceed naturally and was completed after 4 months. De Bortoli

De Bortoli pinot noir has been on a steady rise for a decade, but it's really hit some top notes here. Less showy and exuberant than the estate-grown version (of the same vintage), but longer and keener from the middle of your mouth onward. A ripping wine. This is a dry, serious, ageworthy style with a wealth of chalky tannin. Lots of earthy, undergrowth, twiggy characters too but overall it's beautifully ripe and fine. Quite brilliant. Drink 2011-2018. 96 Points; Campbell Mattinson and Gary Walsh, The Big Red Wine Book 2010/11, June 2010

A very expressive bouquet, with elements of spice, cedar and smoke; the palate has great length and outstanding texture, line and length; very attractive red fruits at the core. 95 Points; James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2011, August 2010

A masterfully crafted wine, with every element melding perfectly to form a seamless line. This is a very restrained Reserve and it will be particularly long-lived. It’s an utterly ethereal wine, coalescing beautiful cherry blossom fruits with black plums, wood spice and ground cinnamon. The structure is at once silky and supple and at the same time grippy and structured. 95 Points; Tyson Stelzer; Clear About Wine