Red Wine

Reviews of 2021 Grenache Mataro:

92 points, James Suckling, April 2023:

"Bright, youthful and crunchy with aromas of red cherries, raspberries, pink peppercorns and white pepper. Medium-bodied with vibrant acidity and fine tannins. Peppery and wild finish. 70% Grenache and 30% Mataro. Delicious now." 

92 points, Angus Hughson, Vinous, February 2023:

"The 2021 Grenache and Mataro blend really delivers thanks to an expressive and generously fruited style radiating with black cherry, baked earth, red currants and older oak with a classic touch of McLaren Vale old iron. The palate is beautifully pitched - mouth-filling flavors and al dente tannins are superbly balanced to deliver genuine power and length."

93 points, Andrew Caillard MW, The Vintage Journal, December 2022:

"Medium deep crimson. Strawberry, red cherry, blueberry, bubble gum hint aromas. Sweetly fruited wine wine with ample red fruits, supply velvety textures and fresh indelible acidity before finishing crunchy and long. Very good viscosity and mineral length. Drink now to 2026."

91 points, Wine Advocate 2022, Erin Larkin:
"The 2021 Grenache Mataro is composed of 70% Grenache from the Hunt Road vineyard and 30% Mataro from the Sand Road vineyard. This is great! It is vibrant, nervy and fresh, with a skein of tannin that courses through the fruit. The acidity is briny and makes for juicy drinking. Well played."

Reviews of 2020 Grenache Mataro:

93 points, James Suckling 2021, Nick Stock:

"Strikingly bright and fresh raspberry aromas here with wild herbs and bracken, as well as leafy tones. Lively red and blue fruit sits concentrated on the palate. A fresh blend of 70% grenache and 30% mataro."

90 points, Halliday Companion 2022, Ned Goodwin:

"Hand picked, with a smidgeon of whole bunches (10%) in the 70% grenache. The oak, all used barriques. Sweet floral aromas segue to Turkish delight and kirsch. White pepper, Seville orange zest and clove lace the long finish. Sappy, crunchy and yet, a bit sweet."

 Reviews of 2019 Grenache Mataro:

 92 Points Winefront by Mike Bennie: 

"From good folks comes a good wine of good grapes from two good vineyards. Tension is the first thing that came to mind. This ain’t no blousy red. No, indeed, it sits on train tracks of tannin and acidity, a good bite of amaro tang and amongst all that some jubey, blackcurrant fruitiness. Perfume is mild but floral-leaning with dashes of peppery spice. It’s a wine that has you sit up straight and pay attention. It’s a bit serious, but good in that way. Medium weight, svelte, tense. Good stuff." 

Reviews of 2018 Grenache Mataro:

James Halliday, Wine Companion, January 2020, 95 points and top value wine:
"Classic southern Rhône Valley style, with the wild herbs and spices of the garrigue giving pleasure in the rims of aromas and flavours alike. It will be hard to keep your hands of it, but it could be a knockout with more time in bottle. 14.5% alc."

92 Points, James Suckling:
"Bright, red-fruit fragrance here with some darker berries in the mix, too. The palate is crisp, succulent and juicy, as a good young grenache should be." 

Mike Bennie - WBM March/April 2020, 93 points:
"There's a really lovely marriage of sweeter fruit gamey, earthy characters in this wine. I like the general sense of detail in the wine too - sheets of fruit character layered on spice, savouriness and a fresh pool of acidity. It feels quietly complex but wildly drinkable."

Reviews of 2017 Grenache Mataro:

James Halliday, Wine Companion, August 2018, 94 points and red value star:

"Superb colour; at maximum turbocharged revolutions, but the power is smoothly delivered across the palate. Because the balance is very good, this richly endowed wine will repay cellaring particularly well."

Mike Bennie, WBM July 2018, 93 points:

"Lovely stuff. Fragrant with musky-spice, raspberry and cranberry scents. The palate does a similar turn and sits squarely in a medium wieght wine zone. Some heft to the flavours but the finish is a bell ring of clean acidity. Appealing as. 14.5%, $27."

Decanter World Wine Awards. Silver Medal. 93 points. www.decanter.com 

Reviews of 2016 Grenache Mataro:

Andrew Graham, Oz Wine Review, June 2017, www.ozwinereview.com

"The Leask Brothers are switched on growers and these wines typically show plenty of sunny generosity (if sometimes a little heat). The blend here is 60/40 Grenache Mataro; a good mix. Lots of juicy black and red berry fruit. Lovely. The tannins have a real sandy Grenachey shape to them (but with a licoricey oomph). Palate is silky smooth, slightly syrupy but really quite satisfying in its curranty flow, a big luscious wines that is very young, but exuberantly so. It could do with another year in bottle to integrate the bold flavours a little, but the flow of red fruit is undeniably attractive. Very well priced too. Best drinking: 2018-2028. 17.7/20, 92/100+. 14.5%, $25."

Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, May 2017, www.winefront.com.au

"60% Grenache, 40% Mataro. I don’t have a feel for 2016 in McLaren Vale, as yet, but so far, I like what I see. A hearty red, but one that’s not too heavy. Red fruits, some floral perfume, slight confectionary notes, but tapered in with dried herb. It’s medium bodied, juicy and savoury at once, with a rub of sandy tannin, fresh red fruits, and a gently bitter amaro herb and earthy aftertaste. This goes all right. Good drinking here." 91 points

Huon Hooke, April 2017, www.huonhooke.com
"Deep red/purple colour, the bouquet black cherry, spices, firm tannins and good body weight. A nicely judged kiss of oak. Balanced and complete." 90 points

Stuart Robinson, May 2017, www.thevinsomniac.com

"Nigh on pitch-perfect 60/40 blend of two listed players. There's just something so wickedly, consistently, deliciously moreish about H&Y reds. This no exception, it extracts a juicy, jubey aromatic without straying too far towards confection. Call it an allure, call it what you will, inviting is what it is. Slipping around the palate with ease in its easy going, red fruited nature. There's more juicy red fruit, a slip of tannin providing an edge, a framework to carry. Mataro brings up the rear, it's bassy foundations adding length, substance, spice." 91 points

Reviews of 2015 Grenache Mataro: 

August 2016. 90 Points. Huon Hooke. www.huonhooke.com
"Spicy, sweet cherry, confectionery aromas. The palate is tight and lean with firm, fine tannins and a pleasant after-grip. A good, clean, bright wine of some depth. Very smart wine."

August 2016. James Halliday, Wine Companion. 92 Points www.winecompanion.com.au

"Aromas and flavours are both savoury and sweet-fruited with raspberry, chocolate, and mulchy notes in the mix. Well integrated tannin and acid keeps things fresh and in order. "

May 2016. Max Allen, Australian Gourmet Traveller. www.gourmettraveller.com.au

Top Drops of the Month, No 1. "heaps of juicy red berry-fruit flavours, but there is also a delicious gutsy earthiness-like sweet black composting leaf litter-that sets it apart".

March 2016. Stuart Robinson. 91 points. www.the vinsomniac.com.au A 60/40 blend of Grenache and Mataro respectively, and 100% McLaren Vale. Raspberry, red fruit, some wild herb/garrigue thing with a choc-raspberry-fudge milkshake. Trust me, it works. Juicy, a little dark fruit, chocolate, fine tannin; palate enlivening acidity that brings back the wine full circle. There's fruit in abundance, a little savoury tickle, good length. Another stellar wine.

February 2016. Winsor Dobbin. www.winsorschoice.blogspot.com.au
This is a fabulously accessible blend of 60% grenache and 40% mataro – the ripe, sweet grenache fruit melding with the earthy funkiness of the mataro to produce a beautifully balanced red that is designed for immediate enjoyment. No need to cellar this one; just put some gourmet sausages on the barbeque and you have a wine/food match made in heaven.

February 2016. 90 points. Gary Walsh. www.winefront.com.au
Good stuff. It’s crisp and perky, almost Italianate. Raspberry rope, strawberry, dried herb perfume. Medium bodied, crunchy and fresh, red fruits, light sandy tannin, more red fruits on the finish. Almost a ‘volcanic rock’ kind of thing going on. Nice to see a McLaren Vale wine that so bright and ‘food friendly’.

Reviews of the 2022 Shiraz:

94 points, The Vintage Journal Summer Wine Guide 2023,

Medium-deep crimson. Fresh blackcurrant, blackberry aromas with hints of marzipan and spice. Inky deep and sinuous with plentiful dark berry fruits, marzipan, hint ginger notes, fine al dente tannins, very good mid-palate volume and fresh long mineral notes.

Reviews of the 2021 Shiraz:

92 points, Angus Hughson, Vinous, February 2023

The 2021 Shiraz is a hearty expression from McLaren Vale, delivering good levels of flavor and complexity. There is an attractive impact of new leather and blackberry aromas with a nice dose of ironstone. Fleshy mulberry and olive tapenade flavors follow with satisfying density and ripe tannins on the finish.

92 points, Andrew Caillard MW, The Vintage Journal, December 2022

Medium deep crimson. Bush garrigue, red cherry, red liquorice, roasted walnut aromas. Supple cherry pastille, cranberry fruits, fine chalky, al dente textures and underlying roasted complexity. Drink now, keep for a while.

91 points, Ned Goodwin MW, 2022 James Halliday Wine Companion:

"Picked across a number of parcels for a panoply of varying textures and flavour profiles. Scents of dark cherry, tea tree, mint and green peppercorn. Iodine and a swab of tapenade, too. This is good drinking for the money. Flavour, poise and refreshment in spades, with a lithe tannin profile tucking in the seams for savouriness over fruit."

90 points, Wine Advocate 2022, Erin Larkin:

"This 2021 McLaren Vale Shiraz is juicy, buoyant, pure, bright and
delicious. It is exactly (and I mean EXACTLY) what you look for when
picking up a value Shiraz. This is a cracking little wine. It's not complex—
and I'd drink it young—but it is layered with all the minerals and bouncy
fruits you could want, and then some."

Reviews of the 2020 Shiraz:

93 points, Halliday Companion 2022, Ned Goodwin:

"This is very good regional shiraz, implementing a controlled chord of reduction to constrain lilac, cracked pepper, clove, charcuterie and blue-fruit accents. Fine tension. Compelling length. The lushness of the Vale iterated almost as a cooler-climatic expression. Fine-boned tannins and savoury spice inflections. Versatile at the table."

91 points, James Suckling:
"Attractive blackcurrant aromas and hints of leaves. There's a real blue-fruit edge to this shiraz. The palate has quite a brisk, assertive feel with smoothly delivered blueberry and blackcurrant flavors."

Reviews of previous vintages:

95 points, James Halliday 2020 Wine Companion:
"Oh come all ye faithful lovers of McLaren Vale shiraz. It's hard to say whether the variety or the region is the most important - and true - contributor to the depth and outright richness of this shiraz. The tannins also ring true to the theme, leaving no doubt about its longevity."

93 points, James Halliday 2019 Wine Companion
"It delivers a solid whack of dark berried flavour. This is a sure-footed wine, well-balanced and finished, with fluid delivery of coffee cream, blackberry, plum and choc-mint flavours. From start to finish, it keeps you satisfied."

Gary Walsh, June 2017, The Wine Front www.winefront.com.au
"Blackberry, smoky grilled meat sprinkled with pepper, a bit of purple flowers or something like that. Medium bodied, flavoursome, almost slurpy, but a bit more in it than that, with light tannin, spice and dark fruits, and a tidy finish. Lovely wine, drinking very well young. Doing a good job of it here." 91 points

Huon Hooke, March 2017, www.huonhooke.com
"Deep red/purple colour and a ripe, concentrated, deep-fruited aroma and palate flavour. The texture is soft and easygoing. Peppery blackberry and dark plum aromas. Concentrated, rich, soft and rounded. A very smart shiraz for one so young." 90 points

Reviews of the 2021 Syrah:

93 points, James Suckling, April 2023:

"A delicious, soft and juicy Syrah that has plenty of tobacco, spicy meat, and citrus character. It's medium-bodied with creamy tannins and a fresh finish. Real Syrah character. Drink or hold."

93 points, Wine Advocate 2022, Erin Larkin:

"This 2021 Adelaide Hills Syrah is really fresh and vibrant. The palate is so
alive—it has energy, race and pace for days. The length elevates the
air. Lovely wine."

92 points, Halliday Companion 2022, Ned Goodwin:

"This is good. Lifted, fresh and transparent, as a veil of blueberry, sapid red cherry and nori is given flutter by white pepper-doused acidity and a clench of reductive tension, perhaps a bit too heavily handled. Nothing, though, that an aggressive decant shan't resolve."

Reviews of 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon: 

90 points, Angus Hughson, Vinous, July 2023
"The modern 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon McLaren Vale focuses on drinkability and does it well. Mulberry bush and dark cherry aromas with a solid herbal undertone provide a vibrant start. Fleshy fruits, balanced acidity and well-weighted tannins with a savory, cedary finish of good length define a juicy palate. Solid and ready to go."

92 points, James Suckling 
"A bright and vivid array of blueberries, redcurrants and blackcurrants with elements of bracken, leaves and hints of chocolate, too. There’s a plush, supple feel to the palate. Medium body. Red plums and cherries throughout. Drink or hold. Screw cap."

Reviews of 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon:

91 points, Halliday Companion 2022, Ned Goodwin MW:
"Good-drinking cabernet at the price. Jubey, relatively soft and easygoing, without being anodyne. The extraction of 16 days seems deft in lieu of the bright attack, tannic detail and lithe, crunchy finish. Red-fruit aspersions, some garden herb and green-olive notes round out the package."

91 points, James Suckling 2021, Nick Stock:
"Aromas of redcurrants and cassis with black cherries, as well as leaves and forest wood. Some florals, too. The palate comes filled with fine tannins that carry plenty of red and dark-berry flavors. Fresh, mid-weight style."

Reviews of 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon:

94 points , The Real Review, Huon Hooke:
"Deep red colour with a strong purple tint. The bouquet is reserved but fresh and cabernet-berry-ish, with a lovely core of fruit sweetness at the centre surrounded by abundant soft tannins. The palate is full-bodied and elegantly cast, with classic cabernet structure and firm tannins completing the picture. The finish is refreshing. This looks to have a bright future. An excellent cabernet and astounding value."

91 points, Halliday Companion 2022, Ned Goodwin MW:
"Stock-standard regional cabernet for those seeking a full-bodied red with few surprises. This oozes mint, dried sage, bitter chocolate and cassis scents, all slung over a frame of French oak and fuzzy tannins."

Reviews of 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon:

91 points, James Suckling:
"Aromas of graphite, cassis and mint as well as mulberries and forest leaves. The palate has a very rich, intense core of dark cherries, blackberries and cassis. Bold, drinkable style."

Reviews of 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon:

Gold Medal at the CWSA 2017, http://www.cwsa.org

James Halliday, August 2018, 93 points and red value star, www.winecompanion.com.au
"A supremely honest McLarne Vale Cabernet, with warm blackcurrant fruit and a cache of dark chocolate, alongsidey the tannins that will emerge with age."

June 2017. Gary Walsh - The Wine Front. 92 points. www.winefront.com.au
"Dark fruit, chocolate, a sweet dried herb lift, almost a Dutch liquorice thing too, which I love. Medium bodied, good depth to the fruit, though not heavy either, with oak in the back seat, and drinking pleasure at the wheel. Finish has a Cabernet accent, in with a gentle herbal seasoning, and no shortage of length. So well done."

May 2017. Mike Bennie - Wine Business Magazine. 93 points. www.wbmonline.com.au
"This release from the creative set at Hither & Yon strikes a chord. Theres a generosity to the wine, it reeks of dark plums, mocha, green herbs, dried fruits and the palate takes a similar path. The distinction here is that the flavours find a brightness even with the weight of deep, dark fruit character, and oak seasons rather than smothers. Generosity reigns well here."

Reviews of 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon:

August 2016. James Halliday - Wine Companion. 91 Points. www.winecompanion.com.au
"Definitive cabernet aromas hold sway, regional influence playing its part and oak chiming in. Evenly flavoured on the palate, the typical firm cabernet structure in good balance with the typical McLaren Vale generosity."

August 2016. Gary Walsh. 91 points. www.winefront.com.au
"Has a pleasant, jubey sort of Throaties® perfume, blackcurrant, blackberry and the like, with subtle spiced oak. Medium bodied, again a little jubey, but nicely done with gummy grippy tannin, freshness and energy, and a cool earthy and black olive laced finish of pleasing length. Very nice."

Wine Enthusiast (USA). March 2016. 91 points.
The pitch black wine has a thin dark ruby rim.The attractive and forward nose smells of cassis, sweet spices, sugarcoated walnuts and dates. The palate layers on baked blackberries, pencil lead and dried figs. Moderately long on the finish, this wine is feisty, and youthful. Its strucutre of lightly strappy tannins, brisk acidity and its wealth of well proportioned aromas and flavours point to ageing potential. Drink now through to 2020.

Stuart Robinson. August 2015. 90 points. www.thevinsomniac.com
"There's just something about the Hither & Yon wines, be it visual appeal, relative ease on the pocket, approachability without sacrificing varietal character. Consistent. That too. Cherry ripe-esque: mass of fruit over chocolate, without eschewing varietal character. Per the Hither & Yon style, a wine of easy going nature; medium-bodied elegance, suggestion of blueberry and bright fruit in general. So easy - and pleasurable - to drink, not an easy feat to achieve."

2018 Leask Shiraz:

 95 points (gold), 2021 The Real Review, Huon Hooke:
"A lovely, dark, impenetrable purple in the glass. Black cherry, olive tapenade, iodine and dried herbs are the features of the aromatics. There's plenty bubbling away here, quite evocative. Powerful but balanced flavours of dark plum and black cherry, there's also some 70% cacao chocolate and creamy oak adding structure, texture and mouthfeel. The tannins have an obvious presence ensuring all that power is focused and the length is long, firm and serious."

93 Points, WineFront, Mike Bennie:
"Top flight wine from the good folks at Hither & Yon. Powerful red, deep and dark. Brooding and feels like it’s just a wee baby. Ripe plum, sticky salted liquorice, woody spice, truffle and earth. Big and bold. Throaty and warm. Dark chocolate tannins all powdery and assertive. Done well, no missing this wine."

93 Points, James Suckling, June 2021:
"Very attractive red berries and cherries here with some earth and chocolate too. The palate has a smooth feel with plush, gently grainy tannins carrying long. Approachable."

90 Points, Royal Adelaide Wine Show 2020.

2016 Leask Shiraz:

James Halliday, Wine Companion, August 2018, 94 points.
"This must have come from a very special site, with no frills vinification. It is medium to full-bodied, with exceptional mouthfeel, velvety but not the least heavy, the role of oak limited. It all works well. 26 years old vines, hand-picked, open-fermented, matured in used French puncheons for 18 months."