Five years ago, I wrote the following paragraph as the introduction to an offer and I think the comments made then still ring true today. Spain has always puzzled and intrigued me. Such a vast wine-producing country and yet most people’s view of the Spanish wine is limited to Rioja, perhaps the Ribera del Duero and maybe Priorat. Jus...
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Since we first offered the wines of Toby and Emmanuelle Bekkers four years ago, we have been dreading the moment when we would have to say that it is not the Atlas way to take vintage upon vintage of any given wine. But each time we taste the new releases we find ourselves compelled, once again, to offer these astonishing expressions of Au...
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The way in which wine is sold today by many merchants hinges on marketing it as something new, exciting or unmissable. Lofty point scores, numerous quotations from key critics are used to establish ‘must-have!!!’ status. We have nothing against something exciting at Atlas, nor point scores or critics which are, after all, a very usef...
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Simon has maintained for a long time now that Curly Flat, situated in the Macedon Ranges, Victoria, ranks as one of the very finest estates for Australian Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Not only do these wines offer tremendous purity and definition, they are age-worthy too – a facet that is not true of that many exponents of these variet...
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While undoubtedly tasting the headlining wines of an estate can be the most exciting, it is the more humble wines which can sometimes be the most rewarding. Such tastings can prove just how capable a winemaker is whilst working on various sites and with differing varieties. A case in point is certainly the wines of the Elio Grasso estate in Piem...
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If I am ever asked to highlight a world-class Australian white that warrants a long snooze in a cool cellar, I tend to turn immediately to Jeff Grosset’s Polish Hill Riesling from the Clare Valley, having enjoyed a good number of mature bottles over the years. However, a former colleague suggested that my choice should not be quite so auto...
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