Halliday Wine Companion Awards 2025 Highly-Rated Whites - Valued at $215

97 POINTS

James Halliday - Halliday's Wine Companion

2023 Longview Macclesfield Gruner Veltliner Hmm. Isn't this something? It has a dusting of white pepper on the bouquet, the palate with quite wonderful flavour and – even more – a glorious texture, thanks in part to invisible tannins. Bosc pear and a hint of dried apricot are sidelines.

97 POINTS

Halliday Wine Companion - Panel Score

2023 Terre a Terre Wrattonbully Crayeres Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Sauvignon Blanc of the Year. Score awarded by the Halliday tasting team at the annual Awards judging. SW writes: Fermented in stainless steel tank (52%) and older oak (48%). Aged on full lees with no battonage. Pineapple, guava, perfectly ripe mango skin and lilikoi. Driving and elegant natural acidity and a wash of juicy tropical fruit with hints of glacé ginger and nutmeg spice. A fuzz of nettle texture and the wine finishes quite full bodied. It's a sauvignon blanc made with care, attention to detail and purity of fruit.

95 POINTS

Toni Paterson - Halliday's Wine Companion

2023 Leogate Creek Bed Chardonnay There is value to be found in this harmonious, complex wine produced from an isolated parcel of fruit selected from the Brokenback Vineyard. The palate has a sweet fruit profile bursting with preserved lemon, citrus curd, meringue and honeysuckle notes, with pleasing acidity to balance. It is a textural, layered, well-made wine and would suit those who prefer a full-flavoured style of chardonnay.

95 POINTS

Ned Goodwin - Halliday's Wine Companion

2021 Sidewood Estate Mappinga Chardonnay Barrel fermented spontaneously as partial whole bunches before further ageing for 10 months. The bells and whistles have been thrown at this, yet the result is delicious. White fig, cantaloupe and nectarine densely packed within a carapace of vanillin pod oak and juicy acidity, all shimmering across the textural scape and dragging the flavours long, crunchy and succulent.

95 POINTS

Mike Bennie - Halliday's Wine Companion

2023 Mitchell Watervale Riesling Flavour. Texture. Precision. Poise. A scintillating riesling of strong regional character, yet details of citrusy fruit, saline minerality, faint nutty savouriness and talc-like textural pucker. Fantastic. It's a highly perfumed expression with extreme length, vitality and freshness with drinkability now and a sense that time in the cellar will bode very, very well. Straight up delicious, with plenty going on. Mitchell delivers the goods with this variety, and the 2023 release is a belter. Kudos.

95 POINTS

James Halliday - Halliday's Wine Companion

2023 Bleasdale Pinot Gris OK, OK, I'm giving lots of points to a pinot gris. BUT, it's from the Adelaide Hills and it's made by Paul Hotker, who piloted Bleasdale to Wine Companion Winery of the Year for 2024. It even has a barrel ferment component. It's a new deal in refreshment.