Paralian, Mclaren Vale

Black fruit with an ashy, savoury feel overall. Hints of rust and black olive - all nice varietal characteristics. I love straight Mataro (Mourvedre) but sometimes you come across examples that are a bit dull, bland and soft. The better wines, like this, embrace Mataro for what it is: burly and gravely and rustic. Don't turn to Mataro for something suave and elegant - embrace the variety for a wine that speaks of a hot and dry climate without sacrificing freshness. - Ches Cook, FWC.

A new wine for Paralian. This is Springs Hill Mataro, planted in 2001. Meaty, spicy, lavender, orange peel, blackberry. Medium-bodied, deep, dark and ferrous, dried herb and black olive, plenty of grainy tannin grip, albeit slightly grape pippy and bitter, very savoury, very Mataro, indeed, to its bootstraps and down to its leather shoes. You have to love the style, but this is authentic and very good. 93 points. - Gary Walsh, Wine Front.

Grenache 2023: This looks great and is probably the pick of the reds from a very strong field. A nice mix of ripe fruit up front but then some dried herbal/amaro notes in the second half. Very good acid bringing freshness and liveliness. Fills the palate nicely. Shows some red liquorice on day 2 which I love to see in wines like this. Tannin a hallmark which I also like to see in Grenache. It lends structure and assists with longevity, if you plan on cellaring some. A real winner. - Ches Cook, FWC.

From the Marmont vineyard, Blewitt Springs, planted in 1960. Steely, iron filings, ozone, cherry, raspberry, floral and spicy, honey glazed ham and mint. Medium-bodied, fine emery board tannin, dried herbs and almond, lots of cranberry crunch and energy, with very good length. Lovely wine. Fine Grenache. Picked on the right side of ripeness, with some tangy blood orange flavour in the aftertaste. It’ll do well with a few more years on it. 95 points. - Gary Walsh, Wine Front.

The 2023 Chardonnay looks great and is a good continuation of style, coming off the 2022 release which was our first introduction to the wines of Paralian. Gary's note below is very accurate with more descriptors than you could poke a stick at. As for what i see, the wine is made up of golden fruit with mid-palate generosity, but a nice line of acid and a biscuity bite to the back-palate adding weight and a slight mealiness. Very good and recommended. - Ches Cook, FWC. 

Plenty of struck match, white peach, grapefruit, cinnamon and ginger spice, cut fennel perfume. Bright and tangy, a good core of grapefruity acidity, some lemon zest bitterness, a little lemon curd richness along with a light almond and cashew softness, flinty grip, and a long saline finish offering some gin and tonic bite. Tight. Lots of energy. Very good. Needs a little more time to settle, however. 94 points. - Gary Walsh, Wine Front.