A New Years box from Laithwaites

What a great start to January of 2025. Fifteen wines in a box delivered to the door.

Trimboli Lucia Tresecco NV
From the King Country in Oz comes this sparkling wine created by Salvatore Trimboli to celebrate the birth of grand daughter Lucia. Taking inspiration from his heritage in Italy’s north, he has blended three varietals to make the wine (Tre, meaning three, Secco, meaning dry). A vibrant froth of fine bubbles, and a zesty aroma filled with pear, peach, melon and lemon lead the way. Quite straight-forward and light-weighted in the palate, with a clean, tart and energetic heart. One for the lunch table this summer. 90pts

Famille Bougrier Les Secrets d’Abesse 2023
For those of us in Australasia, it is good to remember that the Loire Valley in France makes what many purists would consider the classic ‘Old World’ expression of Sauvignon Blanc. What’s the difference? It is a calmer, quieter voice that doesn’t have the sweet tropical edge to the fruit, and has less of the bright green cut of those from the southern hemisphere. This is a zesty, herbal package with citrus fruit flavours and a dry, chalky, minerally texture that works best with food. Look at a plate of seafood or shellfish to make a glassful of this really sing. 90pts

Barrel Monkeys Shiraz 2021
From McLaren Vale in South Australia, named for the hard-working and unsung Cellar hands who help create our wines. Possibly Australia’s best regarded varietal now - certainly a style of Syrah that areas like McLaren Vale have ‘made their own’. Expect some ripe, almost jammy black fruit, a good lick of oak, and plush, supple tannins, and you won’t be disappointed in opening this bottle. Acidity is enough to keep things moving without overshadowing the juicy bramble, plum and boysenberry flavours that take centre stage. A fine example. 92pts

Red Heads 1888 Shiraz 2023
A single-vineyard Shiraz from the Barossa Valley in South Australia. A nearly-black shade of red in the glass, with a vibrantly spicy nose filled with boysenberry, liquorice and cherry flavours. As well as the unctuous fruit flavours, there are layered notes of mint, capsicum and pepper that emerge as you go. A silky texture helps to smooth out that wealth of spice at the start of the palate adding an easy-going balance. The oak becomes more prominent too as you go - the weight of the wine fits the style and will have appeal for those expecting that. 91pts

Dark Corner Durif Shiraz 2024
Made by winemaker David Joeky as a side project, with fruit from South Eastern Australia. If you’ve had Durif before, you’ll know that it adds a flamboyant ripeness and weighty to any blend it is in with. The inkily dark colour in the glass has dark flavours to match - cherry, blackberry, liquorice, pepper and cacao nib in the palate. Oak, tannin and acidity are all in alignment and supporting that plush fruit. There’s a distinctive mocha note at the finish, which is long and spicy. 90pts

The Black Pig ‘The Prize’ Shiraz 2023
This is the top of the line of South Australian Shiraz that Laithwaites offer from this label.
A deep, dark purple in the glass. The perfume has a classic set of blackberry, plum, raspberry, black pepper notes so typical of the expression. Look for that distinctive milk chocolate signature that defines big McLaren Vale reds, but also a bit of smoky salami as well. A thick slice of spicy oak and bold tannin add backbone to that plush core. 92pts

Trimboli ‘Saverio’ Big Rivers Malbec 2023
Named for Salvatore Trimboli’s father, who was the winemakers mentor. A very dark magenta colour, with a fullness to the palate that follows suit. Deep, concentrated flavours of black fruits and rich notes of date, espresso and toasted spices. The chewy tannins add structure to its inky depths, and oak plays a part, framing the fruit with a smoky border. Bold, ‘blocky’ and full of character, into a finish of decent length. 90pts

Cabalié 2023 is a Pays d’Oc level Roussillon wine, a juicy southern blend of Grenache and Carignan. The scent shows raspberry, elderberry and blackcurrant - ripe and sweet, highlighted with a red hibscus exotic floral note. A mixture of that fruit and some savoury layers of pepper, star anise and sumac results in a well-integrated palate of mid-weight charm and breadth. Finishes smooth and sweeter.

The Waxed Bat Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec Reserve 2022 is a big wine. Made by Rodolfo (Opi) Sadler who may be familiar to Laithwaites regulars. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon with 30% Malbec, in a ‘reserve’ style with twelve months in oak. The bottle looks Aussie in style, and the wine seems that way too. The Cabernet sets the tone, flooding the edges of the palate with a lushness, and the Malbec sits in the middle, on your tongue, filling the gap. Peppery, toasty oak and a velveteen texture makes this very easy to like.

Aluado Alicante Bouschet 2023 comes to us from Quinta de Porto Franco – north of Lisbon in Portugal. A black-purple in the glass, with a sweetness on the nose that is very ‘portuguese’ in style, where the ripeness they appreciate in their wines is only matched by some grunty Barossa expressions. Fresh acid and supple tannin give structure to that confident fruit. At 12.5% alcohol, this has character and a carress without overpowering. Rather slippery and succulent - this style will certainly have its fans. 92pts

Pillastro Primitivo 2022
An IGT level wine from Puglia, in the south of Italy. Made by a wine co-operative using the traditional Alberello Pugliese bush vine method of growing grapes. Bright fruit enhanced with wild herbs, leafy, baked earth and pink peppercorns. The predominant ripe cherry is underlined with toasty oak and wedded to supple tannin. Quite hearty and plump, it finishes with a swoop of juice and pepper. 90pts

The Old Red River Gum Cabernet Shiraz 2023
From South Australia - and what is a classic Aussie blend of these two varietals. In some ways it is the quintessential pairing that represents big reds from this part of the country. A bit more blue fruit on show here, with a brightness of a refreshing line of acidity and a spine of fine tannin. A mint and eucalypt note gives a nod to the name, adding a green fringe to the otherwise bloody palate. 91pts

Angove Bin 4288 Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
One of Australia’s most-celebrated regions for growing the Cabernet Sauvignon grape provides a wine of good depth and hallmark Cabernet styling. Blackcurrant, graphite, sour cherry, mulberry and a little bay leaf herbal on the nose. Oak sits obediently behind the fruit, flanked by powdery tannin. At four years old, it is starting to have a touch of ‘secondary’ flavours - look for a bit of leather, tapenade and mushroom. 91pts

Bent Wing Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2023
Another Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, grown in the renowned ‘terra rossa’ soils of the region (a rich, red clay over limestone). The perfume is vibrant and spicy, with lashings of dark fruit, plus green capsicum vanilla and pepper on the nose. In the palate, bold tannin is balanced by a minty freshness of acidity. Bold, juicy and with a long peppery finish. 92pts

Stones and Bones 2022 is a blend of red varietals Touriga Nacional, Syrah, Tinta Roriz and Alicante Bouschet from Portugal. The scent has a sweet, rustic edge - like stepping into a hedgerow. Blackberry, herbs, rosehip, cherry, raspberry jam and a bit of liquorice. Being portguese you can anticipate a sweet ripeness in the core, and here that is offset by well-balanced acidity and some smooth tannin. Quite big (it’s 14% alcohol) and unctuous.