About Wine Enthusiast Importer Connection Symbol FOB Winery SRP (USD) Wine Enthusiast Importer Connection is a program designed to make the connection between importers and producers easier. Producers who are not currently imported $ < 4 euros < $10 in the United States can submit their products for a fee to be reviewed by expert $$ 4–10 euros $10-25 tasters at our headquarters in New York. Each review will include a numeric rating, a detailed review, the full name of the product, detailed contact information for $$$ 10–20 euros $25-50 the producer, a suggested retail price tier (as reflected by a scale of one to four $$$$ > 20 euros > $50 dollar signs $–$$$$) and the product’s alcohol, in abv, as reported by the submitter. All ratings and reviews of products that receive a score of 80 points or higher will be published in our searchable database. Importers who are interested in a product can contact producers directly for more information and to discuss potential business relationships. Tasting Methodology and Goals All tastings are performed blind. Typically, products are tasted in peer-group flights of 4–8 samples. Pricing tier, production size, provenance and grape variety About the Scores are not factors in assigning scores. When possible, products considered flawed or Ratings reflect what our reviewers felt about a particular product. Beyond the rating, uncustomary are retasted. we encourage you to read the accompanying tasting note to learn about a product’s special characteristics. Classic 98–100: The pinnacle of quality. Submitting Products for Review Superb 94–97: A great achievement. Producers who are completely devoid of U.S. representation (excluding Puerto Rico) may submit products for review. Products submitted by producers that have any Excellent 90–93: Highly recommended. current U.S. representation, even in just one state, will be deemed ineligible for Very Good 87–89: Often good value; well recommended. tasting, and the submission fee will not be reimbursed. There is a $370 charge per wine for submitting products. In addition to the $370 submission fee, producers Good 83–86: Suitable for everyday consumption; often good value. will be responsible for any international shipping costs, import taxes, and U.S. Acceptable 80–82: Can be employed in casual situation. customs filing and handling fees incurred, which will be billed separately by our preferred clearing house, The American Spirits Exchange Ltd. Once cleared and Products deemed Unacceptable (receiving a rating below 80 points) received, all products will be reviewed and published in the Wine Enthusiast Importer are not reviewed. Connection newsletter as well as online in the searchable Wine Enthusiast Importer Connection database. Submissions received without authorization and a completed online application will not be reviewed. Additional inquiries should be addressed to [email protected] Find all Importer Connection reviews on our fully searchable database at Importer-Connection.com 1 | FEBRUARY 2018 Importer-Connection.com AUSTRALIA Contact Company: Glen Eldon Wines Contact Name: Richard Sheedy SHIRAZ Contact Email: [email protected] Contact Company: Leogate Estate Wines Pty Ltd Contact Phone: 61 4.18.81.20.07 Contact Name: Mark Woods Glen Eldon 2014 Eight Barrels Single Vineyard Shiraz (Eden Valley). Contact Email: [email protected] 93 This wine is opaque black at the core and supremely ripe on the nose, Contact Phone: 61 4.12.46.12.86 expressing an onslaught of beautifully ripe fruit sprinkled with aged balsamic vinegar. Leogate Estate Wines 2014 Brokenback Vinyard Shiraz (Hunter They all fall in the baked category in some positive way, like black figs or confit black 94 Valley). This black and fully opaque wine sports a dashingly sexy and plums, and they are generously doused with an array of baking spices. Yet the wine is seductive nose. It’s restrained when first poured, primarily displaying its excellent clearly dry and savory, with a combination of lightly leathery tannins and Goldilocks- intensity of minerals, asphalt and gunflint. With some time in the glass, flavors of like acidity pulling the wine into a long finish. Drink now–2024. black plum coulis, cassis and black cherry jam begin to unleash their charm. There’s abv: 14.5% Price: $$$ loads of power here, with an intense and dense midpalate, dry and textured tannins and a long finish. A food-friendly wine, it would benefit from cellaring but is fully Contact Company: Irvine Wines enticing now. Drink through 2024. Contact Name: Will Hancock abv: 14% Price: $$ Contact Email: [email protected] Contact Phone: 61 4.77.61.58.78 Contact Company: Cape Barren Wines Irvine 2016 The Estate Shiraz (Eden Valley). This wine’s dark-black Contact Name: Patrick Dowling 93 color, subtly nuanced by magenta-purple streaks, promises to stain glasses Contact Email: [email protected] and teeth. Its aromas are just as attention grabbing: full-throttle power comes through Contact Phone: 61 4.99.99.83.05 in one whiff. From nose to palate, it shows a cohesive array of lush, peak-of-summer Cape Barren 2016 Native Goose Shiraz (McLaren Vale). Inky black fruits, with cassis and black plum dominating. Licorice, cracked black pepper and a 93 at the core, this wine smells beastly in its promising, youthful complexity, waft of evergreen freshen up the back-palate along with well-measured, medium- offering aromas of black cherry-cough drops, violets and cassis. It is a richly fruited plus acidity. The prolonged finish that coats the tongue offers a slightly grainy textural and approachable sip that surprisingly diverts to an intensely savory palate that doles balance. This is so well-structured that you’ll likely get to the bottom of the bottle out hints of peat, gunflint and grated hard spice. Round in feel, the scruffy tannins before you expect. Drink now–2024. and lifting acidity hold this richly textured wine well within the boundaries of over- abv: 14.9% Price: $$ opulence. Toasty, spicy and chocolaty veins come through on the engaging finish. Drink now–2024. Contact Company: Farmer’s Leap Pty Ltd abv: 14% Price: $$ Contact Name: Andrew Martin Contact Email: [email protected] Contact Company: Farmer’s Leap Pty Ltd Contact Phone: 61 8.87.65.51.55 Contact Name: Andrew Martin Farmer’s Leap 2013 Shiraz (Padthaway). Crepuscular black with Contact Email: [email protected] 92 a faint purple rim, this wine looks like a palate-buster, but the finesse of Contact Phone: 61 8.87.65.51.55 the structure here is impressive. Aromas of sweet plums and prunes sprinkled with Farmer’s Leap 2013 The Brave Shiraz (Padthaway). Boisterously cinnamon carry to the palate joining more baking spices as well as a succulent bacon 93 ripe and full-bodied, this is a classy, nuanced and bewitching Shiraz. The flavor. Pillowy, smooth ribbons of lithe tannins run through the muscular, solidly warm, spicy flavors are reminiscent of mulled wine on the palate. An exotic array of concentrated core, supported by a feisty touch of acidity. This wine’s charm now peak summer plums and nuances of oil-cured black olives are attractive, while the stems from its pervading, youthful fruit, but it will develop well for several years in moderately lingering finish is slightly heady. Drink now–2021. bottle. Drink now–2021. abv: 14.5% Price: $$$$ abv: 14.5% Price: $$ 2 | FEBRUARY 2018 Importer-Connection.com Contact Company: Glen Eldon Wines Contact Company: Cape Barren Wines Contact Name: Richard Sheedy Contact Name: Patrick Dowling Contact Email: [email protected] Contact Email: [email protected] Contact Phone: 61 4.18.81.20.07 Contact Phone: 61 4.09.99.83.05 Glen Eldon 2014 Dry Bore Shiraz (Barossa). Bold, generous and Cape Barren 2015 Old Vine Reserve Release Shiraz (McLaren Vale). 92 forward, this is like a good-looking person that makes you shake at the 91 This red smells generous and pleasant. Boisterous in its ripeness, it is nicely knees. It has a straight-on purity, the perfect amount of tone offset by curves and accentuated by cheek-piercing acidity and vaguely sand-papery tannins. Everything ample yet well-structured fruit. It all leads to a mouthwatering and moreish dousing here is in primo balance. Vivaciously fresh, pure and spirited, it is ready to pour, but of blackberries, succulent blueberries and elderberries. Lingering on the palate, with this should age well in the medium-term if not longer. Drink now–2021. generous baking spice tones and an explosively vinous finish, this is one to keep abv: 14.7% Price: $$$ around for any wine-friendly crowd. The forgiving but just-there tannins give way to highly refreshing acidity through the close. Drink now–2022. Contact Company: Haselgrove Wines Pty Ltd abv: 14% Price: $$$ Contact Name: Christophe Forel Contact Email: [email protected] Contact Company: Irvine Wines Contact Phone: 88 3.23.87.06 Contact Name: Will Hancock Haselgrove 2016 First Cut Shiraz (McLaren Vale). Though deep, inky Contact Email: [email protected] and brooding in the glass, this is surprisingly refreshing on the nose, with Contact Phone: 61. 4.77.61.58.78 91 reviving scents of evergreen, licorice and myrrh. There is substantial vigor here, Irvine 2016 The Estate Shiraz (Barossa Valley). This wine is so between the feisty, textured attack that brusquely rushes into the palate to the 92 impressively black and opaque, with a Bonne Maman’s Blackberry Preserves solidly vivacious, almost nervous refreshment that hits the lingering finish. This is all aroma. However, on the first sip it was actually rather fresh, delightfully nuanced and about unabashed texture and zip. Dashing and flamboyant, the layers of licorice, tar, not at all approaching overripe. The first whiff offers a pine needle scent before the charcoal and black currant should ease into several stages of delicious enjoyment.