News
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Clearance & Discount Wines - June 3rd 2026
Alrighty.....about time we highlighted a number of wines that we are looking to clear out. Nothing wrong with 'em....I literally need the shelf space! Please note are in limited supply so please act quickly should anything catch your eye.
Terre a Terre Cabernet Franc 2022 & 2023 (was $35 now $19) - By some margin this Croser Family 'project' is Wrattonbully's best red wine maker. Always (& strictly) traditional in the European sense - dry red fruits, long palate length and tannin driving a highly structured build.
Alkimi Syrah 2017 (was $39 now $19) - Mid weight Yarra Valley Shiraz with tangy spicy fruits. Plenty of buzz. Only 3 bottles left. Good winemaker this bloke.
Wild Duck Creek 'White Duck' Roussanne Viognier 2022 (was $45 now $35) - Made through the blending of Roussanne & Viognier, White Duck is full of texture and vibrancy. Fermented in 500L French oak barrels, it shows a lovely fusion of typical varietal characters. The Roussanne providing earthiness, roundness and fresh natural acidity, and the Viognier filling that palate with stone fruits and texture. Only 2 bottles remaining.
Thousand Candles 'Gathering Fields' Shiraz 2021 (was $36 now $29.50) - "Natural fermentation with 20% whole bunches, matured in older French oak. A super-bright crimson purple. Fully deserving of its gold medal at the 2022 Yarra Valley Wine Show, this opens with aromas of blackcurrant pastilles, boysenberries, black pepper, floral notes & a little charcuterie. Just as good on the medium-bodied, youthful and very well-balanced palate, which finishes with gently chewy, very fine-grained tannins and a little spice." 96pts
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Monty's Wine Wall
Fun fact!
We have over 200 hundred wines available buy the bottle for drink in or takeaway at our neighbour wine bar. From high quality high value cost-of-living 'busters' through to some of the genuine superstars of the Australian market.
Looking for Rockford, Cullen, Yeringberg, Mosswood, Wild Duck Creek, Bindi, Noon, Koomilya, Wantirna Estate, Bass Phillip, Wynns back vintages? We've got em and all at drink-in prices we honestly believe are the sharpest in Melbourne (no BS!).
Where? The Grape & Hop Wine Bar
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On The Tasting Bench - May 8th 2026
Bindi 'Pyrette' Heathcote Shiraz 2023 $39
Been a while between drinks on this one. Medium climate style with dark fruits and pepper edges. Smooth palate but no means a crowd pleaser style, rather a 'thinking' style. Feels young. Some mild reductive and Northern Rhone notes. Not unlike the POCW JV with Graillot.
Mandurang 'Old Vine' Red Blend 2020
A very pleasant re-visit of some bottles from a winery we regularly stocked back in the Cloudwine days ~20 years ago. Super low profile but a veteren of Bendigo with the first vines having been planted 50yrs ago. Old for 'modern' Bendigo! Gee I was suduced here. Uber fresh and massive primary fruit load but you can't help but be sucked in. Seems Cab dominant with some grainy fruit but lashings of juicy suggest Shiraz at play. Never gets heavy. We will be stocking this, and others from Mandurang, for sure.
Mandurang GSM 2020
Like the other Mandurang vintages from 2020 this is very good. Seemingly plush early but lines of mild astringency and acid kick in to keep things sharpish. GSM really has no track record, of note, in Victoria, so this one really stands out. I've been asleep at the wheel with this quite achiever from Bendigo.
Koonunga Hill Shiraz 2024
Forgive me!! Talk about a wine that's hard to fault. Plushy fruited, balanced and absolutely no hard edges. No need to cellar but that was/is never the point. Best sub $15 red I've had in some time!
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First Looks - Sutherland Estate (Heathcote)
We've been working through a handful of samples from uber-micro Heathcote producer Sutherland Estate. The vineyards were planted in 2012 and 2014, mostly to Shiraz, with smaller plots of Grenache and Mataro.
The east facing vineyard comprises 3 acres of Shiraz from 2 distinctively different clones, an old Tahbilk and old Barossa clone which each provides distinct character to the wines. On the steeper slopes of the southerly vineyard Grenache, Mourvèdre & Cinsault has been planted.
Carrying its adolescent 5yrs of age nicely. Medium weight, bright fruit early but gets darker as the palate progresses. Faint toasty oak late. Drinks like a proper medium climate Shiraz region and this would be a fair representation of Heathcote. The freshness is a highlight. Drink now to 2028.
Shiraz 2023
Somewhat different to the 2021 but probably reflects the cooler vintage. Still very much in the medium-bodied spectrum but a noticable tangy component. Did unsettle me early but got my head around it and particularly so on night 2. Lifted fruit, bristles a little, but does dance through the palate. Time won't hurt.
Rose 2025
Looks a bit 'skinsy' with a blood orange hue but don't be fooled into thinking this a fruit bomb. Broad palate structure (ahla Provence-style) but this is dry and savoury. Grenache-based, clearly ripe with a slatey pepper note late. Bit of class here and can take a chill (ie strongly recommended).
Sparkling Shiraz 2022
So I need to be transparent on my general bias against this style (Rockford excepted). Not bad however. Mostly dry, some jube fruits early, medium length finish. If you like the genre you will like this.
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Marc Bredif Vouvray - 10 Vintages Now Available Online!
Without doubt Marc Bredif's 'Classic' Vouvray Chenin Blanc is one of my all time favourite whites. It was the first wine I ever tried over 50yrs of age (the 1959) and I have enjoyed vintages from the 70s and 80s over the years. We have assembled 10 different vintages (2006 through to 2024) and these are available for purchase via the Good Soul Wines website. All things considered these wines are remarkable value.We also have each vintage available at our neighbourhood wine bar (The Grape & Hop in Montmorency) via drink in bottles or takeaway. We will honour the online price for takeaways.Great article from Huon Hooke regarding super old Vouvray here.FWIW here are some of my notes on a number of older vintages:2020 - "An easy drinker at 6 years of age. In some respects quite a simple wine; front loaded with (nearly) off-dry fruits and low acid impact, at least to my tastes. Tails off but is ultra pleasant drinking." (April 2026)
2019 - "Remains, undoubtedly, one of my favourite all time white wines. I’m not full bottle on the “classic” tag but I do know this is super likeable as a youngster. Nothing jumps out; rather a proper sum-of-the-parts job. Soft lemon early but does get darker but never hard." (Sept 2021)
1986 - "A classic 'eye opener' wine. Massively interesting nose with truckloads of bitter forest fruits and varnish (the latter in the best possible way), and throw in some old furniture store aromas as well! Very authoritative. Spicy aged fruits to taste; clean flavours and good drive." (Dec 2007)
1959 - "Oldest wine I have consumed to date. Intriguing nose of sweetbreads and heaps of old lemons and daggy old fruits. Old wood too. Lots happening. Palate shows incredibly fresh fruit and weight. Lemons and citrus, some bitter fruit. Amazing depth of fruit for the age. In supurb condition and currently available in Australia through the official importer so highly likely to have only recently been released from the winery's cellars (fresh label)." (May 2009)