Halliday Wine Companion 2023 Results & Reviews

The Halliday Wine Companion 2023 was released on 4 August 2022.

The Halliday Wine Companion 2023 was released on 4 August 2022 and we were thrilled to learn we had retained our Red Five Star Winery Rating and achieved five gold medal scores and eight silver medal scores.

This year wines from the Mornington Peninsula region were reviewed by Jane Faulkner for the 2023 companion. The  Cri de Coeur wines featured will be available to purchase from 27 August 2022.

Here are some of the highlights...
 

2017 Crittenden Cri de Coeur Savagnin Sous Voile - 97 Points, Gold
Bearing witness to a wine’s creation – as in tasting all since its inception in 2011 and understanding the story behind sous voile – allows a picture to form. Winemaker Matt Campbell is credited with kickstarting the revolution à la Jura at Crittenden Estate and all I can say is, thank you. Oh and ’17, the finest to date. Spending nearly 4 years under flor and matched to an excellent vintage has created a complex, savoury and utterly compelling wine. Expect a harmony of grilled almonds, toffee praline, salted lemons, poached quince with mouth-watering, heady aldehydes. The palate is incredibly silky and long, yet has lots of tangy acidity too; it’s elegant and importantly, ultra-fresh and alive. What a wine. Alas, just 800 bottles made.

Crittenden Cri de Coeur Macvin #3 - 96 Points, Gold

The 3rd rendition is created with a blend of 50% flor-aged savagnin from the excellent 2017 vintage and savagnin grape juice from 2021, fortified with grape spirit then left in barrel for 10 months. It’s come together superbly. An enticing amber hue with dried pears, toast and honey, then pear juice and toasted pain d’épice flavours tantalise. The palate is luscious and sweet yet balanced with acidity; there's a fine if slippery texture across the palate. Hard to put the glass down.

2020 Crittenden Cri de Coeur Chardonnay - 95 Points, Gold

Whole-bunch pressed to French oak barriques (60% new) for wild ferment, 80% undergoing mlf, and 11 months' aging. I can only imagine how tight and linear this would be without the mlf and new oak, as it’s still taut and bristling with nervous energy. It needs more time to add some flesh to its fine shape. A hint of grilled nuts and creamy lees bind to the lemon and white nectarine flavours. Racy across the palate thanks to the acidity, which keeps this bright and the finish long.

2021 Crittenden Estate Pinot Gris - 95 Points, Gold

It’s always a go-to gris, because aside from the varietal inputs, it’s a terrific drink. Honeysuckle, ginger spice, nashi pear and lemon-cream tart. Luscious across the palate, yet finishes with a gentle acid freshness.

2021 Crittenden OGGI - 95 Points, Gold

Oggi, (Italian for 'today'), can be made to the whim of the winemakers, experimenting with different varieties and/or techniques each vintage – small-batch winemaking, really. For ’21, it is a blend of 62/38% pinot grigio/white muscat, vinified separately, on skins for 2 weeks, fermented wild, aged in used barriques for 10 months, mlf, then blended just before bottling. It’s a coppery orange colour and so fragrant (via the muscat) with honeysuckle, musk, lychee and a burst of spices. The palate has plenty of grip, a sway of phenolics adding texture and intrigue, plus flavours of blood orange and Angostura bitters. It's super-dry. A fabulous aperitif style. Bravo.