Celebrate the year of the Pig with 23 award-winning wines from the 2018 Decanter Asia Wine Awards, all available to buy from online stores in China.
23 award-winning wines for the year of pig - 2019 Chinese New Year wine recommendations
Wines
Curly Flat Chardonnay, Macedon Ranges, Victoria, Australia 2016
90
Soft, delicate fruit with a creamy, buttery texture, a mineral core, a mouthwatering acidity and an elegant finish.
Oyster Bay Merlot, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand 2017
90
Supple red and black fruit with herbaceous notes, a hint of vanilla and a vibrant curve of acidity.
Oyster Bay, Chardonnay, Marlborough, New Zealand 2017
90
Classy steely mineral characters with subtle stone fruits and hints of vanilla; very fresh with a spritzy acidity.
Wairau River, Sauvignon Blanc, Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand 2018
90
Vibrant, passionfruit and green apple flavours with an intensely fresh palate and a mouthwatering acidity. Charming and lifted.
MontGras, Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Valley, Chile 2017
90
A lively and youthful wine with pronounced black fruit aromas, refreshing acidity, firm tannins and lovely blackberry and black cherry flavours.
Col D'Orcia, Nastagio, Tuscany, Italy 2012
90
Shy nose: hints of game and clove. Lively attack with racy acidity and notes of dark plum, cherry and meat. Vibrant fruit and good length.
Robert Mondavi, Private Selection Chardonnay, California, USA 2017
90
Robust citrus and apple fruit with buttered popcorn notes, a clean mineral core and a fresh, elegant finish.
Bodega Norton, Reserva Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina 2017
90
Intense blue fruit and vanilla nose with plenty of ripe blackberry, blueberry and spice flavours. Tannins are high but ripe, juicy and velvety. Long finish.
Cantine del Notaio, La Firma, Basilicata, Italy 2013
90
A powerful blend of blackberries and perfumed wild flowers with ample, broad oak characters, juicy acidity and dense tannins.
Viña Casablanca, Cefiro Cool Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, Casablanca Valley, Chile 2018
90
Lifted jasmine, nectarine and peach nose. The palate brings mouthwatering acidity, which lifts the wine, plus an array of white floral, pear and lemongrass flavours. Bravo.
Mount Pleasant, Rosehill Vineyard Shiraz, Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia 2014
91
Elegant spicy berries with a savoury edge and a hint of meatiness. Complex and concentrated with lovely gentle tannins.
Jim Barry, Lodge Hill Shiraz, Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia 2016
91
Intensely fresh dark fruits with floral hints. Subtle spice and lightly woven oak, an unctuous texture and an elegant finish.
Loudenne Le Château, Bordeaux, France 2016
91
A deep complex nose of tropical fruit and ripe peach, the palate has a delicious creamy texture and fresh acidity to finish.
St. Supéry, Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA 2015
91
Elegant Bordeaux style with delicate plums, black cherry and smokey wood notes. Complex with warming sweet spice on the finish.
Campo Viejo, Gran Reserva, Rioja, Spain 2012
91
Some attractive bruised oxidative notes underneath the classic herbaceous, savoury dried red fruit and mushroom flavours. This is classy with a long finish. Enjoy now.
Brokenwood, ILR Reserve Semillon, Hunter Valley, New Sounth Wales, Australia 2011
91
A touch of fresh spice and ginger with a honeyed butterscotch edge; bright and fresh with a broad, rounded finish.
Stonyfell, The Baton Shiraz-Cabernet, Langhorne Creek, South Australia, Australia 2016
91
Inviting nose of crushed berries and juicy plums merging with sweet spice and a touch of herbaceousness. Will age beautifully.
McWilliam's, Reserve 660 Cabernet Sauvignon, Hilltops, New South Wales, Australia 2016
92
Vivid blackberry fruit running throughout and supported by a fleshy texture and soft, generous oak characters. Structured and lengthy.
Mount Pleasant, Lovedale Semillon, Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia 2011
95
Classic maturing Hunter Valley Semillon; lovely chamomile and apple with notes of lanolin and a nutty edge. Bone dry with searing acidity with further potential for ageing.
Mount Pleasant, Cellar Aged Elizabeth Semillon, Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia 2009
95
Intricately complex with yellow florals, crisp green fruits and a touch of smoky lanolin. Amazingly fresh for its age with plenty of zippy acidity and concentration, potential to age further.
Viña Casablanca, Cefiro Cool Reserve Carmenère, Rapel, Chile 2017
95
This is a judicious meld of tension, integrated oak and impeccably ripe cassis and blueberry fruit flavours, nudged with violets and cinnamon. The palate is dense, juicy, full-flavoured, fine and very long. A smooth giant.
Amisfield, Pinot Noir, Central Otago, New Zealand 2015
97
More of an experience than just a wine... powerful intense mulberry and ripe cherry aromas with tannins perfectly knitted into a tapestry of graphite minerality and warming savoury notes. Soft and delicious with a lengthy fruit-tea finish.
Campbells, Merchant Prince Rare Rutherglen Muscat, Rutherglen, Victoria, Australia NV
98
This Rutherglen Muscat has age written all over it -- and most notably in its hue, which is ebony in the glass with a walnut-coloured meniscus. It takes a long time (and a lot of heat and evaporation) for a white wine to attain a colour like this, and the wine's 400 g of residual sugar tells us that it would fall either into the 'Grand' or the 'Rare' catgories of Rutherglen Muscat. It can only be swirled in the glass with difficulty -- and then leaves the glass sides coated. The aromas are an assault course of warmth, fruit and time itself, layered out with extravagant aromatic sweetness and a kind of insinuating richness you'll find nowhere else; the flavours are heavy, dense, rich and reverberative, freighting down the tongue with treacle, citrus, spice, caramel and tar.