Show results are not our focus, and for many years our medals have simply been filed away in a dusty folder for our own reference. Erl doesn't believe they're designed to accurately reflect the best wines, and so hasn't given shows much attention. Nevertheless, entering them gives winemaker Mark Warren opportunity to taste our wines against the competition, so that's a motive in itself. Other factors that govern our show entries are:
As a boutique producer with 35+ wine styles on our list, many of these aren't produced in large enough volumes to qualify for show entry. Some styles are in such a class of their own there there would be nowhere to enter them if we desired to. And some varieties are so rare and distinguished in their own right that they simply don't fit in general categories alongside the run-of-the-mill Cabernets, Merlots, Chardonnay's etc.
As a rule of thumb, each year we'll enter into the major national shows: Three Hills Charles Andreas, Three Hills Merlot, Three Hills Shiraz, and maybe a few others from the list that we may have produced in sufficient volume, and for which their exists an appropriate class.
Below you'll find the results.
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Three Hills Reds
2004 Charles Andreas
Composition: 41% Cabernet Sauvignon 20% Cabernet Franc 18% Malbec, 15% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot.
Silver Medal Mount Barker Wine Show 2005
Silver Medal Margaret River Wine Show 2005
Silver Medal Qantas Wine Show of WA 2007
Silver Medal Qantas Wine Show of WA 2010
Gold Medal Perth Royal Wine Show 2006
Silver Medal Margaret River Wine Show 2005
Silver Medal Royal Melbourne Wine Show 2007
James Halliday: Full-bodied; very powerful and concentrated, and, for the moment, forbidding; a rich well of black fruits and tannins, the latter balanced but yet to soften and integrate; good oak; 500 cases made. Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Malbec/Cabernet Franc/Petit Verdot. Cork. Rating 94 Drink 2020 Release Price $36 Date Tasted Mar 06
2003 Charles Andreas
Composition: 39% Malbec, 33% Merlot, 17% Cabernet franc and 11% Cabernet sauvignon
Gold Medal Qantas Mount Barker Show 2006
Gold Medal Qantas Wine Show of WA 2005
Silver Medal Qantas Wine Show of WA 2007
Silver Medal Margaret River Wine Show 2004
Gold Medal Royal Perth Wine Show 2006
James Halliday: Superb colour; a very different blend to the '04; medium to full-bodied, intense and long palate, the softness of malbec sustained by the other components without losing suppleness; lovely tannin and oak support. Malbec/Merlot/Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon. Rating 95 Drink 2015 Release Price $36 Date Tasted Mar 06
2002 Charles Andreas
Composition Cabernet Sauvignon 92% Malbec 4% Malbec 4% Merlot.
Trophy for Best Cabernet Sauvignon from the 2002 and 2003 vintages at Qantas Mount Barker Western Australian Wine Show
Gold Medal Perth Royal Wine Show 2006
Silver Medal Margaret River Wine Show 2008
Silver Medal Perth Royal Wine Show 2004
James Halliday: Very fine, elegant and savoury; long in the mouth; not the typical show style at all. Rating 93 Drink 2012 Release Price $36 Date Tasted Oct 04
June 2006: Selected by James Halliday with the Three Hills 2004 Merlot as two of the nations best wines to be autographed by the Prime Minister John Howard and sold at a charity auction in New South Wales.
Winestate Annual Review January – February 2006 In the taste off of four to five star wines for the best Cabernet for the year nationally the Three Hills Charles Andreas 2002 was pointed in the top five wines that also included, the following wines: Saltram of Barossa Mamre Brook Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 Flint’s of Coonawarra Gammon’s Crossing Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 Clairault Estate Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 and Vasse Felix Heytsbury 2002 which was awarded the trophy for the best wine of all classes tasted during the year.
It is notable that three of the top five wines came from Margaret River, one from Coonawarra and one from the Barossa. This is a generous effort from three South Australian based winemaker/ judges.
1999 Charles Andreas
Silver Medal Qantas Wine Show of WA 2002
Silver Medal Qantas Wine Show of WA 2003
Silver Medal Perth Royal Wine Show 2003
James Halliday: Dense purple-red; a rich, dense bouquet with sweet berry, blackcurrant and cassis, the palate adding chocolate to the mix, offset by quite long, savoury tannins. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (50 per cent), Merlot and Cabernet Franc (in equal proportions). Rating 92 Drink 2011 Date Tasted Feb 02
Shiraz 2009
Gold Medal Margaret River Wine Show 2010
James Halliday: A very distinctive shiraz from Happs’ estate vineyard at Karridale, investing the wine with spicy,savoury, liquorice, foresty nuances pointing to the cool site; excellent focus and length. Cork. 14.5% alc Rating 94 Drink 2020 $55
Shiraz 2004
Gold Medal Margaret River Wine Show 2008
Silver Medal Royal Melbourne Wine Show 2005
Silver Medal Royal Melbourne Wine Show 2006
Silver Medal Perth Royal Wine Show 2005
Silver Medal Margaret River Wine Show 2005
2003 Shiraz
Gold Medal Perth Royal Wine Show 2006
Silver Medal Margaret River Wine Show 2005
Silver Medal Margaret River Wine Show 2004
Ray Jordan: There's some cool mint herbal characters happening on the nose that blow off after breathing. The palate is firm and very tight with substantially fine tannins. Robust fruit has a sense of elegance. Pretty exciting and promising wine that will cellar well. Has many years ahead of it.
James Halliday: Deep colour; potent licorice, leather, spice and blackberry aromas and flavours; very good balance and length. Cork. Rating 94 Drink 2018 Release Price $55 Date Tasted Feb 05
2002 Shiraz
Gold Medal and Trophy for Best Shiraz at the Sheraton Western Australian Wine Show.
Gold Medal Qantas Wine Show of WA 2005
Silver Medal Margaret River Wine Show 2005
Top Western Australian Shiraz at the annual Shiraz review by the “all about Town” magazine in Perth Western Australia.
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar: ($55) Deep, saturated ruby. Flashy oak spice from the get-go, with aromas of licorice, ripe blackberry, espresso, olive tapenade and peat. Fat and rich on the palate, showing lush, smoky flavors of berry, dark chocolate, tarry oak and clove, with a suggestion of exotic blood orange. Very ripe and concentrated shiraz, finishing powerful but also well focused. 91 points
1999 Shiraz
Robert Parker: Wine Advocate #143 October 2002: An opaque purple color is followed by sweet, complex aromas of white flowers, blackberry liqueur, smoke, camphor, and a hint of rosemary. The wine possesses an unctuous texture, terrific fruit purity, an extraordinary palate presence, and incredible balance despite its lofty 15.4% alcohol (all concealed behind the wealth of fruit, glycerin, and extract). This compelling Shiraz suggests magnificent wines from this varietal can be made in western Australia.
Sadly, there are only 300 cases of what may be the finest Shiraz I have ever tasted from Western Australia. The debut release from proprietor Erl Happ (who is worried Americans "may have to thin this wine with water"), this 1999 is from a young vineyard planted in a southern portion of Margaret River known as Karridale. Aging in large foudres rather than smaller barriques resulted in minimal oak characteristics. Anticipated maturity: now-2014. Rating: 95
James Halliday: Dense, deep colour; the powerful bouquet has abundant blackberry, plum and prune fruit, the palate massive and concentrated, fully reflecting its 15.3° alcohol; an exercise in gigantism.
Rating 89 Drink 2014 Date Tasted Feb 02
2009 Merlot
Silver Medal Royal Melbourne Wine Show 2010
James Halliday: Rating 92 Drink 2016 $36
2007 Merlot
Silver Medal Royal Melbourne Wine Show 2009
James Halliday: Good colour; strong varietal expression might have been stronger still at more moderate alcohol levels; not clear why picking should have been so delayed; Ribena-like flavours with some black olive notes. Cork. 15.5% alc. Rating 89 Drink 2015 $36 Date Tasted Feb 09
2004 Merlot
Gold medal and Trophy for the Best Merlot of the show at the Royal Perth Wine Show 2005
Gold medal and Trophy for Best Merlot in Royal Melbourne Wine show 2006
June 2006: Selected by James Halliday to represent Australia in the Tri-Nations-Challenge where the best of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand are judged together.
June 2006: Selected by James Halliday with the Three Hills 2002 Charles Andreas as two of the nations Best Wines to be autographed by the Prime Minister John Howard and sold at a charity auction in New South Wales.
2003 Merlot
Silver Medal Margaret River Wine Show 2004
Silver Medal Perth Royal Wine Show 2005
Silver Medal Margaret River Wine Show 2005
Gold Medal Royal Perth Wine Show 2006
Silver Medal Mount Barker Wine Show 2004
James Halliday: Super-powerful and concentrated, somewhat over the top for the variety; exudes red and black fruits; needs taming in bottle.
5 stars in Winestate's Southern W.A. review in 2006 ahead of the double trophy winning 2004 Three Hills Merlot.
1999 Merlot
James Halliday: Medium to full red-purple; the very ripe bouquet has slightly gamey overtones with some spice; there is a distinct change of direction on the palate which is powerful and savoury rather than fruity; has depth and length, but is on the austere side, reflecting its varietal base.
Rating 89 Drink 2009 Date Tasted Feb 02
Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2005
Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2004
Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2009
James Halliday: Bright, although not deep, purple; the impact of the wine on the palate comes as a surprise after the far softer eastern Australia models; this is all about the Northern Rhone Valley, not Chateauneuf-du-Pape, its savoury black fruits, with touches of herbs and olive, doubtless pleasing Erl Happ when he took the plunge and planted so many varieties on this Three Hills vineyard. Cork. 14.5% alc.
Rating 94 Drink 2019 $36
Grenache 2007
Cabernet Frank 2009
James Halliday: Rating 93 Drink 2017 $36
Cabernet Franc 2008
Cabernet Franc 2007
Silver Medal Margaret River Wine Show 2009
James Halliday: Good colour and plenty of fragrant red berry fruits, but the tannins are bitter; curate's egg; prayer and time may help. Cork.
14% alc. Rating 87 Drink 2013 $36 Date Tasted Feb 09
Cabernet Franc 1999
James Halliday: Medium red-purple; the moderately intense bouquet blends spicy blackberry fruit with well-handled oak; an interesting wine on the palate with a mix of cedary and blackberry flavours supported by good structure and length. Rating 90 Drink 2009 Date Tasted Feb 02
Petit Verdot 2009
James Halliday: Rating 89 Drink 2019 $36
Petit Verdot 2008
Petit Verdot 2007
Silver Medal Margaret River Wine Show 2009
Nebbiolo 2009
Nebbiolo 2008
James Halliday: Again, exceptional colour for nebbiolo, even if the wine is young; the palate builds on the expectation generated by the colour, with a Patrician presence typical of Barolo, the black cherry fruit easily carrying the tannins. Cork. Rating 94 Drink 2020 $40 Date Tasted Jan 10
Nebbiolo 2007
Malbec 2009
Gold Medal Margaret River Wine Show 2010
James Halliday: Deep, vivid purple-crimson; this is exceptional, for it has the structure and finish so often lacking in Australian malbec; the flavours are of confit plum, raspberry and blackberry, with a juicy, spicy streak, the tannins fine and ripe. No wonder it was so prized in Bordeauz before phylloxera. Cork. 14% alc. Rating 94 Drink 2020 $36
Malbec 2008
James Halliday: Vivid crimson-purple; arguably the best of the Three Hills wines simply because it brings out the best features of malbec: glossy red and black cherry and raspberry fruit (usual) and perfect texture and structure (very unusual). Cork. Rating 94 Drink 2016 $36 Date Tasted Jan 10
Sangiovese 2009
James Halliday: Rating 91 Drink 2015 $36
Sangiovese 2008
James Halliday: Excellent light crimson-purple; has clear-cut varietal character with spicy sour cherry aromas and flavours; Erl Happ was considered a nut case when he planted these varieties in 1994; slightly less graceful than the '07, the tannins more aggressive. Cork. Rating 91 Drink 2018 $36 Date Tasted Jan 10
Sangiovese 2007
Sangiovese 2004
Three Hills Whites
Eva Marie 2008
Silver Medal Perth Royal Wine Show 2009
Silver Medal Qantas Wine Show of WA 2009
Silver Medal Margaret River Wine Show 2009
James Halliday: A 50/50 blend of Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc, entirely barrel-fermented, with 25% new oak; deliberately made with the accent on complexity of texture rather than the fresh fruit of the unwooded styles. Screwcap. Rating 91 Drink 2012 $27 Date Tasted Jan 10
Eva Marie 2006
Eva Marie 2004
Chardonnay 2009
Silver Medal Margaret River Wine Show 2010
James Halliday: Bright straw-green; typical of top-end modern Australian style that is (finally) attracting praise from overseas; the oak is merely incidental music to the intense and fine fruit based on natural acidity; you can drink the wine today or in 5 years and enjoy it equally well. Screwcap. 13.6% alc
Rating 94 Drink 2017 $27
Chardonnay 2008
Silver Medal Margaret River Wine Show 2010
James Halliday: Bright straw-green; a complex bouquet wit a touch of smoky oak, the palate tighter and more focused than the standard wine, with grapefruit and nectarine flavours; good length and balance. Screwcap. Rating 94 Drink 2015 $27 Date Tasted Jan 10
Chardonnay 2006
Chardonnay 2005
Viognier 2004
Happs Dry White Wines
Semillon 2010
Silver Medal Perth Royal Wine Show 2010
James Halliday: Pale straw-green; the aromatic and complex bouquet ranges through grass/herb to seductive lemon/lemon cake characters that are precisely replayed on the palate. Will grow in bottle, but very good right now. Screwcap. 13% alc. Rating 90 Drink 2018 $20
Sauvignon Blanc 2006
Sauvignon Blanc 2004
Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Silver Medal Perth Royal Wine Show 2010
James Halliday: Rating 89 Drink 2013 $18
Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2009
Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2008
Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2006
James Halliday: Crisp, clean, grassy/herbaceous bouquet, then a mix of gooseberry, asparagus and grass on the palate. Twin top. 13% alc.
Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005
Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2004
James Halliday: Light to medium-bodied, clean and fresh; gooseberry/grassy flavours; partial barrel fermentation giving more to texture than to flavour; good length. Rating 90 Drink 2006 Release Price $16 Date Tasted Jan 05
Chardonnay 2009
Silver Medal Qantas Wine Show of WA 2010
Chardonnay 2008
Silver Medal Perth Royal Wine Show 2009
James Halliday: Bright straw-green; has considerable depth of flavour to its nectarine and peach fruit, yet retains elegance courtesy of a line of acidity. Screwcap. Rating 91 Drink 2014 $20 Date Tasted Jan 10
Chardonnay 2007
Chardonnay 2005
Chardonnay 2004
James Halliday: Fragrant and elegant, light to medium-bodied, fruit-driven style; nectarine, melon and citrus supported by subtle French oak; long finish. Cork. Rating 90 Drink 2009 Release Price $20 Date Tasted Sep 05
Viognier 2006
James Halliday: An opulent wine, with ripe apricot, and a rich and lively palate; good oak handling; a full-flavoured, but not heavy, harmonious finish. Cork.
Rating 94 Drink 2009 Release Price $18 Date Tasted Feb 08
Viognier 2005
Viognier 2000
James Halliday: Light green-yellow; a highly aromatic bouquet with fruit pastille and orange blossom varietal aromas is followed by a lively, fresh palate, again with those pastille/blossom flavours. The mouthfeel and texture doesn't quite show the high alcohol, which is all the more interesting. Rating 90 Drink 2003 Date Tasted Feb 01
Happs Pinks
Muscat A Pink 2009
James Halliday: Pale salmon-pink; made from muscat a petit grain, and a real wine, the delicate strawberry/grapey fruit balanced by just the right amount of acidity. Screwcap. 10.5% alc. Rating 89 Drink 2010 $22 Date Tasted Jan 10
Happs Preservative Free Wines
Preservative Free White 2004
Adrian Read of www.sydneycafes.com.au: Plain, straightforward, easy drinking white wine, great for a picnic, poolside or day at the beach. This is not a “bodice ripper,” think Fragonard, spring meadows, stolen kisses, some light fooling around, nothing heavy. Great stuff from the Margaret River appellation, this PF White is made from chardonnay. The wine is entirely tank-fermented. It is soft and generous in its flavours in line with winemaker Erl Happ's personal preference. The lack of preservatives is testimony to careful wine creation. Ronnie and Meghan liked it very much while Adrian prefers his drink a bit more complex.
Preservative Free White 2000
James Halliday: Bright green-yellow, showing no sign of browning; the bouquet is quite rich and solid, with yellow peach, and the palate, likewise, has stood the test of time remarkably well, showing no oxidation or mousiness. A 50/50 blend of Chardonnay and Semillon which one would normally seek to drink in the year of vintage. Rating 84 Drink 2003 Date Tasted Feb 02
Preservative Free Red 2004
Adrian Read of www.sydneycafes.com.au: Plummy smell, rich dark colour and taste, lots going on as far as complexity and with a nice soft, almost furry, sensation in the mouth. A big red and anyone who likes the Barossa style of wine will love this one. Super friendly, a big, warm, huggable wine that will treat you like your best mate, good on ya! We thought this was just delicious. We also took this one to lunch, where, as we recall, Meghan drank most of it. Buy plenty now and enjoy it with your friends, they’ll love you for it. Ronnie thought this would age well too. Just a reminder, preservative-free does not mean hangover/headache-free, as Meghan can attest to.
Preservative Free Red 2001
James Halliday: Excellent colour; the bouquet offers dark, earthy fruits with no obvious aldehydes; the palate is soft and fruity, albeit somewhat short. It is really difficult to understand firstly the very unusual blend of Tempranillo and Tinta Cao, but, even more, how this wine is still on the market in 2003, without any sign of decay. PF, incidentally, stands for preservative-free. Rating 85 Drink 2004 Date Tasted Jan 03
Preservative Free Red 2000
James Halliday: Medium red-purple; a soft, gently earthy/spicy bouquet is followed by a palate which as at the end of February 2001 was still fresh, and has quite good tannin structure, which will, by rights, retain its freshness for a little while yet. Rating 84 Drink 2001 Date Tasted Feb 01
Preservative Free Red 1999
Australian Magazine wine writer Max Allen: 'A brilliant, young, dark purple colour, with good, bold, berry fruit and a spicy, direct whack of juicy current flavour in the mouth'
Happs Reds
Pinot Noir 2005
Silver Medal Qantas Wine Show of WA 2006
Pinot Noir 2002
Silver Medal Margaret River Wine Show 2004
James Halliday: Light-bodied style, but very well balanced and long; gently savoury fruit. Skilled winemaking. Rating 90 Drink 2007 Release Price $18 Date Tasted Oct 04
Cabernet Merlot 2002
James Halliday: An attractive mix of blackberry and cassis; good structure, texture and balance; refined oak and tannins. Cork. Rating 92 Drink 2012 Release Price $20 Date Tasted Sep 05
Cabernet Merlot 2004
Merlot 2009
James Halliday: Rating 89 Drink 2014 $22
Merlot 2004
Merlot 1999
Silver Medal Perth Royal Wine Show 2001
Cabernets 2003
Cabernets 2001
James Halliday: Quite rich; an amalgam of black fruits, chocolate and sweet earth; medium to full-bodied; good tannins. Rating 92 Drink 2014 Release Price $20 Date Tasted Jan 05
Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
James Halliday: Rating 89 Drink 2020 $22
James Halliday: Deep, clear purple-crimson; a peppery, spicy black-fruited bouquet leads into an effortlessly concentrated palate, the fruit ripeness and weight perfectly proportioned, the tannins find and soft, the oak positive. Screwcap. 14.6% alc
Rating 94 Drink 2030 $25Silver Medal Perth Royal Wine Show 2010
Silver Medal Margaret River Wine Show 2010
Silver Medal Royal Melbourne Wine Show 2010
Shiraz 2003
Shiraz 2002
Happs Fortified
Fortis 2008
Gold Medal Perth Royal Wine Show 2010
Gold Medal Perth Royal Wine Show 2009
Gold Medal Sheraton Wine Show of WA 2010
James Halliday: Intense, deep purple; it's been too long since I last tasted one of Happs Vintage Port style wines; this is brilliant, almost dry, yet intense and very well balanced. 500 ml. Cork. 18.5% alc. Rating 94 Drink 2020 $25 Date Tasted Jan 10
Fortis 2004
Silver Medal Qantas Wine Show of WA 2006
Very Special Old Muscat
Gold Medal Perth Royal Wine Show 2010
Silver Medal Qantas Wine Show of WA 2010
