James Halliday's Australian Wine Companion
You'll find here James Halliday's rating for Happs and Three Hills wines per release of his book from the 2011 publication onwards.
In this edition of Halliday's companion Happs was awarded 5 red stars
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This translates to "an outstanding winery regularly producing wines of exemplary quality and typicity." Five red stars is awarded to producers that have at least two wines achieving a five glass rating (we had five wines at this level) in each of the last three years. This puts us in Halliday's top 5%.
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Three Hills Chardonnay 2009 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 Three Hills Shiraz 2009 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 Margaret River Shiraz 2009 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 $25 Three Hills Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2009 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 Three Hills Malbec 2009 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 |
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Three Hills Cabernet Frank 2009.
Rating 93 Drink 2017 $36 Three Hills Merlot 2009
Rating 92 Drink 2016 $36 Three Hills Sangiovese 2009
Rating 91 Drink 2015 $36 Margaret River Semillon 2010 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 |
| 4 Star wine |
Margaret River Semillon Saivignon Blanc 2010
Rating 89 Drink 2013 $18 Merlot 2009
Rating 89 Drink 2014 $22 Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Rating 89 Drink 2020 $22 Three Hills Petit Verdot 2009
Rating 89 Drink 2019 $36 Three Hills Nebiolo 2009
Rating 87 Drink 2016 $36 |
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Three Hills Malbec 2008 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 Three Hills Chardonnay 2008 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 Fortis 2008  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 Three Hills Nebbiolo 2008 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 |
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Three Hills Petit Verdot 2008 Has the usual dense crimson-purple colour; very savoury, dark, brooding fruit flavours, far closer to Bordeaux than the vast majority of warm-grown examples from elsewhere in Australia and California. Cork. Rating 92 Drink 2018 $36 Date Tasted Jan 10 Three Hills Eva Marie 2008 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 Margaret River Chardonnay 2008 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 Three Hills Sangiovese 2008 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 Margaret River Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2009 Attractive wine with gooseberry, citrus and grass components seamlessly welded, the juicy mouthfeel giving good length and balance. Screwcap. 13.5% alc. Rating 90 Drink 2011 $16 Date Tasted Jan 10 |
| 4 Star wine |
Muscat a Pink 2009 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 Three Hills Cabernet Franc 2008 Light but bright hue; has a marked fragrance of violet and cherry, the palate with a pack of tannins that the variety is not meant to have; near, yet far. Cork. Rating 88 Drink 2016 $36 Date Tasted Jan 10 |
