Clairault and Streicker Wines have received a number of awards and excellent reviews in recent months.
With our partners Margaret River Imports up and running in the United States of America, we have seen wines reviewed in Wine Spectator magazine as well as online by the NationalWineReview.Com.
The most outstanding result in the USA came with being awarded Margaret River Winery of the Year at the New York International Wine Competition.
The International Wine Challenge is held each year in London. This year, Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignons were well-received, with both the Clairault Estate Cabernet [2013, not yet released] and the Streicker Ironstone Block Old Vine Cabernet [2012] awarded silver medals.
In another display of solidarity in the international show scene, Clairault and Streicker won gold medals at the Korea Wine Challenge for Clairault's Margaret River Chardonnay [2014] and Streicker's Bridgeland Block Syrah [2013, not yet released].
Back on home ground and the Clairault Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc Semillon appeared in the ‘Wow Factor Whites’ supplement of the Halliday magazine. Try it paired with a Moroccan vegetable tagine, as suggested by our winemaker.
If you’re looking for a classic winter red, then the Clairault Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot is the wine for you! This wine picked up a gold medal at the Sydney Royal Wine Show in one of it's first show entries.
Follow links for more information about these results and the wines involved.
Win a long weekend getaway, for you and a friend, in the Margaret River Wine Region!
Valued at over $2000 and includes:
2 tickets to our exclusive, members only, long table lunch in March/April 2017.
1 complimentary bottle of wine at the long table lunch!
3 nights’ accommodation on the Clairault Estate for 2 adults!
Vineyard and Estate tour!
A full wine tasting experience and lunch at our cellar door!
A voucher for a surfing lesson at a local break OR a cave tour!
Two cases of our wines, valued at over $500!
Enter now! Simply subscribe to our e-mail newsletters and you will be in the draw!
Drawn in February 2017.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
Competition Period: Starts 1st May 2016 and ends at 5.00pm Wednesday, 15th February 2017.
Requirements for Entrants: Participation in this promotion is deemed acceptance of these Terms and Conditions. It is compulsory for entrants to provide their full name and email address to enter the promotion. To be actively subscribed to the mailing list to receive email correspondence at the time the competition is drawn.
Validity: To enter, entrants must, enter by completing our “join the mailing list” form available at our Cellar Door or any other place we may be exhibiting or online at our website. Complete your full name and valid e-mail address as prompted on the entry form. One entry permitted per person. Incomplete / unsubscribed and duplicate entries will be deemed invalid.
The Prize: The prize is a three night, long weekend to the Margaret River Wine Region compliments of Clairault | Streicker Wines. It includes: 2 tickets to our exclusive, members only, annual long table luncheon in March/April on the Estate. 1 x complimentary bottle of wine at the long table luncheon. 3 nights’ accommodation for 2 adults onsite at our Clairault cottage. Vineyard and estate tour! A full wine tasting experience and lunch at our cellar door! A voucher for a surfing lesson at a local break OR an underground cave tour! Two cases of our wines, valued at over $500! These items are subject to change due to availability. The total prize value is approximately $2040! This may differ slightly, depending on which external tour [surfing or caving] is chosen by winners. Prize is not transferable or exchangeable and cannot be taken as cash.
Details of Draw: The winner of the prize will be drawn randomly from eligible entries. The draw will take place at the administration office of Clairault | Streicker Wines, 3277 Caves Road Wilyabrup on Thursday 16th February 2017. The winner will be notified by phone or email. If the prize is unclaimed or unconfirmed availability within 7 days from drawn date, another draw will take place on Friday 24th February 2017.
Database: All entries will be entered into the mailing list database for future marketing communication. All entries will be kept confidential and any entrant’s details, will not be disclosed to any other parties. By entering the competition the entrants accept marketing communications from Clairault | Streicker Wines until the entrant opts out of these communications.
Who May Enter: Entry is open to Australian residents only, aged eighteen (18) years or over. Employees of the Promoter and their Immediate Families as well as agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible to enter. Immediate Family means any of the following: spouse, ex-spouse, de-facto spouse, child or step-child (whether natural or by adoption), parent, step-parent, grandparent, step-grandparent, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, brother, sister, step-brother, step-sister or 1st cousin.
Clairault | Streicker Wines reserves the right to alter or amend these Terms and Conditions at any time if required.
Wine critics are responding well to the Clairault Sauvignon Blanc Semillon from 2015. The wine showed promise late last year when it took home a gold medal from the Qantas Mt Barker Wine Show of WA, and has continued to receive positive reviews. It is currently available through Cellar Door, online and selected stockists.
2015 Clairault Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc Semillon
96/100 - James Halliday 2016
“Maximum return from high quality grapes, the region, and very good winemaking. The barrel ferment and Semillon inputs provide the framework for the melange of poached pear and yellow peach, lemony acidity running like a golden thread throughout. One of those wines causing you to regret having to spit out in tastings. Drink until 2020.”
4.5 Stars - Top Drops with Tony Love
“The ubiquitous WA white blend here steers away from wilder tropical aromatics for a more considered stance, lovely spices lifting the white fruit profile. Has a delicious finish.”
Gold Medal - Qantas Wine Show of Western Australia 2015
4 Stars - Winewise Championship Tasting
93/100 - Wine of the Week, Ray Jordan 2016
91/100 - James Suckling + Nick Stock, www.jamessuckling.com
“A white with sliced apple and pear aromas and flavours. Full body, bright acidity and a clean aftertaste. Tangy. Showing hints of grass and green apple skin on the finish”
Winewise is based in Canberra and invites all gold medal-winning wines from regional and national wine shows to enter the championship tasting. Wines are judged by a stellar panel of winemakers, media commentators, retail trade people and the Winewise crew to decide the best of the best.
2015 Clairault Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc Semillon - 4 STARS
“Powerful gooseberry aroma and flavour…”
2014 Clairault Margaret River Chardonnay - 4.5 STARS
“A Chardonnay of considerable intensity backed up by a dash of classy French oak. It delivers considerable drinking enjoyment.”
James Suckling is one of today’s leading wine critics, whose views are read and respected by wine lovers, serious wine collectors, and the wine trade worldwide. Nick Stock is one of Australia’s most prolific wine commentators whose involvements in wine stretches will beyond writing, to radio and television broadcasting, wine show judging, public speaking, educating and winemaking. The Margaret River Tasting Report can be found on JamesSuckling.com
2012 Streicker Ironstone Block Old Vine Chardonnay – 94/100
"Here is a chardonnay that delivers lots of depth and intensity. Full-bodied, layered and gorgeous. Super wine. Great vintage."
2013 Clairault Cellar Release Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc – 94/100
"A very plush, ripe and dense wine with terrific freshness on the nose and palate; pure and juicy, full of sapid appeal. The dark cherry flavors are super pure; blue plums too. Attractive oak treatment and a long, rich finish. Great wine. Drinking well already and for 8+ years."
2013 Clairault Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot – 92/100
"Lots of earth, spice and meat aromas and flavors. Full body, velvety tannins and a savory finish. Drink now."
2013 Streicker Bridgeland Block Sauvignon Blanc Semillon – 91/100
"A white with plenty of sliced lemon and lime aromas and flavors. An earthy undertone. Full body, bright acidity and a long and intense finish. Lots of character."
2015 Clairault Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc Semillon – 91/100
"A white with sliced apple and pear aromas and flavors. Full body, bright acidity and a clean aftertaste. Tangy. Showing hints of grass and green apple skin on the finish."
The SIWC is a food-oriented wine show now in its 34th year of offering wine-lovers a free web-based ‘wines for food’ information service. The wines go through a three-phase blind-judging process, culminating in finalists being grouped together in food-friendly categories. These finalists are judged beside dishes of similar palate weight and individual judges’ comments are published on the website.
2014 Clairault Margaret River Chardonnay
Blue—Gold Award, Top 100 Wines
Judges’ Comments:
“An elegant complex wine with quite tight acidity. A very crisp Chablis style. Lovely texture and it went very well with the food” – Kym Milne, Chairman of Judges
“An oak dominant nose with fruit coming through on the palate. A hint of creaminess. Great balance with a touch of yeasty breadiness on the palate. A great match with the salmon and the creaminess of the wine marrying in well” – Brent Marris
“A toasty nutty spicy nose leads to a well-balanced palate which exhibits notes of white fruit toasty oak spice and nut which is cut by a fresh line of citrus acidity” – Jo Burzynska
“An effusive nose with ripe fruit influences of pawpaw and apple. Hints of cinnamon also seen on the nose. The palate shows lovely length of flavour. A restrained savoury style which married well with the food” – Ken Dobler
“Lovely lemon cashew perfumed aromas with some peach and apricot kernel. Textured with riper peach and nectarine flavours and a touch of honey suggesting some age. A great match with the food. A lovely wine” – Meg Brodtmann
2013 Clairault Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot
Blue—Gold Award
Judges’ Comments:
“Fresh bright fruit. Medium concentration. Elegant good fruit and balanced sweet oak...” – Kym Milne, Chairman of Judges
“A slightly herbal nose with hints of leafiness. Hints of floral coming through with green cane and oak on the finish. A lovely richness on the mid palate with subtle hints of chocolate. Well matched with the lamb giving the wine a lovely cigar box finish” – Brent Marris
“An elegant wine with fresh cassis fruit and a savoury undercurrent of fine tannins. Notes of freshly ground coffee and a bright fresh acid. It's a concentrated and beautifully harmonious wine” – Jo Burzynska
“A medium brick red colour. A wonderfully spicy nose with aromas of cherry and red berry with leafy nuances. A lovely mouth feel with excellent persistence of flavour. Ripe fruit flavours and well integrated tannins” – Ken Dobler
“Dark dense Cabernet family notes on the nose with cassis and red fruit. Dense dark fruit on the palate. The tannins are firm. Lifted and pure with the Cabernet flavours matching the lamb dish” – Warren Gibson
The Wine Front is Australia’s oldest and most active review site. It keeps consumers ahead of the game by reviewing wines as they are released. It’s run by Campbell Mattinson, Gary Walsh and Mike Bennie.
2013 Clairault Cellar Release Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc received a score of 94/100 from Campbell Mattinson.
“This is both a highly polished wine and a high quality one. It reeks of oak, fruit and class. Resin, cedar, blackcurrant, superfine (but assertive) tannin, and a sizeable push of curranty fruit to close. There are cut grass and bay leaf/gumnut characters too, but mostly you would describe this wine, simply, as seamless.”
94 / 100
Campbell Mattinson
Is the Editor/Publisher of The Wine Front and the Editor of James Halliday’s Wine Companion magazine. Until recently he was the SUNDAY Magazine wine columnist. He won the Best Australian Sports Writing Award in 1996, an Independent Young Writer of the Year Award in 1995, and the Wine Press Club Wine Communicator Award in both 2005 and 2007. He was the founding editor of Australian Sommelier Magazine.
In 2006 he released the book Wine Hunter: The Man Who Changed Australian Wine, a biography of the Hunter Valley winemaking legend Maurice O’Shea (published by Hachette Australia). The book won the NSW Wine Press Club Wine Communicator Award and was described by James Halliday as “one of the most remarkable wine books to ever come my way”. He’s also published Why the French Hate US: The Real Story of Australian Wine and The Big Red Wine Book (Hardie Grant, 2008, 2009, 2010).
The Wine Front is Australia’s oldest and most active review site. It keeps consumers ahead of the game by reviewing wines as they are released. It’s run by Campbell Mattinson, Gary Walsh and Mike Bennie.
2012 Streicker Bridgeland Block Syrah received a score of 93/100 from 'The Wine Front'
“The back label text, which isn’t long, uses the phrase “yada yada” four times, which is a pretty decent effort. Suggests, heaven forbid, we have a winery with a sense of humour on our hands.
The wine is good. Light-ish, but good. Savoury and peppery as much as fruity, a touch smoky and herbal, tannic but in an integrated way. The mid palate is a succulent place to settle into, and while it’s mostly red berried there’s a (welcome) hint of liquorice. It’s a lovely wine to drink. Fragrant. Pretty. Yada yada”.
Campbell Mattinson
Is the Editor/Publisher of The Wine Front and the Editor of James Halliday’s Wine Companion magazine. Until recently he was the SUNDAY Magazine wine columnist. He won the Best Australian Sports Writing Award in 1996, an Independent Young Writer of the Year Award in 1995, and the Wine Press Club Wine Communicator Award in both 2005 and 2007. He was the founding editor of Australian Sommelier Magazine.
In 2006 he released the book Wine Hunter: The Man Who Changed Australian Wine, a biography of the Hunter Valley winemaking legend Maurice O’Shea (published by Hachette Australia). The book won the NSW Wine Press Club Wine Communicator Award and was described by James Halliday as “one of the most remarkable wine books to ever come my way”. He’s also published Why the French Hate US: The Real Story of Australian Wine and The Big Red Wine Book (Hardie Grant, 2008, 2009, 2010).
We would like to thank Decanter as well as our long term partner in Asia, Watsons Wines, who have already greatly assisted in developing and promoting our wines in these markets.
We have always sought to bring the most out of its fruit's natural gifts through the winemaking process, with minimal intervention. This philosophy has led to wines of unmistakable quality, recognised as such with accolades, both at home and abroad.
Winemaking truly begins in the vineyard and we have abundant water catchments, beautiful undulating landscapes, naturally biodiverse bushland and, most importantly, soil that is exceptionally well-suited to premium viticultural use. Longstanding biological sustainable farming practises have shaped our properties, contributing to the health of the vineyards and the quality of the fruit which continues to surpass itself.
ABOUT DAWA
Now in its 4th year, the Decanter Asia Wine Awards (DAWA) is Asia's leading and most trusted wine competition. Judged by Asia's top wine experts, the DAWA is trusted for its rigorous judging process. The judges taste wines individually, with knowledge of their region and style. They then compare notes and reach a consensus on each wine’s medal. Wines awarded a Gold or Silver medal are retasted by one of the Vice-Chairs for his or her confirmation.
Regional Trophies
All the Gold medal-winning wines within each region are divided into categories according to style or grape variety. These wines are then retasted by Vice-Chairs who award a Regional Trophy to the best wine in each category. A Regional Trophy will only be awarded if the panel believes a wine’s quality merits such an award.
International Trophies
All Regional Trophy winners are then split into categories according to grape variety or style. The top wines from each region are then pitted against each other to win the DAWA's ultimate accolades: The International Trophies. These are decided in a separate tasting judged by our Chairman, Steven Spurrier, and our Vice-Chairs, Gerard Basset OBE MS MW, Andrew Jefford, Michael Hill-Smith MW, Shinya Tasaki, Li Demei and Ch'ng Poh Tiong.
Full results will be published online on 5th October 2015. Visit: www.decanterchina.com/en/
Clairault is proud to announce results from the 2016 Halliday Wine Companion.
5 Red Star James Halliday Rating = Outstanding winery regularly producing wines of exemplary quality and typicity. Will have at least two wines rated at 94 points or above, and had a five-star rating for the previous two years. Top 4.9%
95 / 100 Clairault Estate Margaret River Chardonnay 2013
“A beautiful wine. Not in any way overdone. Pear, grapefruit and white peach flavours melt into blanched almonds and wood spice. It’s charming in a pristine way; it finishes long.” Drink by 2020
93 / 100 Clairault Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2013 * Special value star!
“Well balanced, textured and flavoured. Blackcurrant, bay leaf and spiced chocolate notes reach to all corners of the mouth. Tannin stretches the fingers out that extra bit further, nothing overdone; all about composure.” Drink by 2025
93 / 100 Clairault Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 * Special value star!
“Deep colour and flavour, chocolate, blackcurrant, gravel and eucalypt notes run seductively through the palate, smooth-textured throughout and them dry and firm to close. Opens up attractively as it breathes in the glass, smoothing out further as it does so.” Drink by 2024
93 / 100 Clairault Margaret River Chardonnay 2013 * Special value star!
“Margaret River chardonnay writ large. Sunny but well focused, Sweet of both oak and fruit but offset by smoky, sulphide-derived characters. Gets the balance right and then finishes with good persistence. Has some weight but feels zippy.” Drink by 2019
93 / 100 Clairault Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2014 *Special value star!
“Doesn’t put a foot wrong. Trademark thistle/gravel characters laced through juicy tropical fruit. Maintains just the right amount of tension throughout and finishes with good persistence.” Drink by 2017
93 / 100 Clairault Cellar Release Margaret River Petit Verdot 2012
“One to enter in the irresistibility stakes. It’s all plush, violetty, cassis-like fruit flavour, supple and full bodied. It has other flavours but that generous ball of red/black berries flavour is the key. Floral notes are a bonus. Drink by 2021
90 / 100 Clairault Cellar Release Margaret River Cane Cut Riesling 2013“Intensity to the finish elevates it. Flavours are in the lime and grapefruit spectrum, the lusciousness coming from an intense, syrupy sweetness. Simples pleasures but intense flavour. 375ml.” Drink by 2017
Read more on his site: http://www.winecompanion.com.au/