About The Pack
Winemaker Michael Downer has been on a serious hot-streak of late, taking home the Young Gun of Wine award as well as the Gourmet Traveller Wine Young Winemaker of the Year in 2017.
The guy keeps releasing hit after hit. Here is a great value mix of some of his highest rated wines currently available.
This is the best way to get to know this rising star of SA wine.
2017 Murdoch Hill Chardonnay
This is a Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 101.
Murdoch Hill is a producer that should be on your radar, with young winemaker Michael Downer one of the real up-and-coming talents in the country. This Chardonnay might not have the pizzaz and funk of his 'Artisan' releases, but boy oh boy is it a good drink.
It comes from two different vineyards in the Adelaide Hills sub-regions of Lobethal and Piccadilly Valley, providing complexity, balance and depth to the final product. Light and fresh on the one hand, creamy and mouth filling on the other. It's not super complex or thought-provoking but it's a mighty fine drink and nifty value.
Read more about 2017 Murdoch Hill Chardonnay2017 Murdoch Hill Pinot Noir
The fruit from their home estate in Oakbank makes up a portion of the Murdoch Hill Pinot Noir, with the balance coming from premium local vineyards. Michael treats it gently. It's an easy wine to like. Slender in frame, ample "pinotsity" to keep the Pinot fanatics in their seats and outstanding value.
It's a wine that feels like it went to bottle effortlessly. If you are on the hunt for quality Pinot Noir under the $30 threshold, Michael's will unquestionably deliver the goods.
Read more about 2017 Murdoch Hill Pinot Noir2015 Murdoch Hill Syrah
Michael Downer has been carefully honing his craft with cool climate Syrah over the last few years, each new release gets a little more impressive. Pound for pound, this may be his best value Syrah to date.
This comes from the Cronberry vineyard in the Adelaide Hills. It's a wine that shows off all the hallmarks of both the vineyard and the skillful hands of its creator. It's about style and elegance, not brute force. 2015 was a fantastic grow season in the Hills, marked by little sunlight for the vineyard.
It's made with 25% whole bunches and a judicious combination of maturation in new and old oak for 10 months. If you're on the lookout for top value, spicy, modern Syrah, this is one of the best from this region under $30.
95 points - James Halliday
Read more about 2015 Murdoch Hill Syrah2017 Murdoch Hill Artisan Series Tilbury Chardonnay
Murdoch Hill's 'Artisan' series is where winemaker Michael Downer has spread his wings in the family range.
This 'Tilbury' Chardonnay is never around for long, particularly this year with his taking home the 2017 Young Gun of Wine award. Coming from a single vineyard in the Piccadilly Valley sub-region of the Adelaide Hills, it's whole bunch and whole berry fermented, with older French oak, only partial MLF and loads of 'solids work' giving the wine weight and complexity without ever feeling 'over-worked'.
It received 94 points from Mike Bennie who called it, "Delicious too. Superb stuff."
If you love your premium Hills Chardonnay then this needs to be on your dining table. It's terrific.
Read more about 2017 Murdoch Hill Artisan Series Tilbury Chardonnay2017 Murdoch Hill Artisan Ridley Pinot X Three
Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, these three varieties get along so well.
This is a fresh, fruit-driven wine that is geared towards fun in the sun drinking. It combines the vibrant red berry flavours of these three varieties with a touch of stalk influence to beautiful effect.
Think of the ideal red wine style to drink in the Aussie summer and your on the right track. Pop it in the fridge if you like, it won't hurt it a bit. Slim to none oak influence just pure, lively fruit full of character and personality.
Read more about 2017 Murdoch Hill Artisan Ridley Pinot X Three2016 Murdoch Hill Artisan Series Landau Syrah
This Syrah from their home-owned Oakbank vineyard is one of the wines to get him the gong. It's a wine of detail, it is expressive and evocative. It's classy cool-climate Syrah, the way it's meant to be.
It was awarded 96 points from James Halliday and Mike Bennie awarded it 93 points, calling it a "Distinctive, elegant red of high charisma."
This wine combines a great site with thoughtful winemaking; a winning combination and a tantalising example of things to come from this exciting Adelaide Hills operation.
Delivery is Free for any order of $99 or more, or just $10 for any orders less than $99. There is no minimum order quantity and you can mix and match as much as you like. Make your perfect mixed pack! In Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane & Byron Bay we deliver with our own vans. All other areas are serviced by Australia Post.
Sydney Metro orders in the Pink Zone will be delivered the next day 5 days per week, Monday through Friday. Orders in the Blue Zone will be delivered on Tuesdays and Fridays. Everything outside these zones will be delivered by Australia Post.
Melbourne Metro orders are picked up at 12pm from our Sydney warehouse every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and delivered the following day in Melbourne (Tues/Wed/Thurs/Fri). Please refer to this map to see if your address is considered Melbourne Metro here. Everything outside of this zone will be dispatched next business day with Australia Post.
Brisbane Metro orders are picked up from our Sydney warehouse every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 12pm and delivered on Thursday or Friday. Please refer to this map to see if your address is considered Brisbane Metro here. Everything outside of this zone will be dispatched next business day with Australia Post.
Australia Wide Deliveries To the rest of Australia we use Australia Post. The Australia Post Collection Truck picks up orders from our Sydney warehouse every weekday at midday. If your order is placed before 12pm we’ll get it on the truck that day. Delivery times vary considerably with Australia Post and unfortunately there is no Express Delivery Option for wine (because it is fragile and heavy). PLEASE NOTE that we are currently seeing significant delays in the Australia Post delivery network. Strict government health and safety requirements and very high parcel volumes are causing significant backlogs at the main NSW and VIC sorting facilities. Orders are still arriving safe and sound but you may notice slower delivery times and less frequent scanning updates than usual.
Authority to Leave and other delivery instructions can be left in the ‘SPECIAL REQUESTS’ box during checkout. The 'SPECIAL REQUESTS' box can be found on the here page before the final checkout page.
Our Heat Policy can be viewed here. If you would like us to hold dispatch of your order for milder weather please leave instructions to do so in the 'SPECIAL REQUESTS' box found on the cart page before the final checkout. We are happy to hold it for as long as you like. All orders are fully insured so you can buy with full confidence that these tasty beverages will get to you in tip-top shape.
Returns are free for 100 days after purchase. You can view the conditions of our return policy here
For any other shipping related inquiries, please see our helpful FAQ, email us at hello@differentdrop.com or call us on 1300 668 385..
Do I have to order in dozens? No, please mix it up! You can order wines in any quantity and variation you like. You can order 1 bottle or 50. We challenge you to make the ultimate mixed pack of wine!
Are there volume discounts? No, our pricing is designed to be the best in market already - no marking up and then discounting down! For very large orders (weddings, etc) we are open to negotiating though. Just give us a call.
Do we price match? Yes, within reason. Everyday low & consistent pricing is something we strongly believe in. We want our customers to feel confident they are always getting the best price. If you see a price lower somewhere else let us know and we'll consider matching it. We'll even retrospectively issue you store credit if you have already purchased from us but you see a lower price somewhere later on. Our price match policy can be seen here.
Can coupons and discounts be stacked? No, only one discount or coupon can be applied to an order at once.
I am trying to add more of a wine to my cart but it won’t let me? This means we are running low on stock of that wine. So for example, if the website will only allow you to add 3 bottles and no more, then that is all we have of that particular wine. The good news is we may be able to order more for you. Just contact us on 1300 668 385 or hello@differentdrop.com and we'll organise the additional quantity for you.
Does Different Drop have a physical store? No. Just an a warehouse/office. We occasionally do events however, so sign up to our newsletter or follow us on instagram to stay in the loop.
Can I special order a wine you do not sell? If it’s doable, then we’ll make it happen. Just contact us directly via phone, chat or email and we’ll find out for you right away. Please note that in most cases special orders such as these will need to be in full case lots (6 or 12 bottles).
More FaQs: here
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