Wines of the Year 2024: Australia, New Zealand & South Africa
Julie Sheppard, Regional Editor for Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, picks five wines that represent the best of these southern hemisphere heavyweights.
Decanter’s expert writers and contributors awarded 95-points or more to almost 3,000 wines in the 12 months to October 2024.
While they have all appeared in the pages of Decanter magazine and online on Decanter Premium and in our decanter.com database, there were too many to reproduce here for a seasonal wrap-up.
Scroll down for notes and scores of the Australian, New Zealand and South African Wines of the Year 2024
For Decanter’s inaugural New Zealand Pinot Noir vintage report, Emma Jenkins MW tasted 240 wines – a showcase of the value, quality and drinking pleasure this category offers.
Several producers stood out – including Bell Hill, Escarpment, Felton Road, Prophet’s Rock and Rippon – but it was Ata Rangi that scooped two top spots, its Kotinga cuvée seducing with its charm, vibrancy and immediacy.
In another first, our Margaret River vintage report by Cassandra Charlick (August 2024 issue) highlighted the excellent 2022 Chardonnay and more challenging 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon vintages.
In the former, Vanya Cullen’s Kevin John was one of several standout wines.
From South Australia, Penfolds’ Bin 169 2021 made a splash in La Place de Bordeaux’s March releases. It trumped stablemates Bin 707 and Grange, thanks to offering great comparative value in a near-perfect Coonawarra vintage.
A feather in the cap for Yalumba in its 175th anniversary year, the Octavius 2018 from 100-year-old Barossa Shiraz vines also impressed with its fruit purity and refinement; evidence of the changing face of this iconic regional style.
And from South Africa, Creation won plaudits for its Art of Chardonnay. Alongside Hamilton Russell, Newton Johnson and Crystallum, it proves why Hemel-en-Aarde, one of the world’s most southerly wine-producing regions, should be on the radar for all Burgundy lovers.
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Wines of the Year 2024: Australia, New Zealand & South Africa
Wines are listed white then red, in score order
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Creation, The Art of Chardonnay, Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, Hemel-en-Aarde, South Africa, 2022
Pristine Chardonnay with a very cool feel on the palate. Hint of smokiness, vibrant acidity and a powerful saline character add up to a complex,...
2022
CreationHemel-en-Aarde Ridge
Ata Rangi, Kotinga Pinot Noir, Martinborough, Wairarapa, New Zealand, 2021
Bounds out of the glass with a lifted, floral perfume – spicy orange peel notes and plenty of generous fruit. The palate has lots of...
2021
Ata RangiMartinborough
Penfolds, Bin 169 Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia, 2021
Green herbs, lots of Cabernet markers on the nose with chocolate, mint, aniseed and some liquorice with cool blue fruits. Smooth and alive, lifted and...
2021
PenfoldsCoonawarra
Yalumba, The Octavius Old Vine Shiraz, Barossa, South Australia, Australia, 2018
Fragranced and aromatically complex on the nose - beguiling and totally captivating red berries, clove, vanilla, liquorice and wild herbs. This has an inky density...
2018
YalumbaBarossa
Cullen, Diana Madeline Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia, 2021
Elegant, opulent nose. Rose petals, oriental florals and spice abound, with salted plum, mulberry and cassis fruit pulsing with liquid cacao, sea brine, rosemary blossom...
2021
CullenMargaret River
