`If I had to select the number one Australian winery, it would be hard not to choose Greenock Creek, run by the humble, shy Michael and Annabelle Waugh. The quality that emerges from this estate is extraordinary. In short, these are thrilling, world-class wines that are about as compelling as wine can be.` - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, October 2005 We first offered the 96 Greenock Creek wines in our April 1999 list. Since then they have received rave reviews (5 100RP pointers), have gained cult following with collectors & have skyrocketed on the secondary market, but we won`t say `we told you so`. And thanks to our continued relationship with them we have secured a much larger allocation than our miserly offering back in 99! Although the winery was established in 1978, it was 10 years before the first wines from the label appeared - that`s the mark of people who are prepared to sacrifice quantity for quality. Hence, only about 2500 cases are made at Greenock by Mike and Annabel Waugh with Chris Ringland - he of the eponymous and shockingly expensive cult wine - as consultant. (This is a chance to experience his skill at a fraction of the price.) All the grapes are estate grown, incredibly low yielding with some blocks only giving 0.75 ton per acre, maxing out at a heady 2 tons per acre. All dry farmed, the power and concentration of the grapes is down to the soil and the fact that they are late-picked, emphasizing the ripeness. Alcoholic fermentation is finished in wood, as is malolactic. This and the subsequent ageing in oak mean seamless integration and wonderful harmony. The wine is unfined and unfiltered. Parker has reviewed 49 Greenock Creek wines since the 1995 vintage, scoring five 100 pointers, two 99s, seven 98s, two 97s, six 96s. In all, he has lavished 4647 points on the wines, for a staggering average of 94.84 points per wine. Only the Don has better stats.