In addition to the many Australian, Asian, European and North American
wine competitions we enter each year; we also send our wines to wine critics for review.

Please use the wine critics’ reviews as a guide to further enrich your senses.

Dan Traucki MWCC

With more than 30 years’ experience in the Wine Industry, Dan Traucki, has a broad depth of knowledge of the Wine Industry. Dan is an International Club Member of “The Wine Century Club (MWCC)” and a Freelance Journalist for two Australian wine magazines, WBM and Winestate.

Lloyds Block Chardonnay Semillon 2018    
Lively citrus & nectarine aromas with just a hint of florals, delightful lively palate with a soft acid zippy refreshing finish. VERY EASY DRINKING!! November 2020

Lloyds Block Chardonnay Semillon 2018
Recently I reviewed Trifon Estate Wines – Lloyds Block Chardonnay Semillon 2018. One of my judging panel rang me yesterday to say that it “was the most enjoyable Chardonnay based wine he had tasted ALL YEAR” High praise from an excellent, accomplished palate!! December 2020

Lloyds Block Cabernet Merlot 2017      
Gentle aromas of red berries & raspberries along with a dash spice, smooth well-rounded palate with loads of flavour & a slightly grippy, lingering finish OH YUM!!!!! November 2020

Lloyds Block Sangiovese Shiraz Cabernet 2017
An unusual blend that works ever so well!! Vibrant aromas of strawberries & raspberries with a hint of dried herbs, silky smooth, tasty palate with great acid/tannin balance & a long lingering finish. SO BEAUTIFUL!!! November 2020

Lloyds Block Shiraz Cabernet 2017  
Part of the excellent Lloyd’s Block range – It has aromas of black fruits, with a dash of brambliness & a smidge of earthiness-a gorgeous mouthful of vivid delightful flavours, with a long lingering finish. SUPERB!! November 2020

Lagoon View Winemakers Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
Recently, I came across a mind-blowingly divine and complete wine that tipped my thoughts upside down about Cabernet.

Trifon Estate “Lagoon View” Winemakers Reserve Goulburn Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 is truly stunning. The colour is aging extremely gracefully for a seven-year-old current release. The bouquet has elegant berry aromas along with just an attractive hint of smokiness and some vanillin oak. It has lashings of flavour, rich, round and quite silky. Delightful notes of dark chocolate enhance the appeal of the sublime palate.

This wine is truly divine and it is not just me saying that. The Judges at the 2019 London WWSA (Women’s Wine & Spirits Awards) voted it “The Best Australian Wine of the Year” and it also has four Double Gold Medals from across the globe. June 2021

Lagoon View Sparkling Chardonnay 2019
Great bubbles!! Crisp yeast autolysis, citrus and apple aromas, zippy bright palate with loads of citrus flavours & just a hint of sweetness involved. SHOWS GREAT PROMISE!! June 2021

Lagoon View Winemakers Selection Riesling 2019
Tight bright citrus aromas with just a hint of florals on the appealing bouquet, lovely zesty citrus flavours- lemon & lime, with a lingering, refreshing finish- DELIGHTFUL!! June 2021

Lagoon View Winemakers Selection Chardonnay 2018
A very, very drinkable wine from Trifon Estate Wines. LAGOON VIEW WINEMAKERS SELECTION Chardonnay 2019 has some toasty, buttery characters on the bouquet along with zingy citrus flavours on the palate, & a lovely crisp acid finish. Evolving very nicely into a FINE ELEGANT WINE!! June 2021

Lagoon View Winemakers Selection Shiraz 2016
If you like SHIRAZ try ‘LAGOON VIEW Winemakers Selection Shiraz 2016’, Lively bouquet of raspberries, plums, + a hint of dried herbs, silky smooth uber yummy palate, beautifully balanced with a slightly grippy, lingering finish. Great with or without food. BLOODY MARVELOUS!! June 2021

Lagoon View Winemakers Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
Big rich bouquet of plums & cherries, gorgeous mouth filling palate of black fruit, spice & a dash of vanillin oak – beautifully balanced with a divine lingering finish – OUTSTANDING June 2021

Lagoon View Winemakers Selection Shiraz 2014 – Magnum
Seven year old current release in magnum from Trifon Estate Wines, Goulburn Valley. LAGOON VIEW WINEMAKERS SELECTION Shiraz 2014.  Great colour, bouquet of elegant plums, cherries & just a hint of spice, lashings of rich, ripe flavours with a dash of cassis & a smakeral of tightness on the lingering finish. TRULY OUTSTANDING!! 4 Double Gold medals + Australian Wine of the Year at 2019 London WWSA- AWESOME!!! June 2021

Lagoon View Winemakers Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 – Magnum
I just love a MAGNUM of wine – especially this one from Trifon Estate Wines, Goulburn Valley. LAGOON VIEW WINEMAKERS SELECTION Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 scored 3 GOLD & 2 SILVER Medals overseas in 2020. Great depth of colour, gorgeous aromas of plums & spices. Still slightly tight palate at 6 years old, but opening up to show stacks of blackberries, some plums, mocha & a smidge of oak, with a lovely, long lingering finish- FANTASTIC!! June 2021

Lagoon View Riesling Traminer 2018
Gentle traminer aromas on the bouquet, it is spritzig with a degree of sweetness that works really well. BRILLIANT FOR SPICY ASIAN FOOD!! November 2020

Lagoon View Rose 2017
Salmon pink in colour with cherries & Strawberries on the bouquet, a hint of fruit sweetness on the front palate then finishes dry & refreshing – A GREAT WINE FOR THE SUMMER!! November 2020

Lagoon View Merlot 2013
Wow a 7yr old current release!!! it has a gentle attractive bouquet with plenty of bottle aged maturation complexity. Svelte elegant palate with plenty of delightful fruit flavours & a great silky finish. ENJOY – AT ITS VERY BEST!!! November 2020

Lagoon View Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Aging gracefully, with a lovely red colour, elegant aromas of plums, raspberries and a dash of earthiness, gorgeous mouth filling flavours, smooth, tasty yet is slightly tight on the finish making it a great food wine. OUTSTANDING! November 2020

Lagoon View Shiraz 2013
Most impressed 7-year-old wine still available, lovely colour for its age, soft gentle bouquet of dark berries & mulberries, a hint of sweetness on the front palate, well integrated & rounded – GREAT CURRENT DRINKING. November 2020

Lagoon View Semillon 2012
Awesome an 8 yr old current release white wine!! Intriguing aromas with plenty of bottle aged maturation complexity, superb silky smooth, well rounded mature flavours. DELIGHTFUL with its own “non-Hunter” style TRULY SUPERB!!! November 2020

Humble Vine Chardonnay 2018
Great to see a current release Chardy with a smidge of age/maturation under its belt!! Beautiful, lively rich slightly buttery aromas with a matching palate that is slightly creamy with a great crisp, refreshing finish. OH, SO DRINKABLE! May 2021

Humble Vine Shiraz 2018
Rich aromas of blackberries with a dash of dried herbs, smooth tasty palate with stacks of flavour & a slightly tight lingering finish. PRETTY NIFTY!! May 2021

Humble Vine Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Great depth of purple/red colour, red berry aromas with a splash of vanillin oak, lashings of smooth flavours, with a still tight grippy finish making it quite DELIGHTFUL & VERY DRINKABLE. May 2021

Humble Vine Selected Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2012  
Amazingly young colour for an 8yr old wine, lovely Cab aromas + bottle aged characters, a hint of mint & chocolate, smooth elegant sophisticated palate with excellent flavours & silky tannins. OUTSTANDING November 2020

Humble Vine Selected Reserve Tempranillo 2015
5 Yr old current release-big fruity aromas of red berries + a hint of spice & some savoury characters, rich, round mouthful of yummy flavours of cherries with a dash of spice on the slightly savoury finish. BRILLIANT – RISERVA QUALITY!! November 2020

Trifon Estate Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
At 6 years old the colour is deep & dense, alluring aromas of dark cherries, plums & a hint of fruit cake on the superb bouquet. perfectly integrated, super tasty palate that is brilliantly balanced. A TRULY OUTSTANDING WINE!! November 2020

Trifon Estate Family Reserve Shiraz 2015|
‘ICON RANGE’ Deep rich colour, nice Shiraz aromas of red berries with strong vanillin oak & a hint of dried herbs, the palate is still tight from the oak, so needs rich food, decanting or patience to be TRULY MAGNIFICENT. November 2020

Trifon Estate Family Reserve Tempranillo 2016
Still with purple hues in the bright red colour, great aromas of cherries & red berries, with a hint of nutmeg & dried herbs, rich, smooth well rounded, uber tasty palate with a slightly tight, grippy finish – A GRAND FOOD WINE. November 2020

Trifon Estate Museum Chardonnay 2012
WOW at an age when many Chardonnay are falling into a heap, this one is just hitting its straps, attractive nectarine & peach aromas, with a rich round yet slightly crisp palate, beautifully balanced making it a DELIGHTFUL WINE!! November 2020

Trifon Estate Museum Marsanne 2008
Recently I came across, a new to me, Central Victoria winery – TRIFON ESTATE, and discovered to my delight that amidst their comprehensive three tier range of wines, they had available under their Museum Wines the, TRIFON ESTATE 2008 CENTRAL VICTORIA MARSANNE. Wow! How brilliant is it that they have a 12-year-old white wine available. It brought back early wine memories (1980s) of McWilliams Mount Pleasant cellar door in the Hunter Valley, where you could buy bottles of their well-aged Hunter Semillon going back nearly 20 years (at the time their Elizabeth Semillon was released at four or five years of age rather than at one-year-old like it is these days.

The TRIFON ESTATE 2008 MARSANNE is a light golden yellow in colour, has lively aromas of ripe fruit and some aged/complexity overtones. The palate is divine, beautifully rounded, silky-smooth with great viscosity, rich and creamy honey flavours and a finish that is pure nectar. DROP DEAD GORGEOUS & UTTERLY DIVINE! November 2020

Dan Traucki’s – Top 20 Wines of 2020
This year I have tasted / reviewed just under 1,000 wines. As in past years, here are my Top 20 wines reviewed over the course of the year which includes ‘Trifon Estate Museum Marsanne 2008’. December 2020

Trifon Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2010        
Amazing – 10 years old and still available – Great colour for its age, soft aromas of bottle maturation some complexity, subtle elegant flavours, well rounded over time, with gentle fine-grained tannins and silky-smooth finish. AGED TO PERFECTION! November 2020