Black Market wines not to be missed
Our Black Market - deals that give you exceptional value, only made possible if we don’t reveal the maker’s brand.
Wines that are bona-fide, 100% the genuine article. You just don't know who made them until they turn up.
But we can tell you a few things. Important stuff like what they taste like, when they were made and what from. And also what they've been scored by critics too.
Here's five deals we think you can't afford to sleep on, because they've all been scored 95pts or higher(!) by Halliday. Trust us, they won't stick around for long.
Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 - Black Market Deal #52997
Aged, 95 Point cabernet with a Halliday "2040" drink by date. Cellared to perfection and still with a way to go. 2009 was a low-yielding vintage; what was harvested, though, was of the highest quality. The resulting wines are both scarce and exceptional. This is powerful and driving. A true celebration of deep, rich black and blue fruit. It is weighty in the glass with real gravitas - commanding of your attention and your time. As it opens up it delivers aromatics across all spectrums, florals, meats, wild berries, umami, earth... it goes on and on, as does the wine. The finish is long and marked by still peppy acidity combined with grainy (and somehow youthful) tannin. Ethereal and enigmatic - a truly special museum release. If you are a lover of the aged and rare (as we are): buy this wine.
Shop now - $39.99/btl
Shiraz 2018 – Black Market Deal #49143
Welcome to this producer’s colossal flagship wine. All parents say they don’t have a favourite child, but we’re pretty sure this would be the one for our star McLaren Vale producer. Picking the premium, low-yielding fruit from their vineyards, they’ve succeeded in creating a magnificently concentrated wine. There’s some parcels of fruit that go into American oak, and some in French. Some new and some old. It hits all the notes and comes together in a symphony of black and blue fruits. C’mon, those scores from the experts (including a 95 from Halliday) really speak for themselves on this one. But if we were to give you a short review from our team, it’d be this: don’t pass on the opportunity to get this in your glass.
Shop now - $39.90/btl
Chardonnay 2023 – Black Market Deal #52490
96pt, classic, balanced, complex Yarra chardonnay from one of the region's top vineyards. This is the kind of wine that reminds you why the Yarra Valley is one of the country’s most important chardonnay regions. Two clones, processed separately before nine months aging in French oak (40% new). The result – deliciously good. Fleshy stone fruit, white florals, hazelnut, spice, and sea spray mineral notes are all at play here, with crisp green apple and citrusy acid to hold it all together. Complex, layered and textural, the chalky finish is persistent and lingering. Excellent on its own but a knockout with pesto pasta or grilled crispy-skin white fish.
Shop now - $39.99/btl
Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 – Black Market Deal #47941
Rarely do we see a wine that is so unanimously adored. When it comes to aged cabernet our of Margaret River, this is truly raising the bar. The 2017 vintage had it's challenges, but this wine and this producer bucked the trend entirely. This is a masterfully crafted, elegant-yet-powerful (thanks to that slightly higher ABV), age worthy Cab. We can't get enough of it (literally, we bought everything we could get our hands on and it won't be enough). Varietal in all the right ways; long, herbed, a touch twiggy, a lot brambly. Where it steps outside the mould a little, though, is in the density of the fruit. It borrows somewhat from the powerful fruit profiles of Coonawarra, but it doesn't shed its Margaret River finesse in doing so.
Shop now - $39.90/btl
Pinot Noir 2023 - Black Market Deal #52987
Elegant, bright, incredibly cellar-worthy - and boasting a 95pt Halliday score too. A focus on clarity and drive, only MV6 clone grapes were used from two of the most premium blocks in the vineyard's extensive holdings. After rockstar treatment in the winery, including nine months in 30% new oak, this drop is absolutely singing now, and will continue to develop beautifully over the next few years. Ripe, brambly red fruits, delightfully floral (roses and violets), elegant and wonderfully textured. This is the definition of premium Yarra.
Shop now - $39.99/btl
That was five with the Halliday points to back them, but there's plenty more hidden gems to discover in the full Black Market range.
Got more questions on what makes the Black Market so great? No worries - over here for the full explainer.