The Tulum range is the heart of Willow Creek Vineyard and is made using fruit from Willow Creek Vineyard’s 20-year-old vines.
2005 Tulum Brut
60% Pinot Noir 40% Chardonay
| Appearance: | Pale straw, with a very fine and steady bead. |
| Bouquet: | Hints of strawberry and cream typical of a pinot noir-dominant blend, and with the grilled almond and honey notes coming from autolysis and extended lees ageing. |
| Palate: | Full-flavoured with distinct pinot character, but with a delicacy and restraint coming from the chardonnay. The wine is well balanced, with mouth-filling mousse, and a seamless, long finish. Perfect drinking now, but will gain complexity with more time. |
2008 Tulum Chardonnay
| Appearance: | Pale straw, with some green hues. |
| Bouquet: | Subtle citrus fruit aromas, with hints of toasty French oak and slight struck-match complexity
|
| Palate: | The palate has the citrus fruit character evident on the nose, but with greater lees complexity evident. The fruit weight is excellent and persistent, and is well-balanced by typical cool-climate acidity. A fine and complex wine which complements a wide range of foods and will continue to improve over the medium term. |
"Bright straw-green;while the bouquet is somewhat restrained, the palate is not, with grapefruit, nougat and almond flavours held in a glaze of acidity; great length." 95 points - James Halliday Australian Wine Companion (2011 edition)
"Initial impressions include impressive struck match, white peach, nuts and butter. The palate is creamy, but very reserved, finishing long with refreshing acidity. Well crafted." - rated OUTSTANDING - Winewise magazine (June edition)
"A superbly deep, multi-layered wine. Nutty, mealy nose with plenty of lees and subtle sulfide nuances. It's focused and intense in the mouth with just enough richness and has a seamless palate of great harmony. A stunner. 
." - Gourmet Traveller Wine Panel, Australian Gourmet Traveller WIne (April / May 2010)
"Superb poise and gently edgy style in this top-flight Willow Creek
Chardonnay... this is one stylish, approachable and balanced
chardonnay. 
" - Nick Stock, The Penguin Good Australian Wine Guide
(2010)
"...a big mouthful of chardonnay. " - Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Age Epicure (23/02/10)
"...stunning. Complex and funky...its amazing fruit intensity carries the palate with line and definition. " - Fergus McGhie, Canberra Times (20/01/10)
"...it shows the complexity of its cool climate origins with green honey dew melon and lime citrus flavours." - David Cumming, Central Western Daily (24/12/09)
"...creamy and classy...balanced acidity and a crisp, clean finish." - Kerry Skinner, Illawarra Mercury (09/12/09)
"...in a very short time, this will be an exceptional wine." - Jeff Gordon, Melbourne Weekly (08/12/09)
“This lively young wine is pure and pristine to view and beautifully perfumed…Highly approachable.” Fifi Lim-Livermore, Mornington Peninsula Leader (24/11/09)
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2008 Tulum Pinot Noir
| Appearance: | Medium garnet hue. |
| Bouquet: |
Quite perfumed, floral and dried herb notes complement the dominant sour cherry aroma, with evident French oak. |
| Palate: | Quite rich cherry fruit upfront, with more complex herb and earthy flavours and French oak flavours building on the length of the palate. A silky texture and some very fine-grained tannins from skins and oak on the finish. |
"Gloriously fragrant and effusive; the palate is long and refined, with a vibrant array of red and black cherry, plum and spice; French oak is totally integrated. 96/100." - James Halliday, James Halliday's Wine Companion Online, (November 2009)
- James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2011 Edition
"...lifted and textured, juicy and long...Terrific texture." - Nick Ryan, Australian Gourmet Traveller, (December 09 / January 10)
"...just the right amount of oak and acid, this is a work in progress that is in the final stretch. In a very short time this will be exceptional." - Jeff Gordon, Melbourne Weekly (09/12/09)
"...classic gamey pinot perfume and a velvety texture," - Jeff Collerson, Daily Telegraph, (05/12/09)
"I've been known to strongly recommend the 2007...the 2008 is even better." - Jeff Gordon, Fairfax Community Newspapers (23/11/09)
"...with Geraldine McFaul at the helm...the winery in continuing to over-deliver with its premium wines.” National Liquor News July, 2009
On the 2007 Tulum Pinot Noir:
“Ripe, rich and velvety textured, the Tulum
has curves and plenty of stature – a red meat pinot.” - Greg Duncan Powell, Vogue Entertaining & Travel, August 2009
"Wine of the Week ...a real lip-smacker. It wins you over with its perfume and finesse, balance and beguiling sweet fruit, rather than bigness or power. It has well-concentrated flavour, which gives it intensity and persistence but it's very elegant and fine, long and balanced. 94/100" - Huon Hooke, Good Living SMH, 16 June 2009
"...really impressive." - Nick Stock, Gourmet Traveller Wine, June/July 2009
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2005 Tulum Cabernet Sauvignon
| Appearance: | Dark red, slight brick developing on the edges |
| Bouquet: |
Classic cool-climate cabernet sauvignon nose with cigar box and cedar notes, and some dark chocolate and blackcurrant aromas. |
| Palate: |
Quite rich fruit flavours and slight spicy/licorice flavour on the palate, with substantial grippy tannins giving a long, elegant palate structure |
"Ripe and varietal, with a leafy edge; very fine palate, with lots of bright red and dark fruits;
fine and silky on the finish; should age gracefully."
94 pts James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion 2009
2009 Tulum Sauvignon Blanc - SOLD OUT
| Appearance: |
Pale straw, with some green hues. |
| Bouquet: |
Aromas of cassis and a typical hint of struck-flint minerality and exotic fruits. |
| Palate: |
The palate shows the structure and creamy texture from the barrel fermentation, with sustained fresh flavours of blackcurrant and mineral as evident on the nose. |
2009 Tulum Pinot Gris - SOLD OUT
| Appearance: |
Pale straw, with some green hues. |
| Bouquet: |
Aromas of ripe pear and honey with a subtle hint of savoury grilled nuts from the barrel fermentation and small percentage of solids. |
| Palate: | The
palate reflects the nose, with flavours of pear and almond and the typically unctuous texture of ripe pinot gris balanced by a slight solids astringency on the finish and the bone dry structure. |
"A thoroughly impressive pinot gris, whole bunch-pressed and 100% barrel ferment in old oak barrels; the wine is intense, the oak providing texture but not impacting on flavour, the line of the pear and citrus palate long and clear. 94/100." - James Halliday - James Halliday's Wine Companion Online (December 2009)
- James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2011 Edition
2009 Tulum Rose
| Appearance: |
Pale crimson with very slight onion skin hue |
| Bouquet: |
Strawberry and cream dominate, with hints of dried mint and sage also evident. |
| Palate: | Dry and tangy, with herbal savoury flavour dominating upfront. There is substantial berry fruit weight on the back palate with very slight tannic grip blanacing the strawberry and almost toffee apple richness on the finish. |
