NV R.L. Buller & Son Rutherglen Rare Muscat Calliope Victoria Australia 375ml Half-Bottle

Parker’s “Australian Treasure” and “Exceptional Beverage”

Here’s your unicorn wine—Robert M. Parker Jr.’s first review dropped a perfect 100-point score on this Australian sticky and we are stunned that we’ve obtained the last remaining 300 HALF BOTTLES in the country, exclusively available in this offer. It’s as if we have a scarce antique on our hands, a compelling gem passing from one generation to the next.

Rivaling exceptional Solera Pedro Ximenez from Spain and old and rare Malmsey from the island of Madeira for a fraction of the price, the Rutherglen Rare Muscat is a nostalgic taste of history in a bottle—an “extraordinary beverage,” raved Parker—a dark amber fascination of layered, complex aromatics of toasted walnut, date, and evoking flavors of “brown sugar, fig, molasses, and Lord knows what else,” gushed Parker, who went on to call the wine an “Australian treasure.”

This treasure has seen another 15 years in the bottle since Parker went gaga for it. Tasted repeatedly over the years by Parker himself, and most recently Parker’s editor-in-chief, Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, it continues to impress. They found it “intoxicating,” and “decadently rich,” and it is absolutely in the window of perfect drinking opportunity right now. Released at $100, now just $70 per HALF BOTTLE—a savings of 35%.  

We honestly can’t think of a better time to parade out a deluxe and mythical dessert wine than THIS holiday season. A clean, fresh, acidic backbone and multiplex spice aromatics lend the impression of savoriness folded into luscious sweetness. Imagine a glass with pecan pie, Stilton-style cheese, coconut cream pie, or drizzled over ice cream as they do in Spain. Once opened, enjoy a sip here and there for weeks, a treat to spread over several cold evenings or nights of entertaining.

The pedigree on this wine reads like a history book or treasure map. Solera wines are made in an aging method of fractional blending across vintages and this Solera from Rutherglen—the heart of Australian fortified wine production—began pre-WWII and continued until the Buller family sold the business and the authentic stock dried up.

There aren’t many other producers fashioning Australian Solera these days, so if you aren’t familiar with it, thank scarcity stateside. Snap up your allocation now, to keep for yourself or give as an element of a dazzling gift.