"Its wines...are very good and represent excellent value for money"
- Huon Hooke, 'Wine', Sydney Morning Herald, 29th January, 2008

2007 Climbing Pinot Gris

"This estate grown wine from Orange is very neatly put together. The succulence of the pears really gets you in and then the orange blossom, musk and melon and lycees all keep your attention. A complex set of aromas off the nose and delivered onto the palate with a soft smooth lively acidity – the smooth finish providing a delicious drinking experience. Try this with lamb keftas. 90/100"
- Paul Ippolito, paulippolito.com.au, 1st May 2008

"People regularly admit to buying a wine solely on the appeal of the label. And why not. If a producer is willing to put some love into the packaging, imagine the amount of love that has gone into the product...[Climbing is] one of my favourites...An award winning label representing daring and skill...The wine: delicious."
- Steven Powell, 'b Refreshed', b Magazine, 25th March 2008

"Sometimes winemakers give a little skin contact to their pinot gris, giving some peachy colour and aromatic complexity. This wine shows the benefits with some youthful pear drop fruit while the palate is generous and creamy on the finish."
- 'Drinks with Angus Hughson', 'Simply Food', Daily Telegraph, 5th March 2008

"...a drop that has great ripe pear and floral aromas and a beautiful fruit driven intensity with zesty mineral acidity. This is a good value wine to enjoy with spicy Asian dishes, duck, strong cheeses or salmon with lemon."
- 'Wine with David Ellis', North Shore Times, 8th February 2008

"This is a pinot gris that really delivers on its varietal promise. It's not grigio-like...it's emphatically gris: spicy, even beady aromas lead to a ripe, full, apricot-flavoured dry white."
- Gourmet Traveller, March 2008

2006 Climbing Pinot Gris

"...rich, honeyed fruit flavours and good acid firmness."
- 'Raise a Glass', Gold Coast Bulletin, 19th July 2007

"...a heady mix of apple and spice ad a palate that finishes crunch and crisp."
- Ross Noble, 'Wine', Mount Barker Courier, 25th July, 2007

"I love Pinot Gris where the slight pink hue has not been stripped out. It's a bit like chill-filtering in spirits, when you remove specific characteristics you also remove taste. The cool summer nights and cold winters shape the wines of Orange and this is no exception. Aromas of apples and pears tantalize your nose and the pears persist on the palate. Add a hint of orange zest, some dried apricot and a tight structure and a long, creamy finish and you have a terrific white wine that will work as a stand-alone and as a food wine."
- Franz Scheurer, Australian Gourmet Pages Newsletter, December 2007

2006 Climbing Chardonnay

"Wine from Orange, I hear you say. Yes indeed, and a damn fine region it is becoming...the undisputed class of the region has produced a chardonnay of fine character. ABC (anything but chardonnay) drinkers let themselves down badly again for ignoring wines of this finesse. Pale golden hues suggest cool climate and the first hints of peaches and rockmelon on the nose confirm that we are in the optimum place for this daughter of Burgundy...17½ / 20."
- Michael Ryan, "Top Drop", Cairns Post, November 2007

2006 Climbing Merlot

"Orange may well prove the saviour of this challenging variety and releases like this will help its cause no end. Exceptional flavour composition that will have merlot's harsh critics thinking twice in future."
- John Fordham, 'On the Grapevine', Sunday Telegraph, 25th May 2008.

"...here is a topnotch merlot from the Orange district in NSW. It has intense colour and flavour, and is elegant but mouth-filling."
- Ian MacTavish, 'betterwine', Better Homes and Gardens, August 2008.

"From Orange, in New South Wales, a softy that's setting new standards for this variety in Oz."
- Warren Barton, 'Get Smart', The Dominion Port, 14th June 2008.

"Given the overall ordinary quality of merlot in Australia, a more-than-half-decent version is welcome. The latest Climbing, from the cool slopes near Orange, is marked by various berry and plum fruit characters ... plus some leafy notes so often associated with the variety. The texture is soft and supple...4 stars."
- Paddy Kendler, 'Drink', Herald Sun, 10th June 2008.

"The Orange wine, the Climbing 2006 Merlot, is terrific value. It is garnet-hued and has scents of ripe cherries and potpourri. Sweet, juicy mulberry flavour opens on the front palate and flows on to the middle palate, there gathering in licorice and black olive fruit characters and spicy oak. Smooth minty tannins show at the finish - 41/2 out of 5."
- John Lewis, Newcastle Herald, 28th May 2008.

"In Australia merlot often takes a back seat to bolder red varieties. But this offering from the Orange region won a trophy at the 2007 Cool Climate Wine Show. Made by Debbie Lauritz it's soft and supple with lashings of berry fruit flavours, a dash of spice, unobtrusive oak and smooth tannins. Drink it with veal chops."
- Kerry Skinner, 'Grape Expectations', Illawarra Mercury, 24th May 2008.

"You wouldn't believe the number of people I meet who say they choose wines "because the label's lovely" and then are sorely disappointed. They should try this, a bottle with quite the most attractive label and one of the yummiest wines inside. It's single-handedly winning people back to Merlot's juicy, soft, curranty charms. It's more versatile than a Swiss army knife, and tastier too."
- Joe Fattorini, Glasgow Herald, 30th January 2008.

"There's no doubting Philip Shaw's ability to make approachable wines. The ex-Rosemount winemaker saw the potential of Orange and now makes superb wines from [Climbing's] elevated cool-climate vineyards. Juicy plum and fruitcake merlot flavours fill the palate, while it finishes soft with just a touch of firm tannin."
- Fergus McGhie, 'Handpicked', Canberra Times, 21st May 2008.

2005 Climbing Merlot

"Climbing Merlot is really special. It's a versatile merlot with soft, juicy tones to suit your sizzling, charcoaled red meats."
- Chloe Scott, Metro Magazine (UK), 27th May 2008

"...Altitude is a consideration as well as in Climbing Merlot 2005...The purity of the dark fruit flavour shines through, and instead of the burnt overripeness too common Down Under, there is crispness, freshness and poise all the way through. This is special wine."
- Western Daily Press (UK), November 2007

"...Orange has the potential to be Australia's greatest region for merlot. The Climbing Merlot is a rich, vibrant expression of the...variety."
- Liquor Watch, July 2007

"Orange's high altitude provides cool nights, which in turn allow the Merlot to preserve all the finer aromas and flavours which can sometimes be lost. The aroma is full of intense raspberry characters with light cigar box and the palate is flavoursome without being too big. Mixed berries and herbs combine with fine tannins to give excellent texture."
- Vacations and Travel, 1st August 2007

"Orange in NSW is emerging as a promising merlot region. This one is a stunner. It's packed with fruit blood plums and blackberries with a hint of cinnamon and is lively on the palate. Match it with pork chops."
- Sally Gudgeon, Life Magazine, Sydney Sun Herald, 26th August 2007

2006 Climbing Cabernet Sauvignon

"Lovely savoury aromas etched with blackcurrants. Dry, savoury, well-structured palate. A quality quaffer."
- Winestate, May/June 2008

2005 Climbing Cabernet Sauvignon

"The Cumulus winery has used the theme of climbing for the label of its cabernet sauvignon, which won the 2006 Orange Wine Show trophy. Aromas of currants, mulberries and blueberries greet the nose, with a whiff of spicy oak. The palate is soft and fleshy."
- Peter Bourne, 'Wine', Sydney Morning Herald, 31st January 2008

2006 Climbing Shiraz

"The whole package! Lovely complexity on the nose - smells like leather and licorice. Smooth palate entry, with soft, sweet fruit flavours along the entire length, balanced by tannins and acid." 4 1/2 stars.
- Winestate, May/June 2008

2005 Climbing Shiraz

"From Orange, NSW, a stylish shiraz displaying ripe blue / blackberries and subtle spice characters. It's dense and textured on the palate with sweet fruit concentration and nice chewy tannins."
- Food Service Grill (NZ), March 2008

"Its wines...are very good and represent excellent value for money"
- Huon Hooke, 'Wine', Sydney Morning Herald, 29th January, 2008

2006 Rolling Shiraz

"Blackberries and oak combine to create and earthy/leathery nose. Gentle, generous and savoury palate."
- Winestate, May/June 2008

2005 Rolling Shiraz

"Also from Orange and surrounds, the Rolling Wines are the epitome of high quality drink-now wines. The '05 Shiraz is satisfyingly plump in the mouth without any harshness. Its full bodied fruit is sweet and juicy, with flavours of dark berries and spice…Well worth a try."
- Fergus McGhie, Canberra Times, 1st August 2007

"This is a spicy, cool climate wine and I found it very attractive. At the price it is and excellent buy."
- Charles Conlan, ‘On the Grapevine’, Byron Shire News, 9th August 2007

"This has won half a dozen medals at major wine shows, a good effort for a modestly priced red. It was produced from grapes grown in the Central Ranges region of western NSW. Made by Philip Shaw, former wunderkind of Rosemount Estate, this is a fine example of cool-climate shiraz, the palate savoury rather than sweet."
- Jeff Collerson, 'Wine', Daily Telegraph, 11th August 2007

"Rolling Shiraz, from the Central NSW Ranges, has earth aromas of subtle spices, raspberry and blackberry. There’s attractive texture and flavour intensity leading through to an easy, agreeable finish." 4 stars.
- Ralph Kyte-Powell, 'Epicure', Melbourne Age, 28th August 2007

"...Sourced from the Central Ranges of New South Wales comes this welcome respite from the Barossa blockbusters. It’s a medium-bodied red with soft berry flavours and lovely soft tannins that suit cold-cuts and picnic fare."
- Stephen Bennett, "Imbibe", North and South, Dec 07

2005 Rolling Cabernet Merlot

"Incredibly easy stuff to drink, which judging by the label, should be enjoyed with an episode of Foyles War. 8.3/10."
- Max Crus, 'Grape Expectations', Toowoomba Chronicle, 2nd February 2008

"A thoroughly delicious and delightful red blend made under the guidance of former Rosemount maestro Philip Shaw from grapes grown near Orange. A fruit-driven style with only minimal oak input, the initial impression is of typical black berry cabernet aroma and flavour. There is little of the tannic austerity of young cabernet and the merlot has contributed some fleshy feel to the texture." 5 out of 5.
- Paddy Kendler, 'Quaffing', Melbourne Herald Sun, 31st July 2007

"The aim [of Rolling Wines] is for easy drinking wines and this is certainly that. It has a dark colour with aromas of black currant followed by earthy oak and black chocolate. The fruit is bright and vibrant with moderate tannins. A well priced food wine that deserves to be tried.
- Charles Conlan, 'On the Grapevine', Byron Shire News, 9th August 2007

"Easy drinking, elegant and finely balanced red from Orange, showing off the skills of gun winemaker Philip Shaw. Both varieties excel in this region."
- John Fordham, 'On the Grapevine', Sunday Telegraph, 5th August 2007