2024 Five Rivers

Yum. Yum. Yum..... I think I might have a crush on this wine.

Enjoyable as it is aromatically stunning. Dried Italian herbs, red liquorice and musk—shifting beautifully between savoury and sweet as it sits in the glass.

A cheeky little blend of Cabernet Franc (40%), Merlot (40%), Malbec (10%) and a few other friends—I was genuinely excited, sitting in anticipation as the wine continued to unwind into all its fierce-serpent-beauty.

Low-intervention. Clean as a whistle.

20% whole bunch adds to the next stage: pink peppercorns, crystal dust, pressed flowers and tangerine essence—alongside gentle, sweet spices and raspberry.

The palate is medium-bodied with chattery acidity, giving a sense of freshness and energy. It’s structured with well-integrated tannin and a playful bounce. Yum. Yum. Yum. 

— Cyndal Petty, 93 Points

2024 Five Rivers

From 25 year old vines this is a blend of 40% cabernet franc, 40% merlot, 10% malbec and 5% petit verdot.

Wild ferment with 20% whole bunches, basket pressed and matured in French oak for 6 months.

A coil of luminous red cherry and redcurrants are supported by the blackberries, cassis and array of leaf litter and fungi found underfoot in the depths of a pine forest.

There is a twinge of lilac that is mirrored in the bramble nature of the wine and heightened by mulberry mid palate.

Attention has been made to the weight of this wine, with a juicy acid line and the creamy nature of fine tannins.

This is drinking well now and will cellar well for another 3-5 years.

This would be beautiful in a decanter served alongside silky eggplant and minced pork on jasmine rice.

— Shanteh Wale, 93 Points

2024 Five Rivers

In a former life, winemaker Sid Pachare was a chef - and though he may have hung up the whites, his knack for balance, flavour and texture remains ever present.

‘Five Rivers’ is proof, a seamless confluence of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.

A wine that drinks like its swirl icon – a coiled continuum of fruit, earth, and confection. Blackberry jam and raspberry. Gravel and sweet musk.

Red frogs and chocolate bullets. Together framed with bay leaf, pine and the savoury structure of 20% whole bunch.

Youthful acidity ricochets across the palate as creamy milk chocolate tannins mellow the movement. It is a delicious interplay, and one that gives the wine shape and energy. *Chef’s kiss*.

— Tijana Laganin, 92 Points

2024 Five Rivers

Created by former high-end sommelier turned winemaker Sid Pachare, this multi-varietal blend sits clearly in a contemporary, early picked, bright, light red style zone.

The mix is 40% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot, 10% Malbec, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot, a modern day riff on what might otherwise be thought of as a Bordeaux blend, here expressing a fresh take in its flavours and textural lines in a New World, new-age way.

Crimson to darker cherry with vitality and energy in its structure, acidity lively, tannins lightly dusting the finish, fruit reverbing in the last sip. Bright and breezy as a sunset companion, or a lip-smacking counter to rich, wintry eat-fests. 

— Tony Love, 92 Points

2023 Grenache Sangiovese Marsanne

Fruit is sourced from sustainable vineyards of which vines are 25 years old. Basket pressed and matured in seasoned large format oak.

45% Grenache, 45% Sangiovese and 10% Marsanne.

A heavy bottle for what is a delicate, floral wine; red rose, tulip and hibiscus. Rainier cherries, umeboshi plum and rhubarb. Roobios tea, pulled paper bark and mace.

Acidity unfurls and then gathers momentum across the palate, tannins are fine and silty but typically that Sangiovese style drying, we know and love.

A hint of cherry tomato savouriness and fresh raspberries.

If you are unsure what to expect, then think along the lines of a fine elegant sandy soiled Grenache with the perfume of a Northern Italian Nebbiolo.

This is delightful drinking and full of surprises. Drink now and will cellar further for another 3-8 years. Serve with a beautifully pink pork chop and morel sauce.

— Shantel Wale 95 Points

2023 Grenache Sangiovese Marsanne

With Sid Pachare leading the charge, Raga wines sail confidently into the realm of excellence.

Sid embodies a commitment to quality and sustainability, ensuring each bottle is a testament to meticulous craftsmanship and the finest organic, sustainably grown grapes.

Drawing from his culinary roots, Sid infuses his winemaking with a dedication to detail and an unwavering pursuit of perfection, leaving no room for shortcuts in the pursuit of extraordinary wines.

The 2023 release is a field blend of Grenache (45%), Sangiovese (45%) and Marsanne (10%) that bursts with the playful essence of light, bright red fruits.

A lively dance of rhubarb, cranberry, mulberry, and the subtle kick of white peppercorn, accented by a delicate hint of peach blossom from the Marsanne.

A portion of whole bunches, basket pressing and use of large format oak adds some extra dimension.

Served chilled, this wine becomes a perfect companion to steak tartare, enhanced by the zesty tang of horseradish cream and the crispy and salty shoestring fries.

— Matt Dunne 93 Points

2023 Grenache Sangiovese Marsanne

RAGA Wines is the passion project of former chef and sommelier Sid Pachare, a career in which he no doubt fell head over for wines with appropriate table manners yet with a style and palate energy that also sets up for easy going party times.

This GSM suggests such playfulness as well as a keen eye on the varietal characteristics of its three components; yes Grenache (45%) but then Sangiovese (not Shiraz as is more usual) in equal top billing with a 10% splash of Marsanne (not Mataro, as is the normal “M”). At first the colour tells us we are in light to medium weight territory – rubyesque. The fragrance reflects the joy of Grenache – red fruits, native bush florals, and crushed rock and mineral, much of this slipping very easily into the tasting moment, where red berries and a pepper spice add their two-pence.

A synergy of all the parts the key to this wine’s pleasures, though perhaps a light clouding of Sangio’s expected tannins reveal that variety’s voice in the overall three part harmony. And maybe a little palate aromatic lift in the finish from the Marsanne.

There you go – it pays to look a little deeper to uncover these secrets if you wish.  Then again, it’s a pretty wine to pour, chilled at an afternoon garden bash – and at 12.5% abv that mind lean far too easily into another bottle. Job done.

— Tony Love 94 Points

2022 Cabernet Franc

“Layered on the nose – spice and herb and racy blue fruit,” began Khudeira, placing this in his top two wines of the day.

“There’s a stony coolness that’s enticing, almost calming, like lavender. Horseshoe tannin with considerable grip. A curious viscosity, too, which marries with and softens the tannic crunch.

Feels like it comes from clay for its tight-coiled density, but also chalk for the texture of its tannin. Really very elegant and long and gown-like, fanning out toward the back of the palate.

This is needed as the tannin compounds largely at the front so its fruit weight and lithe acidity keep it upright and moreish.”

— Ibrahim Khudeira for YGOW Deep Dive

2022 Cabernet Franc

Fruit from Langhorne Creek hand harvested, wild yeast and 60% carbonic maceration. Basket pressed and matured in French puncheons for 6 months.

There are very few that dedicate their precious time and labor to Cabernet Franc and treat it as a precious gift.

For those that do well you're in for something special. Sid Pachare is such a winemaker, working with 25 year old vines he captures the beguiling dark juniper, blackberry and blackcurrant fruits with crushed gravel, fresh bay leaf and raw Cocoa beans. Acidity is peaky and tannins silty and weighted in the front palate.

This is cabernet Franc for the modern drinker. Astute, quenching and thought provoking. We need more wines like this in this world

— Shanteh Wale 92 Points