Lashmar Three Valleys (Eden Valley, Clare, McLaren Vale)
Winewise, October 2000

"The freshness and ripeness of the strongly varietal fruit is very well balanced by top quality, 'sweet' oak and firm but not harsh tannins. Here we have a cellaring special that is very much a 'baby', needing at least a few years to start showing what it's all about. Very limited quantities available only by calling Colin Cooter."

Lashmar Kangaroo Island Cabernet 1999 - 89++ points
The Advertiser (Adelaide), 22 November 2000

"This one has been ringing bells in California: I first read about it on a Santa Barbara tasting invitation! Made by Colin Cooter, of Lengs & Cooter, and named after his ancestors who landed with the first poor lot at Antechamber Bay in 1856, it's from Colin's plot, with extra fruit from Nugget Willson's block at Willson River. It's very fine, forcefuly cabernet, of exemplary depth and complexity, indicating a great future for Kangaroo Island wine."

Lashmar Three Valleys Shiraz 1999 - 90++ points
The Advertiser (Adelaide), 27 December 2000

"Colin Cooter crafted this beauty from the Eden and Clare valleys and McLaren Vale. At once, it's typical of the new school of super-clean, super-intense, balanced reds but with respectful glimpses of the past style of American oak shiraz. It has particularly svelte and sinuous fruit, and a dusting of fine white spice from the timber. Try it with hearty pasta with black olives."

1999 Lashmar Kangaroo Island Cabernet
Cellar Dweller, December 2000

"Never heard of it before? We're not surprised, there is precious little of it and believe me it won't be around for long. Big rich, luscious and sexy, just like the man behind the label. Unfortunately, like many of its ilk, most of this delicious wine is headed straight for the USA. Looks like Parker's in for another Aussie treat."

Lashmar Kangaroo Island Cabernet
Wineline (Baily & Baily), December 2000

"Lashmar is deeply concentrated with rich, sweet fruit and huge lashings of well integrated French and American oak. The sweet, red cherries and plums meld well with oak char and tobacco characters. The huge tannins are deceptively juicy and lush. This is good. Very good. It's just very young and closed. Needs a brutal decant and lots of air."

Lashmar Three Valleys Shiraz
The Honolulu Advertiser, March 7 2001
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/2001/Mar/07/37islandlife31.html

"...a classic, muscle-bound, powerhouse style of red wine from Australia with an aroma akin to sticking one’s nose into a pepper grinder, enriched by pungent vanillin oak and thickened by well-rounded natural grape tannin ... Lynch’s reaction? 'Wow, what a nose! But so much less of that overripe, alcoholic taste than other red wines I have tried from Australia . . . definitely not a Rambo.' "

MoCool 2000
Gang of Pour
http://www.gangofpour.com/vacation2000/Mocool2000/

"1999 Lashmar Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark ruby in color with a violet rim. The nose was complex and multidimensional, giving aromas of black currants, dried herbs, tobacco and clay. The acid in this wine was immediately noticeable, no doubt a symptom of the bottling. Despite this, the wine was mouth-coating and buttressed by a stiff, tannic backbone.
1999 Lashmar Three Valleys Shiraz: Dark ruby/purple color all the way to the rim. The nose explodes with the scent of freshly ground peppercorns, sweet red plums and dark chocolate. Sweet tannins and acidity add structure to this wine with the American oak showing itself towards the end of the 25+ second finish. I hope a lot of this finds its way to my cellar!"

1999 Lashmar Kangaroo Island Cabernet Sauvignon
East End Cellars Catalogue

"A new wine from the masterly hands of Colin Cooter. Fruit is from Antechamber Bay and is simply one of the best wines from Kangaroo Island we have seen to date, and brilliantly demonstrates the outstanding potential KI has as a premium wine producer. It is a beautifully balanced wine showing both intensity and purity of flavour whilst being structured and elegant. Time is the missing ingredient. Unfortunately there were only about 250 dozen made and the Americans are on to it already."