If you’re into shiraz, love a bargain and out to try something different, here is your wine. Enticing aromas of violets waft over a deep core of black plum, black cherry and liquorice fruit. Exotic nuances of spice and black pepper add interest. Matured in new and old French oak barrels, the wood influence is […]
From the foothills of the French Pyrenees, south of the legendary walled city of Carcassonne, where the hills rise to an altitude of 400m, cooled by refreshing winds, this is an even and balanced sauvignon upheld by fine acid tone. Three months maturation on lees has built a softly textural mouth feel and apple cider-like […]
in the right hands, semillon remains one of the great bargains of the Barossa. No hands are more deft with this variety than Peter and Michael Scholz, nurturing their seventy-six-year-old vines into a wine of characteristic lemon zest, talc and cut grass character. Toast, roast nuts and lanolin complexity are already building quickly, though it […]
Zesty, vivacious and unashamedly precocious in its youthful verve, this chardonnay is fresh, tangy, light on its feet and geared for lighter canapé fare. Half fermented naturally in seasoned French oak barrels, the oak influence is minimal, leaving the stage to pretty gardenia floral notes, lemon zest and grapefruit pulp. $13 at Tony’s Cellars.
Why spend any more on chenin when you can have all this with change from $20? Half fermented cool in tank and half warm and just a little bit dirty in aged French oak barrels to provide a softly textural structure, it over delivers for the price. It’s well crafted and varietal, capturing fragrant pink […]
Geographe is Margaret River’s more affordable neighbour, Willow Bridge is its top estate and Dragonfly is where the best value is found. Matured in a combination of new and old French oak barrels, this is a cabernet merlot of delightful varietal precision, alive with red- and blackcurrants, tobacco and capsicum. It’s lively and crunchy, powered […]
If the punchy impact of Marlborough sauvignon is your style, try this for a more tightly honed option at a bargain price. O’Leary Walker’s mature vineyard at Oakbank in the Adelaide Hills produced a sauvignon concentrated in flavour and acidity and low in alcohol in the drought 2013 season. It’s a racy, lively, vibrant and […]
It’s a tough call to find authentic Margaret River cabernet as well assembled as this under $20. No corners have been cut here, matured in small, mostly mature French oak barrels, not in tanks with staves or chips. The focus rightly remains of lovely fragrant, deep and well-defined fruit reminiscent of violets, blackcurrants and tomatoes. […]
Australia’s greatest wines may not yet have been made and its finest vineyard sites might still be undiscovered. Trailblazers into new wine regions offer drinkers an exciting diversity of new wine styles. Australian winemaking identity Brian Croser is on a mission. His ambition is not simply to create a brand and sell wine, but to […]
Oak is the most important and most expensive input in many wines after the grapes themselves. We talk a lot about the origins of grapes and the techniques of winemaking, but how much do we know about the sources of barrels and how they’re made? As modern winemakers hone in on the detail of every […]