The recipe is as unlikely as it is compelling. Take a late pick port variety on old vines, harvest it early and do everything possible to highlight brightness, freshness, aromatics and spice while downplaying tannin and oak. Toby Barlow’s creative genius brings perfumed elegance to traditional Barossa varieties.
readArticles
You’d pay $50 for such hedonistic perfume and class in a bottle of pinot! Hilarious theatrics of berries and cherries of all kinds collide head-on with an entire shop of exotic spice and a rose cart in full bloom. It’s all clever whole bunch tricks, with no oak to poke a stave at. Elegance meets […]
readShort of blowing half your kingdom on a swanky bottle of pink champs, Taché is a classy way to add a sparkling colourburst to any gathering. Loïc Le Calvez epitomises French sophistication meeting down-to-earth Aussie fair dinkum. Add a cool vintage and more Adelaide Hills fruit than ever and the result is the best Taché […]
readLove rosé champs but can’t stomach the price? Jansz vintage is poor man’s Krug rosé. 100 percent Tassie pinot fermented in old french oak produces gorgeous complexity of mixed spice, red cherries and forest floor, finishing restrained and almost dry. The hardest Jansz to find; persistence will be rewarded.
readDoof. Stop the clock, freeze the frenzy, this wine will beam you to a time zone where everything moves in slow motion. Its alien electric green hue looks like it’s just come out of the vineyard and its taut, youthful lemon and lime zest, scintillating acidity and celestial length will sustain it for eternity. $23@Kemeny’s.
readJeff Grosset is Australia’s most respected master of riesling. Exactingly meticulous, with the single-minded focus of a Jedi, he had no hesitation picking his 30th vintage earlier than any other. The result ranks among the most exquisite and pure Clare rieslings of the season. $42 at Kemeny’s and Dan Murphy’s.
readDear Eileen, she let herself go there for a while, flirting with brett, piling on the weight and the wood. What a makeover! I’m pleased to introduce the new Eileen, honed and toned, with fit blackcurrants and taut tannins. At just 14% alcohol, she epitomises McLaren Vale shiraz of charm and tremendous stamina.
readEvery prince needs a Fox of his own! This cute little heartbreaker is quite a charmer with her rose petal perfume, elegant, red cherry-accented palate and lingering, textural tannins. New Zealand pinot that won’t cost you a king’s ransom. Three british cheers!
readKing Leo is the perfect Friday afternoon retox to wash away the week and put you in royal spirits! Still delightfully sprightly and fresh a year on, he’s a dry, tightly textural chap with excellent drive, chalky minerality and flavours of pure lime drops, red apples and mint leaves. $15 at Dan Murphy’s.
readNo more queening around with sweet rosé! Y Series is refreshingly off-dry, a pretty little fruit-loaded thing with perfumed raspberries and strawberries. Keep it well clear of the flower girls. $9.50 at Dan Murphy’s.
read