The cabernet shiraz blend is the recipe behind some of McLaren Vale’s greatest hits, yet sadly very few in the region maintain the style among their flagships. Ulithorne is a bold exception, and the great 2010 vintage has made for one of the greatest wines ever to emerge from this label. Low yielding cabernet takes […]
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Vintage stigma, be damned. Kym Teusner cleverly tweaked the Albert recipe in the cool, wet 2011 season, retaining the core of seventy-year old Ebenezer and fifty-year-old Williamstown shiraz vines and supplementing these with western Barossa fruit and, importantly, the Marananga block usually destined for his Righteous flagship. The result is one of the standout reds […]
readApera is the new sherry. From the palomino grape, with an average age of five years, four of which are under flor yeast, Morris is impeccably made, retaining both freshness and tang, while capturing nutty complexity and a lingering salty finish. A remarkable recipe for the price, this is one of the cheapest finos in […]
readA lively, fresh and perky thing of clean, crunchy citrus fruits, lifted with hints of guava and passionfruit. It’s zesty and crisp, holding its youthful vivacity impeccably on a refreshingly dry finish. A great value lunchtime quaffer. $11 at Dan’s.
readImpeccably crafted SBS at a brilliant price. It’s crunchy, lively fresh and pure with lime zest, lemon blossom, granny smith apple and guava, finishing with zippy acidity and soft texture. $14 at OurCellar.
readRutherglen Estates is unusual in this region for making an entourage of table wines and just one fortified – but it’s a good one, and well priced, so don’t miss it. With an average age of eight years, this could be labelled “Classic” (and it will be in the future). It’s lively and fresh, with […]
readMorris has never had a Tokay at the lowest level of the Rutherglen classification, as its youngest blend is still an average of eight years of age. It’s distinctive and varietal, with tea leaves, sweet honey and caramel flavours. Morris leaves its grapes out to ripen for longer than others, making this a softer style, […]
readA cooler than average vintage has given birth to one of the longest-lived of this famous bargain riesling, and undoubtedly one of the best. I adore the refinement of this rendition and a year after vintage it’s still beautifully lively and fresh, with a lime blossom bouquet and an entire fruit salad of stone fruits, […]
readThe refinement of the 2012 whites from The Lane is something to behold, and sauvignon blanc is beautifully graceful and immaculately crafted. Refreshingly understated nashi pear and kaffir lime leave space for lees-accented, deep, mouthfilling texture and long-lingering energy. $20 at Simply Wines.
readI cannot recall a TarraWarra Estate Chardonnay that impressed me more than this, enlivened by the crunchy apple, pear, grapefruit and lemon fruits and crisp acidity of the cool 2011 season. It’s great to see a chardonnay at this price with a bit of sophistication, with notes of struck flint and charcuterie well gauged to […]
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