‘La Senda de los Elefante’ means ‘The way of the elephant,’ apparently a reference to the way one walks after a tapas bar crawl. This brand new release is just the thing to drink along the way, a 100% verdejo from Rueda, and a celebration of the crisp, aromatic spiciness typical of this grape. It’s […]
readArticles
It’s not often that the premium version of a wine brand sells for $15 (WineStar and North Sydney Cellars) but the extra $5 on the baby elefante is well spent here. For this, you get a 100% tempranillo, half aged in barrels, pepped up with a dash of declassified Rioja. This equates to layers of […]
readFrom frontignac vines older than I am, this is a moscato with a dose of sophistication. Grapey, green appley, clean and fresh, it’s more about crisp fruit and less about sweetness, honey or ginger, making for a particularly refreshing and lively moscato. Crunchy fruit and creamy bubbles lend an air of elegance, preserved impeccably under […]
readBrown Brothers’ entry Prosecco is beautifully made and perpetually discounted, but for an extra $5 you can trade up to the vintage-dated deluxe model. From the best parcels of Brown Brothers’ single vineyard King Valley site, thrust 485m into the heavens, this is a primary, crunchy, clean and fruity style. Its crisp nashi pear, grapefruit […]
readA miniscule production of just a couple of hundred cases from a single, low yielding, dry-grown, eighty-year-old Barossa vineyard yields a mataro of vibrant fruit expression, alive with rhubarb, berry compote and notes of bouquet garni. Tannins are fine and supple, and dark chocolate oak notes from large barrels are well integrated behind a fruit-driven […]
readThere’s something of an all-star cast behind this tiny production Yarra pinot, made by Mac Forbes from a blend across his more southerly Yarra sites, to a blend for Aria sommelier Matt Dunne, orchestrated by label inventor extraordinaire Nicholas Crampton. Four tonnes of grapes and two barrels later, the three found themselves with a well-balanced […]
readElegance is the hardest yet most critical character to achieve in sparkling wine, and it was my belief that the natural intensity of the Orange region did not lend itself to sparkling wines of subtle grace – an opinion that was dashed when Printhie winemaker Drew Tuckwell showed me a sneak preview of his brand […]
readAfter months of intensive champagne tasting, it’s a joy to pop an Australian sparkling that has matured to that wonderful place where silky texture and toasty complexity meld seamlessly with crisp, lively white fruits. Lovely purity and complexity of roast nuts and butter coast over a core of white peach and lemon zest fruit. The […]
readThis must be one of the most affordable single vineyard, cool climate chardonnays going. It’s just the thing to please the masses when you’re entertaining on a grand scale, because it’s packed with ripe, up-front appeal of pretty frangipane blossom, fleshy yellow peach and generous rockmelon, yet structured with the backbone and grapefruit crunch of […]
readWith a touch of petit verdot for fragrance, an almost fifty percent dose of merlot plumps up the blackcurrant and leaf fruit of cabernet with a juicy mulberry hit. Its primary, vibrant and accurate fruit-driven style, and supple, soft demeanour make for an immediate and approachable Margaret River blend. $22 at Dan’s.
read