Sangiovese makes wonderfully perfumed rosé, and notably food friendly in the hands of the Pizzinis. There’s a gorgeous lift of rose petals, cranberries, watermelon and tomato here. The palate is built around a pure acid profile and gently textural mouthfeel, carrying long and refreshingly dry. Impressive value. $17 at Corkscrew Cellars and Bottega Tasca.
readArticles
An outstanding Elizabeth, maturing beautifully into a position of wonderful juxtaposition between the zesty vibrancy of lemon-accented youthfulness and the generous, toasty complexity of maturity. The finish is tight, tangy and energetic, maintaining lime zest vibrancy and notes of butter and roast nuts that hover with excellent persistence. $18 at Jim’s Cellars.
readRob Dolan has done a clever job of building weight and texture in to young vine savagnin, thanks to barrel fermentation and lees ageing. The oak is seamlessly melded, drawing out a long finish of finely textured structure and soft acid line. The fruit retains first say, with complex suggestions of grapefruit zest, subtle tangelo […]
readA refined and pretty sauvignon with lemon blossom and guava aromas and a palate of tangy passionfruit, lime zest and subtle green pea notes. It finishes long, clean and zesty, with a vibrant acid line. A value offering in the vast Marlborough sauvignon category. $15 at Templestowe Cellars.
readAn approachable lunch time claret style of fragrant cabernet of violet perfume and blackcurrant and cassis fruit, sourced from Mandala’s estate vineyard established at Dixon’s Creek 25 years ago. It presents impressive fruit concentration for an elegant and low alcohol cabernet, with notes of lead pencil oak hovering in the background, wrapped in graphite-fine, softly […]
readThe cool 2011 season has coaxed out the finest chardonnay I can recall from the high vineyard of Heggies. It’s delightfully refined, producing a restrained and honed wine of wonderfully fine texture and considerable persistence. Elegant white peach, grapefruit and fresh fig fruit is nuanced with notes of almond and vanilla, with oak and fruit […]
readOne of the greatest sparkling shirazes of all, with considerable concentration, leading out rich and full, fanning out into a tightly defined palate, finishing savoury, honed and impeccably constrained. It’s laced together with very fine, firm tannins, yet never aggressive nor obvious, melding seamlessly with black and blue fruits and gentle sweetness. Old Wendouree vines […]
readThis is a long-ageing vintage for Peregrine, representative of the rustic style of the vintage, bolstered in no small part by firm oak tannins, though showing more confident balance than most from this warm season. The palate is honed and taut, with black cherry/berry fruit pulled in tight by a band of firm, robust tannins. […]
readIn smart livery of ceramic printing and pewter logo, The Angelus is looking as suave as ever, inside and out. The essence of McLaren Vale cabernet is captured here, with tremendous concentration, while maintaining its purity at every moment. Deep black fruits and liquorice pull into a gracefully honed finish of refreshing acidity and fine-tuned, […]
readKupe represents the best corner of the Escarpment estate vineyard, planted at three times the usual density of New Zealand pinot noir, yielding just a kilogram per vine. The result is wonderfully firm, fine and textural in structure, with silky tannins; a savoury and focused wine of wonderful acid vibrancy and persistent finish. Layered complexity […]
read