An alluringly fragrant and restrained wine of low alcohol freshness. Graciano’s pink pepper is enhanced with the red liquorice and raspberry of grenache and the finely structured, earthy tannins of mataro. Its bright, aromatic fruit remains the focus throughout, while maintaining commendable composure and persistence.

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The highest contours of Skillogalee’s estate yield mesmeric riesling of great concentration of lime zest, lime drops, lemon juice and pear. It ripples with fine, chalky minerality, outstanding definition and linear persistence. True to the season, this is a generous wine and ready to approach earlier than most vintages.

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Skillogalee’s rapid ascension has elevated it to become one of the more underrated estates in the Clare, if not in the country. Its flagship wine exudes an effortless, medium-bodied calm and yet at the same time a generous, plump demeanour. A sweet, ripe core of berry fruits is overlaid with signature Clare notes of mint […]

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2009 was an impressive season in Burgundy and produced the strongest set of Marchand & Burch wines I’ve seen yet. This is the pick of them (and it’s not the most expensive). Deep black cherry and plum skin fruit are enhanced with notes of nutmeg, cherry kernel, vanilla, wood spice and high cocoa dark chocolate. […]

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Another arresting vintage of Comtes has landed and, unlike the three vintages that precede it, it’s ready to play right away. A warmer year has blessed it with layers of generous, rounded white fruits, but its core remains classic, inimitable Comtes: a revelation of intricately, epically spun minerality that bores to the very core of […]

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I like it because it captures the frangipane fragrance of ripe Barossa frontignac, because it’s not as confected and lolly sweet as most, and most of all because it’s downright cheap, as all moscatos should be (but few are). Chill it to sub-zero and roll out the summer fruit cart! $9.50 at Gray’s online.

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Not often you’ll find a Coonawarra Cabernet not labelled as such, nor one as exact as this under $20. It’s pretty and perfumed, with high notes of musk over a core of red- and blackcurrants. Excellent tannin texture and lingering fruit persistence suggest a confident future. $18 at Boccaccio and Wine List Australia.

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This is the best sub-$20 chardonnay of the year. There you have it! I almost fell off my (arm) chair when the inaugural 2009 vintage hit the streets earlier this year, and the proof has just landed that Armchair Critic is no one-hit-wonder. Quite the contrary. I like the new vintage more. A lot more. […]

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The cool 2011 season has created an altogether savoury and food-friendly rosé of bone-dry precision and soft, supple, textural mouthfeel. Its tomato and dried herb notes will align perfectly with an antipasto platter or cold meats for Christmas lunch. $19 at WineStar.

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All the crunchy green fruits, tangy citrus and cut grass that we love of Margaret River’s racy SSBs, but with a texture, complexity and structure that come from eight weeks in French oak barrels. The oak folds seamlessly into the folds of the fruit – quite an achievement for a wine so young, giving it […]

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