Perbacco is declassified barrels of Barolo from one of Piedmont’s great estates. Treated the same as the real thing, just released a year earlier. A tremendous and classic vintage of focused perfume and gravelly tannin presence with signature anise, tar and blueberries. $46 at cellardor.com.au.
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At just 12% alcohol, Yabby characterises the cool season of 2009, completely belying the heatwave and bushfires. Pristine, focused, understated white peach, grapefruit, fig, lemon blossom and subtle almond oak. Exactingly poised, with articulate, expressive, chalky minerality. $37 at Dan’s.
readThe fastest rising star in Margaret River has maintained a breathtaking trajectory in what may be the vintage of the decade. Brilliant purity of blackcurrant, graphite, dark chocolate, cocoa and coffee bean with sensational fruit presence, perfectly framed in firm, fine tannins. Huge potential.
readHeggies trumps my beloved Pewsey this year! A taut and restrained vintage with shy green apple, lime zest and lemon fruit, nuances of white pepper. Hold off and give it time for steely minerality to uncoil. What’s with the discounting? Just $15 at Kemeny’s and $17 at WineStar and Dan’s right now!
readPink claw is so new that it hasn’t even fronted for its mug shot yet (you won’t miss the new pink screw cap!).Purposefully and painstakingly made from whole bunch, foot stomped pinot with five days of maceration. Beautifully expressive rose petal and strawberry; bone dry and layered with texture.
readLove Abby. She’s a little more extroverted this year, with her apricot pie lusciousness clear to everyone in the room. A pure fruit expression with notes of custard apple and mixed spice, structured by excellent acid presence and finishing beautifully textured, with quince-like grip.
readPour this blind and fool any wine snob! This is no plush, jubey cheap and cheerful; it’s cabernet proper, so expect violet perfume, leaf and capsicum, edgy redcurrants and an undercurrent of fine tannins. It’ll open up in the glass and improve with a few years in the cellar, too. Remarkable @ $7.60 at Dan’s.
readChardonnay of elegance and minerality takes the lead here, producing a fine, pure and pristine style, even in a year as exuberant as 2004. Subtle lemon fruit and fine minerality speak of Taittinger’s skill with chardonnay, while pinot noir provides body and balance. $88 at Dan’s.
readEpic potency and consummate balance make this a profound bargain of the wine world. Raisins, rancio, tea leaves and apricots, then powerful dried figs, prunes, roast hazelnuts, raisins and Christmas spices. The finish lingers for minutes, playing through its repertoire of complexity in ever-deeper grandeur. $57 at Dan’s.
readCreated to express the heart of granitic soils in an otherwise expanding region, this is an affordable introduction to one of the most legendary names in the Rhone. It lives up to it in its delightful texture, beautiful fragrance and complexity of spice, earth and herbs, finishing fresh and clean.
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