The Lehmann magicians conjure some of the finest riesling in the land and their wizardry filters down to this ludicrously priced sensation. 09 was one of their finest incarnations yet and it continues to put on a captivating show; a veritable blizzard of limes and granny smith apples. $15 at WineStar.

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Penfolds’ brand new, jet-black foray into a single subregion is a voluminous, glossy thing with crashing waves of ripe black fruits and dark choc oak. Without the polish of regional blending, it has an inherent rawness and integrity, with a poise derived from those signature Penfolds tannins.

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An appealing, slurpable, early-drinking Bin 138, this is a voluptuous glob of juicy blue fruits, liquorice allsorts and sarsaparilla, framed by soft, supple tannins. A light chill is in order to tone its exuberance.

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Poor Bin 128 has never been quite the same since he was downgraded from a three-year-old release to two years in the cellar. Young and astringent, sappy green pepper flavours detract from black fruits and pepper in a finely woven structure.

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Never in the history of Bin 407 has a cabernet of such desk-thumping precision been let loose. Coonawarra and its neighbouring regions have loaded this vintage with every classic cabernet character in the book. Tannin engineering is of NASA precision, oak balance is impeccable and that lingering, crunchy red- and blackcurrant finish is haunting. Buy […]

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An aristocratic wine that carries on the dynasty of the even-numbered vintage reign of 389, the king of the Bins. Shiraz leads out with signature black plum, pepper and dark chocolate flavours, while cabernet brings up the rear with crunchy blackcurrants, tobacco and capsicum fruit. That classic 389 backbone of steely, firm, fine tannins will […]

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Ignore the red wine bigots, the tastemakers know that the chardonnay with the red cap is every bit as feisty. Penfold’s recent trajectory into the chardonnay firmament has been scorching and its most high-strung expression is Bin 311. The icy foothills of Kosciuszko have infused more crystalline minerality than ever, suspended in a firmament of […]

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Buckle your harness, the biggest, most exuberant Bin 28 of the modern era is about to hurtle you straight through the sound barrier. Its sheer power of all manner of black fruits, integrated dark chocolate and liquorice is beautifully framed by a fine mesh of intricately textured tannins. Sit back and watch the crowd gasp […]

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Savoury and beetroot-flavoured, this young, edgy style will appreciate a couple of years in confinement for its pronounced, spicy oak to integrate and its red berry and mixed spice flavours to unravel.

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No token giveaway, and no looming blockbuster, either, this is a proper, serious take on the great Australian red blend – my kind of wine! Coonawarra shiraz takes a confident lead here (more than three-quarters of the blend), in all of its peppery, plummy, crunchy, tangy glory, gliding into those finely honed, firmly structured, textural […]

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