Riddoch Coonawarra 2022 The Representative Cabernet Merlot

 

There are few regions of Australia that produce consistently excellent cabernets and cabernet blends than Coonawarra, and this new release from Riddoch winemaker Matthew Reimann offers excellent weekend drinking at a price that might allow you to also enjoy the occasional bottle midweek. This is a wine that manages to combine both power and elegance, with dark berry flavours allied astutely judged oak that aids and abets rather than dominating. There is plenty of flavour here, plenty of length and lots of drinking pleasure for $40. A nice foil for calves' liver and onions. www.riddochcoonawarra.com.au   

Domaine Jean Defaix 2023 Chablis

 

I'm old school in that I prefer my Chablis wines to be crisp and clean with purity, clarity, minerality and acid to the fore. If you are a traditionalist who likes your Chablis vibrant and wood free then this delivers in spades. It was one of the stars of the recent Negociants Imported Wine Odyssey tastings. Made by Daniel Dampt, who also produces his own range. Completely unoaked, as is the tradition with the domaine, this is a thrilling example of unadulterated chardonnay. Pair it with a roast pork and crackling for a winter wine and food treat. $65. https://www.negociants.com/au/home

Ekin 2023 Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir

 

It is hard nowadays to find quality cool-climate pinot noir that is affordable, but this one delivers in spades. Ekin is a joint venture between wine industry duo Mark Vella and Brad Case, producing impressive-value wines from Langhorne Creek and the Adelaide Hills. The range also includes a very decent Adelaide HIlls chardonnay but this was the standout for me: a mellifluous, well-mannered pinot that strikes just the right balance between bright fruit, subtle oak and savoury notes. It went down with considerable ease and is well worth checking out at just $25. https://ekinwineco.com.au   

Vasse Felix 2023 Single Plot DHJ1 Chardonnay

 

What a stunningly complete bottle this is. It is the third vintage of this limited-release wine that is a brilliant example of precise, Burgundy-accented, cooler-climate Australian chardonnay. The fruit is grown on a tiny plot in the coolest pocket of a vineyard in Wallcliffe in Margaret River that receives cooling influences from both the Indian and Southern oceans. It is a wine of purity and length that has seen only older, lighter oak to let the elegant characters of the grapes shine through. It's all about the fruit here, largely unadulterated. Unfined, unfiltered and dramatically drinkable. Flinty, citrusy and complex with brilliantly tangy acid on the finish. $80. https://www.vassefelix.com.au/

Port Phillip Estate 2023 Morillon Single Block Pinot Noir

 

Vintage after vintage, winemaker after winemaker, the twin labels of Kooyong and Port Phillip Estate produce reliably excellent wines from a range of sites on the Mornington Peninsula. This stellar, composed and beautifully balanced new-release pinot noir comes from the Morillon block of the Red Hill vineyard, the Gjerga family's oldest pinot block planted back in 1987. The fruit has a distinctly minerally attitude, combined with classic cool-climate pinot flavours and a suave, stylish, smooth finish. We paired this with an Italian style sausage and kidney casserole. Cross cultural but delicious. Good work from winemaker Tim Perrin. $75. https://www.portphillipestate.com.au/   

Curly Flat 2024 White Pinot

Here's something a little bit different from the outstanding Curly Flat winery in Victoria's Macedon Ranges. It's a rosé in disguise: whole bunch-pressed pinot noir allowed a couple of hours of skin contact to give it a very pale pink colour. It was barrel fermented in older, neutral oak for palate interest with texture added by lees contact prior to bottling. The end result is a savoury rosé - made like a white - for chilling lightly. It has a berry/citrus tang and biting, refreshing acid on the finish. It finishes bone dry and would be a very amiable companion to a charcuterie platter. $32. https://curlyflat.com/

Grosset 2023 Gaia

 

Jeffrey Grosset is known for making very fine Clare Valley rieslings that are arguably Australia's finest, but he is far from a one-trick pony. This biodynamic blend of cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc is a wonderfully elegant red; think having a ballerina dancing across your tongue. Volumes were down in 2023 - there were only 400 cases made - but this is a wine that can be enjoyed in its youth, or cellared confidently for a decade or more. It gets 97 points for me for its subtle power and persistence, and would be the perfect match for a classic Sunday roast with the family. $108. https://www.grosset.com.au/