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/  

Hay Shed Hill 2024 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc

What a ripper wine this is for enjoying chilled over the dying days of summer. It  is a cracking blend of semillon and sauvignon blanc from Margaret River that that is made from fruit grown on some of the oldest semillon and sauv blanc vines n the region. If you want a white that is full of flavour, vibrancy and texture then this delivers big time; and is a perfect match for pan-fried fish dishes, from flathead to sardines. Think citrusy minerality bursting with tropical fruit flavours and a lively dry finish. The blend is semillon 60%, sauvignon blanc 40% and the verdict is 100% positive. $30. https://hayshedhill.com.au/

Yalumba Y Series 2024 Pinot Noir

 

I tend to avoid cheap pinot noir like I avoid people wearing MAGA caps. It is extremely hard to find anything you'd want to drink for under $30 a bottle. Which is why this is such a good buy: it tastes like pinot noir rather than a generic soft dry red and is made by the team at Yalumba, which has been producing value wines under this label for close to a quarter of a century. Made from fruit sourced across South Australia, it is 100% wild fermented, has a melange of crisp berry flavours and finishes soft and smooth. Juicy, lively and refreshing. Excellent midweek drinking. $16. https://www.smithswinestore.com.au/