Cullen 2025 Diana Madeline Legacy Series Solstice Sun Cabernet Sauvignon

Looking for a very special, limited-release wine as a Father's Day gift for a serious wine lover? Only around 400 bottles of this were made. Released this week, it is an impressively complete red blend, hand harvested on a Biodynamic Flower Day and New Moon in late February. This inaugural release was made using fruit from the oldest plantings of cabernet sauvignon from the Cullen Vineyard in Margaret River. This gem from Vanya Cullen and her biodynamic and organics-focused team is complex, silky and superbly balanced; immediately accessible in its youth but a potential cellaring prospect. It paired brilliantly with Asian-braised lamb loin chops. $350. https://cullenwines.com.au/

Henschke 2025 The Nurturer

 

This new release blend from the Henschke family has a calm, quiet charm about it. It clearly comes from a place of contentment. It is named in honour of family matriarch Prue Henschke, a viticulturist, botanist and environmentalist behind the organics practiced across the family's vines. The Nurturer is a most unusual combination of southern French varieties grown in the Eden Valley: carignan, counoise, grenache gris, grenache noir, clairette, cinsault and shiraz (each variety added in harvest order). It works brilliantly if you like your reds a little less blockbuster, a little more contemplative. Aromatic and vibrant with lively red and black fruit notes, we paired this with savoury Middle Eastern bourekas, thin layers of pastry filled with cheese and pepperberries. Excellent value at $40. https://www.henschke.com.au/

Tapanappa 2023 Definitus Pinot Noir

 

Find some pinot noirs a little lightweight? Not this one from wine elder Brian Croser at Tapanappa. This is deeply coloured, intense, profound and cellar worthy. Made from fruit grown in the centre slope of the Foggy Hill Vineyard "distinguished site" on the Fleurieu Peninsula, the 2023 is the sixth release of this special wine, hand harvested from a cool vintage. After malolactic fermentation on full lees, the juice was racked and returned to barriques for maturation. The wine has just been released after over two years in bottle and. Savoury, spicy and stunning. Made in tiny quantities. 94 points. $90. https://tapanappa.com.au/

Ten Minutes by Tractor 2025 McCutcheon Chardonnay

The key to the appeal of the Ten Minutes by Tractor individual vineyard wines is their completeness. They all have a unique presence where everything is in perfect balance; even in their youth. There is a laser-like focus on quality from winemaker Imogen Dillon here - and from a top-notch vintage. The Ten Minutes by Tractor story by Martin Spedding and his family began in the early 1990s with three vineyards planted in Main Ridge on the cool Mornington Peninsula, each 10 minutes by tractor apart. This is from one of those original vineyards. Fermented in concrete before being transferred to barrel, it has an impressive minerality to it along with citrus and tropical notes and astutely adjudged French oak. With impressive length, this is the full Burgundian package. 97 points. $95. https://www.tenminutesbytractor.com.au/ 

Vasse Felix 2025 Classic Dry Red

 

We are in bargain basement territory here with the new release of a "drink now" red from one of Margaret River's pioneering wineries. Previously made using shiraz grapes, this is now a slurpable cabernet sauvignon-driven blend (there's also some merlot and malbec in the mix) with vibrant fresh fruit flavours the driving force. Estate grown and made to meet the growing demand for lighter, uncomplicated red wines, this is unoaked, saw wild yeast fermentation and spent eight months in stainless steel tanks before release. Immediately approachable at 13.5% alcohol, it would be a fine choice for a barbecue, or pasta night with friends. $20. www.vassefelix.com.au 

Unico Zelo 2025 Pastafarian

Fresh and vibrant, this Clare Valley sangiovese from innovator Brendan Carter and the team at Unico Zelo in the Adelaide Hills is disarmingly drinkable. I had had a couple of sips with my spaghetti bolognaise and the bottle was mysteriously half empty. That might be because this is the unofficial wine of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or be simply because it is a damn good drink. Distributed by Franc About Wine, the most recent vintages have been sangiovese based after the wine started out as a nebbiolo. Looking for a wine to take to your local pizza or pasta joint? You've come to the right place. $36. https://www.unicozelo.com.au/

Hurley Vineyard 2024 Garamond Pinot Noir

 

The 2024 Hurley Vineyard Garamond Pinot Noir is my favourite pinot of the year so far. The other three Hurley wines from the vintage are all outstanding, but this one has that faint tinge of rusticity that distinguishes the great burgundies. I've been enjoying wines from this tiny domain for close to a quarter of a century now; this is the 24th vintage from legal eagles Kevin Bell and Tricia Byrnes and during that time their pinots have become much sought-after by aficionados. This is my pick of the three individual vineyards, which comprise just 3.5 hectares on the Mornington Peninsula. All fruit is estate grown and all wines made on sight by Bell, a former Victorian Supreme Court judge. This is basket pressed and bottled after 20 months French oak with zero fining or filtrations. Super satisfying. A wine of balance, style and character well worth splashing out on. $130. www.hurleyvineyard.com.au