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/