Oakridge 2025 Meunier

 

This is a fun, affordable, dangerously drinkable light red with a serious point of difference. It is made from 100% Yarra Valley pinot meunier, a grape that is a mutant of its cousin pinot noir and is often used as a minimal component of sparkling wines. Three weeks on skins and time in French oak add substance to what is a very food-friendly style. We paired ours with Middle Eastern pita pockets (one lamb, one falafel) and they matched a treat. Aromatic with bright fruit here, along with hints of spice and instant palate appeal. Lovely stuff. $35.  https://oakridgewines.com.au/       

Hoddles Creek 2025 Pinot Gris

 

A surprise package from the d'Anna family, who produce outstanding wines in the Yarra Valley. It is not a wine for everyone but will certainly be a hit with lovers of skin-contact wines. It is salmon coloured,  but not to be mistaken for a rosé. It is a blend of fruit from two blocks, one picked early for freshness, the other picked later for tannin ripeness from the skin contact. It is a wine of impressive vibrancy, with a savoury, dry finish. It is treated like a red wine in the winery and that gives it added tannin structure. Versatile, too. Pair with anything from a mushroom quiche to a tapas plate. $26. www.hoddlescreekestate.com.au

Coldstream Hills 2018 Pinot Chardonnay Sparkling

Coldstream Hills, founded 40 years ago by wine guru James Halliday, is renowned for its outstanding chardonnays and pinot noirs from the Yarra Valley. This aged sparkling was a surprise star of a recent Treasury portfolio tasting, with an impressive combination of lemony tang and lively mousse alongside brioche/crumble/toasty notes. It is a very stylish and sophisticated bubbly from winemaker Andrew Fleming and his team, fresh enough with its bright acid to be enjoyable as an aperitif, but complex enough to match with Christmas turkey, having spent six years on yeast lees prior to disgorging. Outstanding value for $35. https://www.coldstreamhills.com.au/     

 

De Bortoli 2024 Cool-Climate Pinot Noir

It is becoming increasingly hard to find affordable cool-climate Australian pinot noir - but this one is an exception to that rule. Made by Kate Webber and Jai Harrop - young winemakers from wine dynasties - this offers a lot of fresh, vibrant pinosity, along with excellent value. It is a fresh and appealing "drink now" style of pinot with varietal appeal and crispness on the finish. This sits on the lighter-side of the spectrum, making it extremely - and immediately - food friendly. It is a blend of fruit from several different Yarra Valley vineyards that is bright and fun with some whole bunch and older oak very much in the background. Splash out on a some duck pancakes from a local Chinese restaurant. $25. www.debortoli.com.au

Soumah 2024 Single Vineyard Hexham Marzemino

 

Yarra Valley producer Soumah is becoming a reliable source of multiple interesting wines made from Italian varietals. Marzemino is a native of Trentino in northern Italy and is genetically a cousin of shiraz, although it has a reputation for being disease prone and being difficult to manage. While sometimes used in red blends, in Trentino it is made as a varietal wine. This Australian take has vibrant acid and a medium/light body, alongside impressive length and structure, making it very food friendly. In Mozart's opera Don Giovanni, the lead character calls out for a glass of marzemino. I'm with him. Delightfully different. $40. https://soumah.com.au/

Oakridge 864 2023 Drive Block Funder & Diamond Chardonnay

 

The 864 collection represents the very best of Oakridge's Yarra Valley portfolio, which is legendary for its almost obscene consistency of quality. The name 864 pays homage to the winery's Coldstream street address and the 2023 vintage marks the 12th release of this single-block chardonnay - a wine that many would pick as fine Burgundy when tasted blind. It is a vinous superstar - as its sibling the Henk Aquaduct Block. The grapes are hand harvested, whole-bunch pressed to large format French oak (20% new), wild-yeast fermented, matured for 10 months on lees then transferred to tank for an additional six months on lees prior to bottling. The end result: stunningly precise, pure and citrus-guided chardonnay with length, elegance, linearity and immediate appeal. Super stuff. $100. www.oakridgewines.com.au.

De Bortoli 2023 The Estate Vineyard Chardonnay

 

There is a gradual passing of the baton at De Bortoli Yarra Valley with Kate Webber, daughter of winemaker Steve Webber and Leanne de Bortoli, the winemaker of this precise and pristine chardonnay. The Estate Vineyard released are hand-crafted wines that aim to reflect the characters of the family vineyards - and this is outstanding with nectarine and grapefruit notes to the fore. A cool 2023 vintage has resulted in bright acidity, pure fruit flavours and impressive length. I could drink bucketloads of this, paired with old school roast pork, crackling and all the trimmings; or maybe some pan-fried fish. Very good buying for $25. https://www.debortoli.com.au/