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Single-vineyard, or single-site chardonnays are all the rage right now, but two of Australia's benchmark chardonnays are blends of fruit from multiple regions. As is the case with Penfolds Yattarna, the Eileen Hardy draws on fruit from Tasmania, the Yarra Valley and Tumbarumba in New South Wales. The blend, which changes from year to year, worked a treat in the excellent 2015 vintage, producing a wine of both style and substance. There are ripe stonefruit characters, lean minerality, citrus crispness and cleverly judged oak. Named as a tribute to the family matriarch, this will probably cellar for well over a decade. An icon that merits 95/100. $95. www.hardyswines.com.
What's old is new again.Yelland and Papps' Second Take label is designed for wines that reflect Old World winemaking techniques rather than those of modern Australia, where cleanliness is next to Godliness. That means a bit of funk; a few rough edges; a bit of individuality. This is made from old vine grenache, a proven performer in the Barossa, with 61% whole bunch, 17 days on skins and wild barrel fermentation. The end result is fresh and youthful with bright red fruits to the fore. Unfiltered, unfined and vegan-friendly, this is a little bit punk, but more The Clash than the Sex Pistols. Not to everyone's taste, but well worth trying.
$40. www.yellandandpapps.com.au.
Global citizen Martin Krajewski is a man with his finger in many wine pies - and with a keen palate to boot. Krajewski, you may remember, worked in partnership with John Duval on an Australian range called Songlines. He recently sold his Chateau de Sours in Bordeaux to multi-millionaire Jack Ma but still owns Clos Cantenac in St Emilion as a well as a share of a new South African venture. This is his "second label" and an outstanding example of new wave Bordeaux. Imported by Robert Oatley Wines, this is a classic right bank blend of merlot, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon that is singing sweetly at this stage of its evolution. Plump and juicy, long and soft with ripe tobacco hints, supple and plush with New World influences, this is excellent drinking and a good intro to affordable Bordeaux. $55. www.closcantenac.com.
The Ten Minutes by Tractor range from the Mornington Peninsula always offers a choice of some of Australia's finest single-vineyard chardonnays; wines of style and substance that offer extreme drinking pleasure over both the short and medium term. The 2015 wines are no exception and while the Wallis vineyard wine is generally my favourite on this occasion it is pipped by the sublime Judd, a brilliantly poised wine with the flavours and complexity to match its composure. The Judd vines are now well over 20 years of age and delivering quality fruit. From a terrific vintage, this was hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed and naturally fermented in new and old French barrels. A style benchmark; but you shouldn't wait around too long before buying. $68. www.tenmimutesbytractor.com.au.
You don't get much for $10 in your local bottle shop nowadays, but this is a very welcome exception to that rule; a crisp, fresh and food-friendly riesling from the McGuigan family that is one of the best wine bargains to be found right now. The viticultural and winemaking teams have done a great job in turning fruit from broadacre vineyards in the Murray Darling and Riverland regions into a very attractive dry white that offers crisp textures, sweet tangerine/mandarine flavours and just the merest hint of attractive bitterness. Lovely with Asian dishes and exclusive to Dan Murphy's stores.
$10. www.mcguiganwines.com.au.
Take a look at supermarket shelves in England or the US and you'll find an increasing number of high quality, but affordable, red wines from both Chile and Argentina. Wines like this one are fast taking over the former role of Australia at the lower price points; producing flavoursome, uncomplicated value for money. This is one of a range of well-priced wines from Casillero del Diablo, the Chilean offshoot of the massive Spanish wine conglomerate Concha Y Toro. It is soft and smooth, a great barbecue wine, and can be found at Dan Murphy's stores for a silly $13.99. A warning shot local producers should heed.
This week marks the 10th birthday of Larry Cherubino Wines as a stand-alone entity. If you are not familiar with the name you should be. Cherubino produces several ranges of wines at various price points that share two things in common: extreme quality and outstanding value. It was hard to choose which of several Cherubino wines to feature here; the 2015 The Yard Shiraz from the same Frankland River vineyard is also a standout, as is the Cherubino 2015 Pemberton Sauvignon Blanc. Cherubino has access to some of the finest fruit across Western Australia and makes the best possible use of it. This is an absolutely outstanding dry riesling that has great purity and a most appealing nose. Citrus flavours lead the charge here with rapier-like acidity, limestone minerality and gentle hints of Asian herbs. Simply delicious right now. Try pairing it with some fresh salmon.
$25. www.larrycherubino.com.
