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This is one for those wine lovers who enjoy their chardonnays in a delicate, subtle Chablis or Saint-Veran style. This is the first release of this single-vineyard wine, made from vines that are fast approaching 30 years of age. Grapes are hand-picked, whole-bunch crushed, pressed and allowed
to settle overnight. Natural fermentation occurs in older French oak
casks (no new oak is used) and the juice is left to rest on lees
until late November. This is pale in colour but offers terrific drinking pleasure. It is bright and lifted with lemon and lime notes, slatey minerality and appealing acidity. Seriously pleasurable. Pair with pan-fried flathead in lemon butter. $50. www.debortoli.com.au.
The Maxwell range of Little Demon wines represent excellent value - and has been given a label refresh as the first of the 2019 vintage hit the stores. This is a very bright and breezy grenache rosé made from McLaren Vale fruit. It is very fresh, impressively vibrant with aromas of newly picked strawberries. There is plenty of refreshing acidity on a palate that finishes clean, crisp and dry. Pair this with a Lebanese kebab for a gourmet festival in your mouth. $20. www.maxwellwines.com.au.
If the artisan wines from Sinapius in the Pipers Brook region of northern Tasmania are not yet on your radar then you really need to get acquainted. Talented young couple Vaughn Dell and Linda Morice are producing a range of wines that push the boundaries in the vineyard and the winery, always making wines that have real drinkability and points of interest. This estate-grown, single vineyard wine underlines exactly why Tasmanian pinots are causing serious excitement globally. The fruit is sourced from a high-density block planted with seven different clones. Soft and silky, but with hedgerow and savoury notes, the fruit is 100% whole berry, naturally fermented and matured in French oak barriques for 18 months prior to bottling. It is unfined, unfiltered and bloody delicious. $68. www.sinapius.com.au.
Family-owned Shingleback produces wines of both outstanding quality and value from McLaren Vale with this new-release estate cabernet sauvignon a case in point. This is an impressive wine with regional power alongside impressive balance with a silky tannin finish. The wine was matured for 15 months French oak hogsheads, adding palate interest and structure. Ripe currant and berry flavours are very much to the fore here, with herbal notes and dark chocolate. Terrific drinking with red meat dishes. $25. www.shingleback.com.au
A true field blend from the Mornington Peninsula, this a white wine for those who love flavour and texture. Around 30% each of viognier, vermentino and sauvignon blanc have been blended with small amounts of savagnin and roussanne to produce an intriguing, rewarding and food friendly co-ferment. Mainly older French oak adds to the palate interest without being intrusive, while six months in barrel on lees also plays its part. Bloody lovely stuff. $38. www.foxeys-hangout.com.au
It has been bloody cold down our way recently and this flavoursome tawny from All Saints in Rutherglen, north-east Victoria, proved a formidable freeze fighter. Rutherglen is known for its range of outstanding fortified wines and this is the Brown family's take on a hipper style that appeals to a younger demographic than the tweed-jacketed, leather-patched traditional port and muscat consumer. Drinkers are encouraged to match this with cheese, or hot chocolate, pour it into a cocktail, over ice cream or, best of all, in front of a wood fire. This has raisiny fruit and nutty intensity from aged oak barrels. Not too sweet, not too heavy. Just right. $20. www.allsaintswine.com.au
There is a whole-lot of lip-smacking wine savouriness to be found in this new-release single-vineyard wine from a winery that is fast establishing itself in the Barossa Valley hierarchy. The Mob referred to are not the Mafia, but an errant group of sheep who wrecked this vineyard in its youth. Fortunately the vines bounced back and now produce tiny amounts of impressive fruit. Dark cherry and blackberry flavours and savoury tannins speak of the terroir, but the Italian accent adds an exotic nod. Made in very small quantities, this is food friendly and very seductive. $35. www.atzes.com.
