Ross Hill Pinnacle Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Ross Hill Griffin Road vineyard, Orange, NSW $40 From 1994, the Robson family planted their Griffin Road, Orange, vineyard at elevations varying from 750 to 850 metres. In 2008, the family added another five hectares at 1018 metres, near their Wallace Road winery. In the benign 2013 vintage, five … Continue reading Wine review – Ross Hill, Chrismont, Tolpuddle, Forester Estate, Torbreck and Mad Fish →

Ravensworth Nebbiolo 2014 Hilltops, NSW $35 As winemaker Bryan Martin and photographer David Reist launched their book, Tongue and Cheek, in March, guests quaffed Martin’s just-released 2014 nebbiolo. At its best, the Piedmontese variety makes lighter coloured, highly fragrant reds of great power and elegance, with firm tannins that outgrip even those of cabernet sauvignon. … Continue reading Wine review – Ravensworth, Clonakilla, Helm, Eden Road, Ross Hill and Brangayne →

Brangayne of Orange Riesling 2014 $22 The Hoskins family owns two vineyards at Orange: the Brangayne vineyard (elevation 960 to 1,000 metres); and the slightly less cool Ynys Witrin vineyard (860 to 880 metres). Riesling, from the lower site, was harvested in the cool of a late March night and trucked about 200 kilometres north-east … Continue reading Wine review – Brangayne, Clonakilla and Tim Adams →

Pipers Brook Riesling 2014 $34 Pipers Brook vineyard, Tasmania Tasmania may well become Australia’s premier riesling-growing region, upstaging the variety’s traditional heartland of the Clare and Eden Valleys, South Australia. OK, let’s include comparative newcomers, Canberra District and Great Southern, Western Australia, too. For Tasmania, the question remains whether the whole island gets in on … Continue reading Wine review – Pipers Brook, Bremerton, Golden Ball, Mount Horrocks, Cross Stitch and Mad Fish →

Evans and Tate Metricup Road Margaret River Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2013 $17.10–$24 Evans and Tate – founded in 1974 at Metricup Road, Margaret River – now belongs to Griffith-based McWilliams Wines, giving the brand much-needed stability and distribution. The wine’s prime focus is on the dazzling fresh fruit flavours of semillon and sauvignon blanc. In … Continue reading Wine review – Evans and Tate, Heartland, and Voyager Estate →

Blue Pyrenees Shiraz 2012 $14.95–$18 Blue Pyrenees vineyard, Pyrenees, Victoria Every so often a wine comes along that runs off the value-for-money scale. The latest, Blue Pyrenees Shiraz 2012, provided camp-fired comfort during a wintery outdoor party. The bottle sat unloved on the bar, ignored as other reds came and went. What turned people off; … Continue reading Wine review – Blue Pyrenees, Jacob’s Creek, Mount Pleasant Elizabeth, Red Knot, Wolf Blass and Moppity Vineyards Lock and Key →

Clonakilla Pinot Noir 2014 $55 Clonakilla vineyard, Murrumbateman, Canberra District, NSW “Pinot’s the holy grail”, says Clonakilla’s Tim Kirk, “and the general wisdom is you can’t make great pinot noir in Canberra”. But after producing pinot for decades, only to blend it into the flagship shiraz-viognier, Kirk made small, separate batches from 2011. He used … Continue reading Wine review – Clonakilla, Quarry Hill, Four Winds, Freeman and Ross Hill →

Turkey Flat Mataro 2014 $32 Turkey Flat vineyard, Barossa Valley, South Australia In Spain, where it originated, this late ripening variety is known as monastrell. The French call it mourvedre. In the Barossa most winemakers know it as mataro, though mourvedre gets a nod at times. And at Turkey Flat, writes owner Christie Schulz, “We … Continue reading Wine review – Turkey Flat, Stefano Lubiana, Mitchell, Vin Vale by Shingleback and Penfolds →

Yalumba The Octavius Barossa Old Vine Shiraz 2009 $85–$112 Barossa and Eden Valleys, South Australia Yalumba made its first Octavius in the outstanding 1990 vintage. Named for and matured in 100-litre oak octaves, coopered at Yalumba, it quickly earned the sobriquet “oaktavius”. However, Yalumba’s winemakers soon adapted to the high oak-to-wine ratio inherent in using … Continue reading Wine review – Yalumba, Brown Brothers, Lark Hill, Brokenwood, AC Byrne and Second Left →