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 →

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 →

Swinging Bridge Mrs Payten Chardonnay 2013 Balmoral vineyard, Orange, NSW $32 With an altitude range of something like 500 metres, the Orange region, not surprisingly produces a spectrum of wine styles. Chardonnay performs well in the cooler sites, in this instance the Balmoral vineyard at 870 metres. The wine topped its class at the 2014 … Continue reading Wine review – Swinging Bridge, Angullong, Redman, Hahndorf Hill, Seppelt and Santa Margherita →

Richmond Grove Watervale Riesling 2012 $19–$22 Richmond Grove is riesling royalty – combining the long, distinguished pedigrees of Leo Buring-Lindemans and Orlando. The two streams combined in the nineties and included riesling luminaries Bernard Hickin (Orlando) and John Vickery and Phil Laffer (Buring-Lindeman). Hickin now heads the winemaking team, and Rebekah Richardson made the 2012 … Continue reading Wine review – Richmond Grove, Thorn Clarke and St Erth →

Moorilla Muse Tasmania Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 2012 $40 Pinot noir remains the great red hope in cool Tasmania. But warmer sites down there produce good cabernet, including Muse, from Moorilla’s St Matthias vineyard in the Tamar Valley. I put it in a masked tasting alongside the superb Vasse Felix Heytesbury 2011 ($90) and respectable, … Continue reading Wine review – Moorilla and Red Knot by Shingleback →

Illuminati Ilico Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2011 $12.35–$16 Woolworths imports Ilico direct from the Illuminati family in Abruzzi, Italy, and offers it through its BWS and Dan Murphy outlets. We purchased our bottle from BWS Kingston for $16, though Dan Murphy offers it for $12.35 in a six-bottle buy. It’s a bargain at that price. This is … Continue reading Wine review – Illuminati, Williams Crossing and Tyrrell’s →

Long Rail Gully Canberra District Riesling 2013 $17.08–$20 It’s an understatement to say the Parker family hides its light under a bushel. They make some of Canberra’s finest wines, but they don’t make much noise about it. A group of us enjoyed their 2013 riesling at Quarterdeck restaurant, Narooma, during the recent oyster festival – … Continue reading Wine review – Long Rail Gully, Baron Amarillo and Aldi →

Zeppelin Barossa Valley Shiraz 2012 $17–$22 For a modest price, Zeppelin delivers the full, ripe flavours and soft tannins of an outstanding Barossa Valley vintage. A touch of spice and savouriness adds interest to this very appealing early-drinking red. Zeppelin is a brand of Echelon Wine Partners, a marketing and distribution company owned by the … Continue reading Wine review — Zeppelin, Jacob’s Creek and De Bortoli La Boheme →