YARRA BURN CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2006

- Yarra Valley, VIC

- $22-$35

- Cork

- 13.5%alc

All too often the Yarra Valley gets cast in the shadows of Coonawarra and the Margaret River when winos discuss Australia's premier cabernet region. A quick look at some of the names in the region (Mount Mary, Yarra Yering, Yarra Yarra, Yeringberg etc.) should quickly dispel any reservations about the Yarra's ability to produce Australia's best cabernet. Constellation's Yarra Burn tend towards a firm, dry and medium-bodied cabernet, with adequate bottle age at time of release.

Freshly scented with gorgeous minty/herbal nuances, berry fruits, plums and smoky chocolate/cedar oak, Yarra Burn's 2006 displays classic Yarra beauty throughout both aroma and palate. With deep layers of bright, silky flavour it enters the palate with a sensual elegance (which actually matches the packaging!), moving on to reveal vibrant berry and plum flavours wrapped up by fresh, toasty mocha oak and a rather approachable extract of grainy tannins, which leave the mouth feeling agreeably dry but not too dry. It's sumptuously textured, generously flavoured, beautifully balanced and much more approachable than the 2005 (89pts, drink 2015-17), but it just lacks the complexity and powerful structure required for an even higher score.

ü The large scale winemaking is noticeably evident in this very polished, perhaps predictably delicious red, but all the same, you don't see too many Yarra Valley cabernets of this quality at such a price (especially in Adelaide). Classy, wintry wine. Drink to 2016.

91 points

www.yarraburn.com.au

PORT PHILLIP ESTATE PINOT NOIR 2008

- Mornington Peninsula, VIC

- $33-$42

- Cork (Diam)

- 14.0%alc

The Mornington Peninsula's Port Phillip Estate is one of several Victorian pinot noir specialists whose wines have been made by the ultra-talented Sandro Mosele. Their 2008 Pinot Noir has picked up a lot of good press recently, earning some positive write-ups from the guys at Red to Brown, as well as inclusion in James Halliday's latest Top 100 list.

Beautifully complete, floral and musky, this 2 year old Mornington pinot opens to a charming bouquet of cherries and bright berry fruits overlying dry and dusty, cured meat and earth aromas, with a well integrated presence of lightly spiced cedar/vanilla oak woven considerately throughout its primary fruit. Relatively supple but rather more structured and fine-grained at this stage, its tightly-knit palate presents a clear expression of regional cherry and spice notes meshed with snazzy French cedar/vanilla oak and a dry and dusty chassis of powdery tannins. Its smooth entry evolves with a gripping firmness and sour-edged meaty undertones towards the back palate, finishing with great length and focus.

ü+ Destined to flower in the bottle with medium term cellaring, the 2008 Port Phillip Estate is a top class, age worthy Mornington pinot with a much more competitive price tag than many of its regional rivals. You can happily add my name to its list of supporters. Drink to 2013. (footnote provided below)

91 points

www.portphillipestate.com.au

OZ WINE TOONS

ROLLING SHIRAZ 2008

- Central Ranges, NSW

- $12-$20

- Screwcap

- 14.0%alc

In today's modern Australian wine market there appears to be growing exposure given to good NSW-based shiraz labels within the $15-$20 price bracket. From various regions names like Mount Pleasant's Philip, Barwang, Printhie and Cumulus' Rolling push this trend, with their affordable wines proving more than capable of matching the value for money offered by their better known South Australian counterparts.

Attractively floral and spicy, Rolling's 2008 Shiraz displays straight forward yet heady aromas of red berries, plums and dried apricots backed by white pepper, clove and older oak. Very soft, approachable and beset with minimal tannins, the bright palate presents itself as full and juicy on entry but thins out down the stretch, finishing with gentle spices and touches of ultra-ripe berry/apricot flavour.

O At its discounted price the 2008 Rolling happily holds its own against other similarly priced Australian shiraz. It's a more than acceptable quaffing style, which would be best drunk with minimal fuss. Drink to 2012.

87 points

www.rollingwines.com.au

TINTILLA ESTATE JOHN BASIL SPARKLING RED 2006

- Hunter Valley, NSW

- $36

- Cork

- 13.5%alc

Bubbles, merlot and the Hunter Valley might sound like an unusual combination, but thankfully, James Lusby has once again implemented some sensible winemaking practices with his 2006 John Basil (handpicked, 7 days skin contact, 1 year French oak maturation, bottle fermentation, 3 years lees ageing and estate dosage in the way of Tintilla's 12yr barrel aged Liquor Shiraz).

Brightly coloured, fresh and inviting, the nose of Tintilla's 2006 John Basil is pleasingly regional and varietal, with its earthy, plummy fruit aromas underscored by notes of berry jam, crushed herbs, licorice and dark chocolate oak. Rich and syrupy, its palate is vibrantly flavoured with an earthy, savoury core drawn out by a generous hit of warming dosage. It finishes very long with lingering undertones of herbal, choc-licorice and tobacco-like complexities punctuated by an assertive, tough structure of fizzy cola-like effervescence and a drying, tannic astringency.

O Much like Tintilla Estate's 2009 Pebbles Brief Chardonnay (92pts), the decidedly dry, savoury and long John Basil has genuinely surprised me given its varietal/regional/stylistic boundaries. Clever winemaking. Drink 2012-2015.

90 points

www.tintilla.com.au

GEMTREE MOONSTONE (SAVAGNIN) 2009

- McLaren Vale, SA

- $25

- Screwcap

- 12.5%alc

After much debate, research and discussion, the Australian wine formerly known as albarino seems to of settled into its new title; savagnin. Although albarino might roll off the tongue more eloquently than savagnin (in a vocal sense), the bottom line remains the same; it's an exciting new variety with loads of potential in Australia. Some have likened savagnin to containing pinot gris-like character with riesling-like acidity.

Biodynamically produced and partially fermented in oak (20%), Gemtree's 2009 Savagnin presents a clean and clear, fresh fragrance of green nashi pear and melons with a minor suggestion of crushed nuts adding savoury interest. Surprisingly weighty and textured, its rather viscous palate pushes through very clean yet fat, gris-like crunchy pear flavours, with an extensive finish drawn out by tangy/lemony citric acids and a wonderfully even persistence of flavour.

O The 2009 Moonstone is a well judged savagnin, with its clean varietal fruit base enhanced by great length and winemaker induced textural elements. For much the same price I'd happily take a bottle of this over most Australian gris any day of the week (but riesling...). Drink to 2011.

89 points

www.gemtreevineyards.com.au

CORIOLE LLOYD RESERVE SHIRAZ 2006

- McLaren Vale, SA

- $67-$90

- Cork

- 14.5%alc

I'd have no hesitation in saying Coriole's Lloyd Reserve sits comfortably in the company of McLaren Vale's top 3 or 4 wines. Coriole's crowning achievement is trademarked by a level of elegance, harmony and finesse matched by few if any makers of McLaren Vale shiraz.

Coriole's 2006 is just beautiful to gaze upon in the glass; with deep, dark, inky colour it unfolds to an artfully measured nose loaded with bright berry fruits, plums and gentle cinnamon spices, with fresh and fragrant chocolate/vanilla oak adding the human touch. Its aroma reflects regional qualities of a very high standard. On the mouth it's velvety, supple and ethereal, as its exquisitely ripened palate unleashes a great depth of explosive regional fruit flavours harmonised by smooth chocolate and vanilla/cedar oak. With penetrating vitality it leaves the mouth long and fresh with traces of sour-edged, meaty, peppery fruit and polished, silky tannins which grip with an accentuating tightness around its superlative length of fruit.

ü+ I'm a bit behind on this (as the 2007 has just been released) but it really must be said; Coriole's Lloyd Reserve rises up as a star performer from the quality 2006 vintage. More style than Clark Gable cruising the streets of Monaco in a 1929 Bugatti. Drink to 2020.

96 points

www.coriole.com

LLOYD SHIRAZ VINEYARD

These old vines occupying the terraced slopes adjacent Coriole's winery produce wines of outstanding depth and flavour.

BROKENWOOD ILR RESERVE SEMILLON 2003

- Lower Hunter Valley, NSW

- $38-$60

- Screwcap

- 11.0%alc

Rated alongside Tyrrell's Vat 1 and Mount Pleasant's Lovedale; Brokenwood's ILR is one of the very finest dry semillon labels on the planet.

From a vintage characterised by its heat and dryness, Brokenwood's 2003 ILR presents itself as a relatively youthful colour in the pale-gold/light-straw spectrum, before it unravels to an evenly developed, classic bouquet of honey toast and dry straw with grapefruit, mineral and white flower aromas providing necessary freshness and life. The artfully composed and attractive nose precedes a wonderfully focused, zesty palate marked by a chiselled extract of chalky, sour citric acids, which drive the wine to a scintillating climax of exceptional length and tightness. It possesses terrific shape and mouthfilling structure, with a joyous thread of honeyed richness beginning to emerge underneath its primary melon and lemon/lime citrus flavours.

ü+ An absolutely stunning hot year semillon with plenty of Brokenwood's trademark zip, freshness and acidity. I'd happily give it another 5 years at least. Drink to 2018.

95 points

www.brokenwood.com.au

SHAW VINEYARD ESTATE PREMIUM CABERNET MERLOT 2008

- Canberra District

- $25

- Screwcap

- 14.5%alc

Merlot can act a bit like Cher to Sonny when it comes to covering up cabernet sauvignon's deficiencies (probably an unfair judgement!). So if you find yourself in the predicament of purchasing cabernet from a region which isn't necessarily recognised for the style, it could be considered rational thinking to opt for a cabernet merlot over a straight cabernet sauvignon.

Shaw Vineyard Estate's 2008 Cabernet Merlot displays clear varietal character on the nose, as it opens to lighter scents of olive and herb partnered by blackcurrant and graphite, with a minty tone of older chocolate/vanilla oak sitting happily in the background. Rich and juicy, condensed flavours of bright blackcurrants and dark plum announce the palate, which evolves with smooth chocolate-like undertones and lingering tones of minty/herbal freshness. It's medium-bodied, pleasingly dry and dusty for the most part, with an approachable level of seamless structure imparted by integrated tannins and bright acid.

ü Straight forward it may be but it's also charmingly varietal (in a soft sense), ably balanced and beautifully set for the shorter term. A good cabernet blend from the nation's capital. Drink to 2014.

90 points

www.shawvineyards.com.au