DEAKIN ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2007

- Murray Darling, VIC

- $5-$13

- Screwcap

- 13.5%alc

The very affordable (fiver on a good day) Victorian riverland sourced Deakin Estate 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon certainly impressed veteran Aussie wine critic Jeremy Oliver, who stated in his last book; "Discounts and clearance sales aside, is this Australia's best sub-$10 wine?"

Nicely varietal for the price, its leafy/minty nose of ripe dark plum, liqueur blackcurrants and cedar precede a soft and juicy cabernet palate with a sprinkling of dusty tannins peppered throughout its dry finish. Its vibrant plum and dark cherry flavours show elements of sour-edged acidity, with just a miniscule fraction of ultra-ripe fruit residing beneath, but the flow and charming balance evident from start to finish make the whole experience a totally delightful quaff.

ü+ It may not be as impressively varietal in its palate as its aroma, but for $7 it's almost impossible not to be smitten by Deakin Estate's 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon. Save yourself a packet and whip some out at your next summer BBQ. Drink to 2012.

89 points

www.deakinestate.com.au

JACOB'S CREEK BLANC DE BLANCS BRUT CUVEE

- Southern Australia

- $6-$14

- Cork

- 11.5%alc

One of Australia's most recognisable global brands, Jacob's Creek, is also one of our most popular makers of cheap and cheerful fizz. Jacob's Creek's sparkling range has been bolstered in recent years with the addition of some attractively packaged moscato-styles, but perhaps of more interest is their clear glass-bottled Blanc de Blancs.

Pale-straw and aesthetically straight forward, this 100% chardonnay reveals a fresh and inviting nose of sparkling lemon citrus and white flowers backed by a delightful yeasty tone. The palate has good weight, effervescence and dryness for its price, presenting an uncomplicated yet tightly wound mix of creamy grapefruit and lemon citrus flavours, with a persisting creaminess outlined by spiky lemon sherbet-like acids in a crisp fashion.

ü+ I'll happily jump on board with Quaff's Peter Forrestal here. Jacob's Creek's Blanc de Blancs is a miraculous achievement at $7, which puts other, significantly more expensive sparklings to shame. Who needs cheap pinot grapes at $7 a bottle? House bubbles of the year? Drink now.

89 points

www.jacobscreek.com

VASSE FELIX CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2007

- Margaret River, WA

- $30-$42

- Screwcap

- 14.5%alc

Few $35 Australian reds could match the Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon's consistent ability to deliver an ideal marriage of exquisite regional character with perfectly valid seasonal variation. At $35rrp it also happens to be one of the most affordable wines included in Langton's Classification of Australian Wine IV.

Classically Vasse in its aromatic quality and intensity, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon opens to a charry nose of dusty cassis, violet and redcurrants backed by smoky cedar/chocolate oak, dried herbs and a sniff of pepper. The truly regional, youthful palate presents genuine elegance to the fluidity of its medium-bodied small black berry, herb and spice flavours, which are ensconced by a snazzy extract of toasty cedar/mocha oak, a firming dryness, gripping length and persisting notes of olive. A complementary powdery undercarriage harnesses the wine, with assertive, grippy tannins and distinct acidity providing structural support.

ü+ The 2007 is an intense Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon loaded with fragrance, hidden elegance, smoky/herbal/dark berry fruit characters, length and true structure. Fans of the house style (like me) won't be disappointed. Drink 2012-2022.

93 points

www.vassefelix.com.au

TARRAWARRA ESTATE PINOT NOIR 2008

- Yarra Valley, SA

- $17-$25

- Screwcap

- 14.0%alc

In a move made to signify the company's use of estate grown fruit, TarraWarra has dropped the Tin Cows name from its entry level Yarra Valley wines. Tin Cows always sounded a bit tacky to me, so it's a welcomed change in my view.

Opening to a nose of simple yet recognisable varietal quality, its spicy dark cherry aromas also reveal hints of herb and a sappy aspect. Attractively varietal in its smooth entry, the palate is pleasingly supple and approachable, with a fairly straightforward yet generously long expression of dark cherry, plum and cedar flavours which end fractionally raw and hard edged alongside a lingering presence of assertive spices.

ü Another wine which underlines the recent improvements made by Australia's $20 pinot class, TarraWarra's 2008 is a tidy little drink which is ready to enjoy now. Drink to 2012.

89 points

www.tarrawarra.com.au

PAXTON AAA SHIRAZ GRENACHE 2008

- McLaren Vale, SA

- $16-$25

- Screwcap

- 14.5%alc

The names behind the Paxton brand are son Michael (winemaker) and his father David, who happens to be one of this country's leading viticulturists. Therefore, it should come as no surprise Paxton are among a growing number of Australian producers who now implement biodynamic practices throughout their vineyards.

Typically ripe and generous as befits the AAA blueprint, this aromatically lifted and meaty 2008 Shiraz Grenache opens to a floral fragrance of blueberries, dark plum, raspberries and chocolate oak with a hint of cinnamon stick. It (happily) steers completely away from the confectionery aspects sometimes associated with the blend, with a sumptuously flavoured, medium-full bodied palate which announces juicy dark red fruits touched by a restrained use of older, spicy oak, evolving into a more savoury, rustic climax framed by agreeably coarse tannins and bright sour-edged acidity.

ü+ A fruit focused, well ripened (not over), earlier drinking and perfectly harmonious blend of McLaren Vale shiraz and grenache. It's an ideal summer red which represents a good early sign for McLaren Vale 08's as well as the future developments of Paxton's biodynamic vineyards. Drink to 2014.

91 points

www.paxtonvineyards.com

MITCHELL WATERVALE RIESLING 2009

- Clare Valley, SA

- $15-$22

- Screwcap

- 13.0%alc

Alongside wines like Tahbilk's Marsanne and Mount Pleasant's Elizabeth Semillon, Mitchell's Watervale Riesling is a wonderfully affordable dry white whose long established cellaring record has seen it practically achieve cult status among Australia's drinkers. However, I have noticed a slight increase in the discounted price of Mitchell's Watervale recently, which differs from the other two wines mentioned.

Mitchell's 2009 Watervale Riesling (vines planted 1962) reveals a somewhat closed yet classically tight and floral fragrance of well defined lemon and lime citrus backed by steely suggestions of mineral. Wonderfully edgy in its youthful, pure varietal form, its faintly spicy lemon and pear flavours are beautifully punctuated by a persisting undercarriage of lime juice, before finishing in a more savoury, austere fashion with a bone-dry cut of powdery citric acids.

ü+ For a season laden with mixed results for Clare riesling; this truly regional, tight and dry wine has landed itself right near the top of its class. As usual, the Mitchell's experience and vine maturity has paid dividends. Drink to 2017.

93 points

www.mitchellwines.com

TYRRELL'S VAT 1 SEMILLON 2003

- Lower Hunter Valley, NSW

- $40-$59

- Screwcap

- 10.5%alc

Sitting atop Tyrrell's well constructed hierarchy of Hunter Valley semillon is the almighty Vat 1. It's a true Australian benchmark, one of this country's classic dry whites, and its impeccable record with cellaring is known throughout the fine wine drinking world.

The 2003 Vat 1 remains a youthful clear-straw colour, unfolding to a cleanly lifted fragrance of toasty melon, lime and lemon fruits marked by flinty mineral edges and a surprising hint of spice. Bell-clear, fresh and zingy, this drought year semillon (handpicked in late January) presents a juicy expression of pristine citrus/melon flavours enveloped by distinctly drier, developing notes of toast and cashew nuts. It finishes savoury, long and dry, with a somewhat prickly, broader influence of zesty acids and spritz.

ü This 7 year old Vat 1 might be nearing the halfway mark of its development, yet it's exceptionally addictive and easy to drink right now, without a single sign of adolescent awkwardness whatsoever (perhaps due to its choice of closure?) Under screwcap it should cellar safely and improve for up to another decade. Drink to 2019.

94 points

www.tyrrells.com.au

TALTARNI THREE MONKS CABERNET MERLOT 2006

- Pyrenees, VIC

- $16-$24

- Screwcap

- 14.0%alc

The usually multi-regional yet ever reliable Three Monks Cabernet Merlot was sourced entirely from Taltarni's traditional Pyrenees home in 2006. 1% of petit verdot was also thrown into the cabernet sauvignon (55%) and merlot (44%) blend.

Possibly a shade more developed in colour than anticipated, Taltarni's 2006 Three Monks opens to a dusty nose with leafy scents of tobacco, crushed leaves, olives and spicy cedar oak. Silky on entry and medium-full bodied, the savoury palate shows essentially the same, perhaps earlier maturing characters as the nose, but it does finish long, lively, dry and freshly fruited in typical Taltarni fashion, with a firm structure of gritty, rustic tannins suggesting it has plenty of life yet.

ü Firm, savoury, rustic and dry; this cellar worthy red is clearly marked by Taltarni's stamp of approval. Drink to 2016.

90 points

www.taltarni.com.au

JOSEPH D'ELENA PINOT GRIGIO 2009

- McLaren Vale/Southern Fleurieu, SA

- $25-$33

- Screwcap

- 13.0%alc

One of my most prized Australian grigios is the occasionally deep, long and finely textured d'Elena, which has been intriguingly labelled as Adelaide in 2009. Most of the 2009 was sourced from Joseph's Angel Gully vineyard in Clarendon (grigio planted 1998) with a smaller portion coming from Mt Compass, which lies south of Willunga in the region some might call Southern Fleurieu.

Cleanly scented with crunchy pear and lemon aromas underpinned by delightful notes of vanilla and nuts, this luscious and creamy grigio presents a pleasurable mouthfeel through genuine texture, shape and clean balance. Like a lot of grigio it's perhaps overly simple in its tightly wound, youthful white pear/citrus/grapefruit flavours (it's a good sight fresher and more palpable than most though) but its smooth and happily deep palate finishes fine, long and particularly refreshing, with a lively extract of zesty, chiselled acidity. It's a great grigio really, with a wonderful cool-climate aspect imparted by the Mt Compass component.

ü+ Like the brilliant 2006 (92pts) the 2009 d'Elena does fall within the confines of its varietal parameters, but once again it's been beautifully, even artfully crafted into a dry white by the superb Joe Grilli. It's another handsome success for this label. Just serve it at a slightly warmer temperature, not straight out the fridge. Drink to 2011.

92 points

www.primoestate.com.au

OZ WINE TOONS