De Bortoli Melba Lucia 2012
Yarra Valley, Victoria
$22
★★★★
De Bortoli's cabernet sauvignon-sangiovese-merlot blend emulates a style first developed by Tuscan producer Marchesi Antinori in 1971. Antinori's Tignanello 1971 combined the local sangiovese grape with cabernet sauvignon and, in doing so, excised itself from the restrictive Chianti appellation. While the inclusion of cabernet and merlot gives an elegance and underlying sweet berry flavours to Melba Lucia, it remains very much in the lean, taut, savoury style: an Australian wine in its brightness and freshness, but Italian-like in those rustic sangiovese flavours and tannins.
Tim Smith Viognier 2014
Eden Valley, South Australia
$28
★★★★
Perhaps not surprisingly for a former Yalumba winemaker, Tim Smith makes an exceptionally fine, polished version of the northern Rhone's star white variety. Yalumba began work on the then little known variety more than 30 years ago, and now makes several expressions of the variety, including the superb virgilius. Smith's, from a single Eden Valley vineyard, delivers the variety's exotic ginger- and apricot-like flavours on a richly textured palate of great liveliness and freshness. This full-flavoured, aromatic, barrel-fermented wine retains the unique qualities of viognier, without slipping into the oiliness or alcoholic heat that often comes with it.
Oakridge Over the Shoulder Pinot Noir 2013
Coldstream, Yarra Glen, Woori Yallock and Gladysdale, Yarra Valley, Victoria
$18.10-$23
★★★★
David Bicknell makes exceptionally fine pinots across a range of styles that express a diversity of Yarra Valley grape-growing conditions. The entry-level Over the Shoulder wine sits with the very best similarly priced examples, especially in the benign 2013 season. This is a fragrant, juicy, bright and savoury red. It displays the ripe fruit flavour of the season, but retains the essential pinot elements of savour and fine tannic bite.
Craggy Range Single Vineyard Pinot Gris 2014
Te Muna Road vineyard, Martinborough, New Zealand
$35
★★★★
Although Craggy Range is based at Hawke's Bay on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island, it owns vineyards further south, at Martinborough, slightly north-east of Wellington. Although the area is best known for its pinot noir, pinot gris also performs well. The wine offers pear-like aroma and a full, succulent palate reflecting the aroma, but with a bag of mixed spices thrown in. The high level of acidity, which dries out the finish and lengthens the aftertaste, offsets a slight sweetness to the palate.
Oakridge Over the Shoulder Chardonnay 2013
Yarra Glen, Coldstream, Seville and Woori Yallock, Yarra Valley, Victoria
$18.10-$23
★★★★
Winemaker David Bicknell attributes Oakridge chardonnay's great flavour intensity to the warm growing season. Surprisingly, though, the wine presents flavours and structure more in keeping with cool ripening conditions. It combines both citrus and stonefruit elements of the varietal spectrum. A high level of acidity increases the flavour intensity more and accentuates the lingering, dry finish, reminiscent of France's chardonnays from the Chablis region. This is a classy chardonnay for the price, and one that might fill out and be even more enjoyable with one or two years' bottle age.
Frankland Estate Olmo's Reward 2012
Isolation Ridge vineyard, Frankland River, Western Australia
$40-$45
★★★★
Olmo's Reward draws its inspiration from the fragrant, elegant reds of the Bordeaux sub-region, St Emillion. The Olmo's 2012 blend is comprised of 62 per cent cabernet franc, 17 per cent merlot, 16 per cent malbec and 5 per cent cabernet sauvignon. Cabernet franc's leading role means great fragrance and lighter body than we would see in blends dominated by its relative, cabernet sauvignon. The other varieties add flesh in a very subtle way, and strengthen the tannin structure of what remains a lovely Australian facsimile of a distinguished Bordeaux red style.
