SA Wine Guide 2025

Peter Lehmann Portrait Riesling 2023

Monteperle Wines GSM 2021

G 91

The concept of the Portrait series is to paint a picture of home in the Barossa. The colour here is an attractive pale lemon. There are lifted aromatics with florals, limes, jasmine, dried herbs and river pebbles. There is crunchy acidity here and it carries the length. The balance has that bright acidity lined up against a flick of residual sweetness. Hints of an oystershell note on the palate. The wine is well focused and has a lingering finish. Enjoy this over the next six to eight years. Drink now–2032 Purple Hands Wines Old Vine Grenache 2023 G 91 Medium crimson. Attractive raspberry, strawberry jam, red liquorice notes, cherry liqueur and a hint of graphite. Generous and fruity with ample red and blue fruits, lacy texture with a chalky minerality. Good extract and firms up at the finish. 14% alc Drink now–2027 Saltram Winemaker’s Selection Grenache 2023 G 91 From a Survivor vineyard located at Tanunda in the Barossa – Survivor vines being at least 70 years old – the colour is a pale but shining crimson. Delightfully aromatic, we have notes of red cherries, a flick of vanilla, spices, bay leaves and a well-integrated touch of oak. There are sour cherry notes emerging on the long and lingering finish, sitting alongside fine tannins. There is bright acidity here, running the full journey. Attractive and refreshing drinking to be had here, over the next two

Medium-deep colour. Dark plum, red cherry, blueberry aromas with hints of praline. Sweet-fruited wine with dark plum, blueberry, pastry flavours, fine slinky textures and attractive mineral length. A touch sweet, with aniseed notes. 15.2% alc Drink now–soon Monteperle Wines Reserve Shiraz 2020 G 91 Deep crimson. Black cherry, roasted chestnut, mocha, wax polish aromas. Richly concentrated blackberry, black cherry, mocha, waxy flavours with vigorous firm gravelly tannins. Finishes grippy and fresh. 15.2% alc Drink now–2030 Murray Street Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 G 91 Warm climate Cabernet from a cracking vintage here, 93% of the fruit hails from the Greenock Estate with the remainder from Gomersal – six discrete blocks. The wine is 86% Cabernet with 8% Cabernet Franc, and 3% each of Merlot and Petit Verdot. Maturation was largely in French oak hogsheads and barriques, 9% new. Opaque, near black, in colour, the nose offers tobacco leaves, dried herbs and black fruits with hints of liquorice, leather and dark chocolate. There is a degree of austerity to the structure of this wine. It has some serious grip, decent length and a lingering finish. A powerful and enjoyable Cab which will continue to offer pleasure for the next six to 10 years. Drink now–2032

to four years. Drink now–2028 Saltram Winemaker’s Selection Sangiovese 2022

Penfolds Bin 21 Grenache 2023

G 91

Sangiovese is still finding its feet (its roots?) in many parts of Australia, but the Barossa seems as well suited to this famous Italian variety as anywhere. The grapes for this example are sourced from a vineyard at Angaston. This is a bright cherry red colour and offers an array of aromas, with red fruits, notably raspberries and cherries, roast meats, tomato bushes, bay leaves and spices. There are handfuls of warm earth and a fine line of rather bright acidity, as well as sleek tannins. A wine of medium length, it is still very youthful and certain to be even more impressive in a couple of years, after which it should drink well for another four or five years. Drink now–2029 Schild Estate Mick’s Workshop Shiraz 2022 G 91 The family purchased this vineyard back in 1993, when it was originally known as the Chenin Blanc vineyard, and planted with that grape. As Michael built a new workshop down the road, the name changed and stuck. More importantly, the wise decision to turn this into a vineyard of fine Shiraz was made. Mauve/maroon hue, this is a little more rustic in style than many of the wines made by the team – of course, that will delight some more than others, but sniff the wine and I swear that you can envisage the soil on the boots of the vineyard workers. We have plums, black cherries, cloves, bay leaves and tar. The structure is firm and at this stage, the flavours are largely upfront. It offers fine acidity running the length and firm tannins. For drinking over the next four to six years. Drink now–2030

Medium crimson. Perfumed musky plum, red cherry aromas with hints of roasted walnuts and spice. Generous, sweet-fruited and sturdy in structure with ample musky plum, red cherry fruits, fine slinky textures, attractive mid-palate volume and fresh long acidity. A kick of aniseed at the finish. Vibrant and youthful. Best to drink soon. 14.5% alc Drink soon Pepperjack Sparkling Shiraz NV G 91 It beggars belief that Sparkling Shiraz is not drunk more frequently. Always seems that many wine lovers will claim how much they love the stuff but then they rarely crack a bottle. Wines like this should change that. These are bottles of joy. If you are wondering when is a good time to crack one, they bring a smile anytime a bottle is opened, but they also work wonderfully well with dishes like roast turkey (a Christmas special), cold meat salads or even chocolate and roasted nuts. This version saw a slight variation to the usual method with 19% spending time in new oak, rather than stainless steel. The colour is an opaque black/maroon. The nose gives us spices, black cherries, dried herbs, fruitcake, chocolate, raspberries and mulberries and cloves. A wine of medium length with a clean and non-cloying finish, this is an attractive style and will provide pleasure for at least the next six years. Drink now–2030

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The Vintage Journal – Regional Focus

South Australia 2024

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