Cape Barren Native Goose Shiraz 2022
Dandelion Vineyards Firehawk Shiraz Shiraz 2022
G 91
G 91
Red plums, huckleberries and mulberries in syrup. Sarsaparilla, clove and mocha spice. Jubilant in its bright ripe fruit spectrum and pillowy tannins. A very sumptuous mid palate and well worth the meagre dollars. Drink now–2028 Cape Barren Rare Bird Shiraz 2019 G 91 Fruit is sourced from 35-year-old vines and 24 months in French and American oak hogsheads. Wild cherries, mulberry and macerated blood plums. Oak varnish and boot leather, the wine perks up on the palate with a ribbon of redcurrants and sour cherry acidity. A weighty wine with heft and muscle but maintaining its ancestry in its flavour length. Drink now Clarence Hill Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 G 91 Black cherries, sarsaparilla, cinnamon and cola. Blackcurrants, mint tea and cassia bark. Acidity drives the wines with firm granular tannins. There is some charming fernet bitters and chewy liquorice root on the finish. Ideal food wine for meaty dishes. Drink now–2030 Coriole Grenache Grenache 2023 G 91 Matured in seasoned oak puncheons for 12 months. Huckleberry meets raspberry straps with soft liquorice and picked blueberries. A crunch of Gala apple acidity and fine, sandy tannins. The wine has a freshness to the palate and some baking spice on the finish. It’s sturdy and yet still maintains its positive youth. Drinking well
Black Forest berries, winter pine and olive tapenade. Boot polish granite and tar. A veil of cedar and clove oak spice, with outlines the intensity of black fruits. Soft tannins and lingering acidity, this is a brooding wine with assertiveness and muscle. Drink now–2028 First Drop Wines Touriga Nacional Touriga Nacional 2023 G 91 Black cherry skin, bilberry and blackberry bush. Prune plums and carob. Scraped vanilla bean, coffee filter and clove. It has a gravelly character with the purity of blueberries and a hint of boysenberry. The palate is plush and juicy. Weighted in the mid palate and very fine pillowy tannins. Its shape is very much the angular Portuguese variety but with the giving nature of McLaren Vale. An ideal BBQ wine, if ever I tasted one. Drink now–2028 Grant Nash Lunch Wine Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre 2023 G 91 65% Grenache 21% Shiraz 10% Mourvèdre. Black cherry, Nyons olives, blackberries and plums. A skirt of wild raspberries too. The wine stands tall in its fruit frame with some dried herbs and turned potting soil. Artefact is of lesser concern here. They call it lunch wine and you can see why, because it’s easy on the eyes, tongue and hip pocket. This is all about primary fruit and capturing a balance between three varieties that make sense together. Bring on the long lunches. Drink now–2028 Haselgrove Wines Alternative Series Grenache Rosé 2023 G 91 Pale pink rose petal hues in the glass. Aromas of strawberry, wild cherry and musk. A hint of guava and orange citrus acidity. This is a dry wine with plenty of pithy grip in the mid palate. It shows its aromatic Grenache compounds on the nose and smartly follows with crunchy acidity, a rounded mouthfeel and curt dry finish. Drink now Heirloom Vineyards Shiraz Shiraz 2023 G 91 Raspberry straps, boysenberry swirls and stained mulberries. Blueberries and blackberry jam. Succulent with fresh acidity and grainy tannins that pull the wine back into focus. Taut and exuberant, there is a dark spice of cola and soft liquorice on the finish. Drink now–2028 Hither & Yon Petit Blanc Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains 2024 G 91 I urge you to taste this wine knowing nothing about it. Go down the rabbit hole of pine lime splice, pineapple chunks, lemonade icy poles and coconut-scented suntan lotion. Find the sparks of sea succulents and oyster brine. Come full circle to a cascade of fine acidity and a dry but fruity finish. The slight salinity interplays well with the memorable fragrance. It’s a bloody good time, is what it is. Drink now
now. Drink now–2028 Curtis Wines Cavaliere Shiraz 2021
G 91
Blood plums, strawberries and macerated cherries. Tobacco pouch, cedar and maple leaf. A hint of tonka bean and sweet black olives. A nice punch of acidity brightens the palate and tannins are soft and pillowy. A wine nicely snug and settled, showing its softer, drinkable and savoury side. Drink now Dandelion Vineyards Treasure Trove of McLaren Vale Grenache Grenache 2023 G 91 Red lingonberry, leaf litter, goji berry and tulip. Pink Lady apple flesh, Rainier cherries and dried rose petal. A sultry number with slinky tannins and accented acidity. You crunch down on this wine with the riper red berries coming forth on the palate. Drink from Burgundy glasses and linger over the perfume. Drink now–2028
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The Vintage Journal – Regional Focus
South Australia 2024
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