Wines like these are hard to fault - they just ooze class. A clever Shiraz once more from Peter Fraser and Yangarra Estate.If you ever get the chance to walk the Yangarra Estate vineyards, take it. The geology is something. 50% of the fruit for this Shiraz was grown on sand and the other 50% on ironstone - all certified organic and biodynamic. It spent time in 20% new French puncheons with the balance in older barriques, puncheons for 12 months. Mulberries and blueberries captivate. There is a sleek and polished presence about the way this carries itself. Vibrant and energetic, it is delicately spiced. The mouth is filled with generous fruit yet it is not weighty. No sad faces will be seen with this in the glass.

Essentially a Rutherford-based cabernet sauvignon with minor roles played by franc, merlot and petit verdot for an overall perfectly reasoned, seasoned and spiced bit of classic wine film. Rich in ’17, tannic through alluvial chalky drive and a slight gravel overbite. Hard not to be seduced by the rugged beauty and hard to get at fruit zone out of a vintage that can be stubborn when it so chooses to be. Lay this down another year at the very minimum. Drink 2022-2027.

Full-throttle in approachability and juiciness, this Chardonnay is packed with stone fruit pits and generally über juiciness. Lightly layered in texture with solid concentration but no overt glycerol and plentiful acidic vibrance, this is very well balanced. The mild finish tastes of toasted oak and warm nuts with a light citrus tinge. The acidity surges throughout to give this excellent freshness.

Quite brutish and muscular, a Cabernet Franc that is bigger than I imagined to be honest. Some choc mint appeal, dried herbs, lots of black currants and dark plummy fruit. It's drying and the hefty oak plays its part here too. Over a couple of days it didn't budge too much but wines like this aren't built for now given the oak and acid tension. It's a wine I'd love to revisit in six to eight years.

May the pinot noir syrah realm continue!Soft, juicy red. Crisp tannins, raspberry and strawberry characters abound, white pepper spice, blood orange acidity. Thirst-quenching kind of feel. Great sense of tension and precision. Fresh as. A vibrant, exciting red.

The personality of Sexton with volume turned up from the wet, cool 2020 year. Lemon-ginger tea scents and flavours, yuzu fruit, cumquat sweet-sour tang. Exotic citrus, hey? Flinty notes, some sizzling saline acidity in the core, slick, liquid spice cinnamon-clove oaky layering. A leaner style but not without flavour and vitality. Long and dart shaped then starburst of citrus tang to close. Good gear here.

A mix of blocks, older French oak of varying sizes. Giving shiraz a full orchestra of opportunity. Chewy, medium weight, a little slippery, dark fruited, woody spiced example here. Has lots of ripe attributes but manages a sense of freshness too. Feels very dictionary definition of ‘good McLaren Vale shiraz’. Will win an armada of fans.

This beautifully polished and firm-textured wine seamlessly combines opulent, juicy blackberry and red cherry flavors with subtle oak spices like nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger that top it off nicely. One of the best value statewide in Zinfandel.

Fijnbosch is a single-site Chardonnay from clay-rich soils in the Banghoek Valley, deliberately released with a little bottle age. Honeyed, textured and well structured, it combines stone fruit sweetness with a mineral core, subtle reduction and some toasty oak.

Winemaker Peter Fraser is riding high in McLaren Vale, as evidenced by this single vineyard 98/2 shiraz/viognier grown at 180m on North Maslin Sands, which is estimated to be 54 million years old. Intense dark fruit, bright spice, and supple tannins tell the story in this impeccably balanced wine. The finish is long and persistent with perfect tannin balance and more dark fruit and licorice. The texture is amazing. Fraser works with 47 acres of shiraz to choose from, divided into thirteen individual blocks, each defined by different aspects and subtle variations of the sand and Ironstone soils. 2018 was a fine vintage, and Fraser went 50% whole berries with 20% whole bunches cold-soaked, and was wild fermented in open top tanks. It's aged in French oak for ten months on its lees (20 percent new).

Blueberries, blackberries and hints of espresso mingle on the nose of the 2019 King's Wood Shiraz, which matured in a large (2,500-liter) foudre. Without obvious wood impact and with 25% whole bunches, it's reminiscent of a good Saint-Joseph, melding fruity and savory notes into a harmonious whole. Medium to full-bodied, it's supple on the palate, with just a hint of menthol appearing on the long, silky finish.

Hickinbotham's 2019 The Revivalist Merlot features classic varietal notes of black cherries, mocha and gentle tobacco-leaf shadings. It's medium to full-bodied on the palate, showing unexpected crispness to offset the wine's formidable heft. Rich, velvety tannins coat the palate, while the finish lingers. It's a rich, concentrated Merlot that surpasses many other New World versions.

Marked by notes of vanilla and creosote on the nose, the 2019 Brooks Road Shiraz follows those opening salvos with blueberry and plum fruit, cedar shavings and dark chocolate. It's medium to full-bodied, supple and ripe, with a plush feel and a long, licorice-tinged finish. There's ample concentration and power, but the wine is already approachable and I'd expect it to age relatively quickly. Drink it over the next decade or so.

This is a fresh, crisp, dry style that’s made with grenache that has all the attractive peach, strawberry and floral allure you’d expect in a modern Australian rosé. The palate has a mouthwatering, sleek feel. From organically grown grapes. Drink now. Screw cap.

This is a very pure, super-young style of shiraz that is all about the unadulterated taste of blueberry and red-plum shiraz fruit. Smooth, open-knit and plump, it has no sulphites added – hence the preservative-free acronym. Drink now. Screw cap.

Fresh and attractive fruit, in the pear and apple spectrum, with some light, pastry-like notes, too. The palate delivers a smooth, crisp impression with a gently chalky finish. I like the restraint here. A blend of 49% grenache blanc, 18% picpoul, 15% Claudette, 13% roussanne and 5% bourboulenc. Drink now. Screw cap.

2019 Pinot Noir, Zena Crown Vineyard The nose is wild blossoms, licorice and crème de cassis punctuated with tobacco and graphite. The palate entry is dry, solid black cherry with a textured core of tannins, menthol and spice. Finishes with lean, delicate red berries. Drink 2021 - 2027.

2019 Pinot Noir, Garys' Vineyard The nose is pure black cherry with notes of graphite and pie spice. The palate entry is forward, polished with a leaner, fresh red fruit in the core, backed by bright textured grapefruit acidity that persists through the finish. Drink 2021 - 2027.

2019 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley The nose is spiced cherry and herbed raspberry leading to a palate entry of broad, polished red plum and desiccated raspberry with a silky-textured core of red and blue fruits. A nice example of classic Russian River Valley from Siduri. Drink 2021 - 2026.

This dark red and clear colored Pinot Noir opens with a pomegranate and red raspberry with notes of cinnamon and clove. On the palate, this wine is light bodied with medium acidity. It is bright and mouthwatering. The flavor profile is juicy ripe red plum and cinnamon blend with note of pomegranate I also detected hints of cocoa dust and maraschino cherry. The finish is dry, and its flavors and gentle mild tannins fade away nicely. This Pinot Noir is delicate and food friendly. I would pair it with cherry amaretto chicken.

Broad-textured Gala apple and white peach flavors show lemongrass notes, with firm minerality midpalate, followed by accents of dried savory spices on the pure and direct finish. Drink now through 2025.

Both the 2017 and ‘16 Stonestreet Estate Cabs are excellent values; 92 McD under $45 for a top-flight Alexander Valley 100% Cab, aged 19 months in 38% new French oak, is a bargain. Both are just entering their window.

Both the 2017 and ‘16 Stonestreet Estate Cabs are excellent values; 92 McD under $45 for a top-flight Alexander Valley 100% Cab, aged 19 months in 38% new French oak, is a bargain. Both are just entering their window.

Aromas of baked berry biscuit and some gentle reductive nuances that add a charcuterie-like edge here. The palate has assertive, driving pomegranate and cherry flavors, as well as a flex of fine tannin that adds depth. Drink or hold.