Combines rich, vibrant acidity with fruity intensity in a very clean, opulent wine. Offers waves of tropical fruits, honeysuckle, buttered toast and minerals, with a long, spicy finish. The extensive new oak is perfectly in keeping with the size of this crowd-pleaser.

In total contrast, minerality, lemon zest,crushed rock, white currants, and stone fruits dominate the crisp 2008 Highland Estates Chardonnay Seco Highlands. This is a far more mineral-dominated wine,but it's not lacking fruit, given the strong white peach notes that come through in this wine's aromatic profile. Drink between now and 2012.

You'll find lovely floral notes to this wine that make it almost Alsatian. But it's Chardonnay all the way, with rich, complex flavors of peaches and tropical fruits and rich creamy texture. New oak adds lush notes of buttered toast and spices.

The 2006 Chardonnay Camelot Highlands Estates from the Santa Maria Valley is a stunning Chardonnay with light gold color and a gorgeous nose of honeyed tropical fruits intermixed with hints of hazelnut and subtle oak. The wine is fleshy, rich, pure, and a total delight to drink. It should be consumed over the next 2-3 years.

What a great Chard. Just delicious in palate-filling tropical fruit, buttercream, pineapple jam, honeysuckle, vanilla custard and spice flavors that are so rich and refined. For all the opulence, the wine is dry, with the firm acidity the Arroyo Seco is known for.

The single vineyard Chardonnays include the 2005 Highland Estates Chardonnay Camelot Vineyard, which comes from the Santa Maria Valley. Its complex aromatic profile includes scents of tropical fruits (pineapple), spice, and brioche. This well-made, medium to full-bodied effort reminds me of a classic premier cru Meursault in its smoky, earthy, ripe fruit notes. Drink this beauty over the next 2-3 years.

A little softer than Kendall-Jackson's Camelot Highlands, but no less delicious, with similar lemon drop and custard flavors and a tinge of sweet, ripe pear. The mouthfeel is round, creamy and full-bodied, with a complex veneer of toasty oak.

Here's an intense, nervy wine, brilliantly acidic, layered and rich. It has enormous lemondrop, mango and pineapple flavors and lots of smoky, vanilla-accented new oaky notes, and is creamy in the mouth. The finish is long, lush and spicy. This is a real palate flatterer.

Boasts lovely notes of tropical fruits and orange marmalade offered in a medium to full-bodied, lush, exotic style. It is an impressive, crowd-pleasing Chardonnay to enjoy over the next 1-2 years.

A rich, unctuous, almost syrupy style, deeply concentrated and packed with exotic fruit and fancy oak barrel flavors. Lots of tropical fruit, pineapple, pear and honeysuckle flavors have a wonderful perfumed character, finishing with a gush of juicy flavors. Drink now through 2007.

Biggest Australian Wine Tasting Ever: 2,700+ Ratings Bold, powerful raspberries and a fleshy and punchy feel to the palate with a overlying sheen of sweet spices. The texture is smooth, fleshy and mouth-filling with plenty of tannin. Structured and long. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Biggest Australian Wine Tasting Ever: 2,700+ Ratings A bold, plum and spice style with cedary oak and an unmistakably Australian edge. The palate has impressive depth and fresh red-plum flesh with firmish tannins, cradling ripe and zesty red plums. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Why Australian Wine is Some of the Most Exciting in the World This is a ripe and assertive merlot with plenty of cedary oak in the mix, as well as plums and spiced plum pudding. The fleshy palate is underpinned by grainy tannins, making this a bold, assertive red.

Merlot and More from an Exciting McLaren Vale Estate Of the four 2015 Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard wines, “The Revivalist” Merlot intrigued me the most. It is the lightest of the four, the most approachable now, and the most nuanced, at least now. Its aroma suggests dark plum, tea, cedar and accents of dried herbs, with a tobacco note developing over time -- classic Merlot. Its flavors include red plum along with the tea and herbs evident on the nose. The wine is dry and nearly full-bodied, with a moderate amount of ripe tannin as well as high acidity that enlivens the wine and brings a juicy note to the fruit. It is a soft wine, but thanks to its acidity this wine is lively within its softness.

Light purple color. Nose shows tart but deep fruit (blueberry, dark plum, roasted fig) along with waves of eucalyptus, mint and earthy-tobacco notes. Full and structured with a chewy feel but underlying acidity keeps it fresh. Blackberry, tart blueberry, gushing fruit but so pure and vibrant. Notes of dusty earth, minerals, violets, eucalyptus and mint, with vanilla and coffee woven in well, and some sweet pipe tobacco on the finish. I’d love to bury a bottle of this for 6-10 years, the quality is that high, but it’s also delicious young. All Merlot.

Hickinbotham's renowned vineyards once supplied fruit to high-end Aussie wines like Penfolds Grange. Now flexing muscles under its own label, this vintage was made by Charlie Seppelt and Napa Valley winemaker Chris Carpenter. The Napa influence is evident via opulent chocolaty, vanilla and milky coffee notes, alongside ripe cassis, plums and earthy, woody spice. The palate is more structured than the nose suggests, the silky fruit supported by muscular, tight-grained savory tannins, suggesting this wine will cellar nicely until 2029 and likely well beyond.

Bold purple color. On the nose: tart black currants, roasted fig, saucy blackberries, violets, eucalyptus, black pepper glaze, and some vanilla. Full-bodied with solid tannins for structure (but not harsh) and mildly fresh acidity. Blackberry, blueberry and cassis, the fruit is suave and delicious and loaded with violets, cocoa, black pepper, eucalyptus, dark chocolate, earthy and tar tones. Great stuff, but this needs a solid decant or, preferably, a few years of sleep. All Shiraz.

The 2015 Brooks Road Shiraz offers aromas of red and black fruit, earth, sage and toasted oak. Medium weight, it is nicely balanced with good concentration, firm dry tannins and a long finish. It appears less concentrated and weighty compared to the 2014 vintage. A wine sourced from predominately 1971 blocks of the Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard and skillfully vinified with attention to detail.

Layered but youthful. Ripe black and wild berry fruit. Nice balance between savoury and fruit elements, with exotic spice notes. The oak is well integrated. Needs time and will reward cellaring.

Bold and savory, with hints of smoke and teriyaki to the concentrated cassis and blackberry flavors. Gains momentum on the finish, with Earl Grey tea and sandalwood accents. Spice and licorice details linger amid the dense tannins.

From historic vines biodynamically farmed, this is a broody, big and multifaceted wine. Cassis, black licorice and mocha mingle with a mix of mint, clove and tarragon. There's a warm stoney mineral streak, too. Fine-grained tannins are covered with plush, tangy berry fruit and lead to a long herb-flecked finish. One for the cellar.

Rich and silky, with violet-scented blackberry and framboise notes, vanilla bean accents and a whiff of espresso. The generous flavors and plump texture linger on the long finish. Drink now through 2027.

The Merlot Revivalist displays a medium dark ruby color and an earthy and spicy nose of dark ripe plum. It is soft and creamy on the palate with tremendous density of flavor. Rich dark fruit permeates the palate and the wine finishes with black pepper, licorice and blueberry notes. A rich and flavorful wine with excellent balance.

The Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard covers a steep cut of country from the ridgetops above the village of Clarendon to the Onkaparinga River in the gorge below. Planted since 1971, it is now owned by Jackson Family Farms and the wines are made by Australian Charlie Seppelt and American Chris Carpenter. ‘Revivalist' is said to refer to the extensive vineyard work on the canopy structure of vines planted in 1976, but it may just as well apply to the notion of restoring some decency to the merlot grape. I love the silky, earthy fruit flavours that spring from the bottle. A pre-maceration lasts about 96 hours before it is fermented open top where it spends another three weeks on the skins before 15 months in French oak. Hardly a perfect vintage with a dry spring, a January heatwave and heavy February rains, and a cool finish. No matter, this is fun to drink with its Bing cherry aromas, dried figs and a fragrant savoury finish. I love the elegance here.