This is a new chardonnay (and Pinot Noir) to the Giant Steps range. It draws fruit from all five of the Giant Steps single vineyard sources. The Circle of Fifths is a musical term, related to harmony, which fits with the Giant Steps name, which is a musical reference in itself. I’m not a big one for wine names but this one was well thought out, and is a nice complement to what the wine is in the glass. i.e. it’s a five-part harmony of vineyards, or is an attempt to be. It’s a killer chardonnay. Direct, powerful, long, potent with mid-palate flavour but searing and complex through the finish. Flint, white peach, lemon curd, pure lemon, steel and a delicious marshalling of hay, meal, cedar and woodsmoke characters all have this wine rocketing along. It’s both dramatic and controlled. It tastes and feels like a wine from a producer who is at the top of its game.

The Capensis 2021 Chardonnay represents a multiregional blend of fruit from across the Western Cape. Winemaker Graham Weerts uses multiple aging vessels, including 600-liter foudre, ceramic and new oak. "The only thing I don't use is stainless steel," he says. "I never ferment in stainless steel. I don't want to live in a steel hut. I want to be more nurturing than that." This beautiful wine reveals a candied note of tangerine and kumquat and continues with cooler tones of gooseberry and crushed stone. There's lots of peach with nuttiness as well. Graham Weerts has a perfect window for harvesting early-ripening Chardonnay. There is enormous lift on the mid-palate thanks to that salinity from vineyard sites close to the ocean. This is a beautiful production of 9,000 bottles.

This intense version features a savory thread of crunchy sea salt, with lemon zest and lemon basil flavors that show herbal accents.

The 2022 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple in color, it charges out with vivacious notes of black cherry preserves and black currant jelly, opening out to hints of fertile loam, Chinese five spice, and sandalwood. The medium- to full-bodied palate has a lightly chewy texture and racy line cutting through the ripe, dense fruit, finishing spicy.

The 2022 Merlot is a blend of 86% Merlot, 14% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it bursts from the glass with bold notes of black cherry compote, juicy plums, and black pepper, followed by hints of anise and pencil shavings. The full-bodied palate has a sturdy backbone of grainy tannins and bold freshness supporting the juicy black fruit layers, finishing long and spicy.

The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 91.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1.5% Cabernet Franc, 2.5% Malbec, 2% Merlot, and 2.5% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it bursts from the glass with classic cassis and ripe blueberry scents, leading to an undercurrent of cedar chest, lavender, and wild sage. The medium- to full-bodied palate is taut with muscular black fruit and savory layers, framed by grainy tannins and a refreshing line, finishing earthy.

True to form, Trueman offers up all the minty, pencil lead, savory dried herb, dark-chocolate and blackberry goodness we’ve come to know and love from top South Aussie Cab. There’s power aplenty in the mouth but feels like it’s always in control, never boisterous—ironfist-in-velvet-glove territory; the savory, chalk dust tannins framing; the acidity freshening. Drink now with a rare steak and garlicky mushrooms at hand, or cellar for 15 years. Hickinbotham. —C.P.

A broody yet multifaceted nose of plum, cran-raspberry, anise, bay and pencil leads to a tightly wound palate of power and poise. Tannins are muscly but shapely, leaving room to showcase the plump redpurple fruit and herbs. Still in its infancy, this should be held another several years and then it should evolve gracefully until 2040 at least. Hickinbotham. Cellar Selection. —C.P.

This is evocatively aromatic, like a berry patch in summer—all juicy black, blue and raspberry fruit with a scrubby edge of wild thyme and a sprinkle of cocoa powder. Hickinbotham’s signature dusty, savory tannins frame a palate that is both sturdy enough for the long haul but succulent enough now for protein-friendly sipping. Hickinbotham. Hidden Gem. —C.P.

This is seductive, with raspberry, bitter plum and black cherry fruit that smolders with intensity, while singed notes of savory, wet earth and rooibos tea are sprinkled throughout. Shows energy in the form of a deeply buried, chalky spine. Will need some patience. Best from 2026 through 2038.—J.M.

Packed with fresh black cherry, blackberry and black currant fruit, this red is smooth and enticing. Mineral, eucalyptus and tobacco elements add complexity, while the lively acidity drives the long finish. Offers terrific balance. A compelling red. Best from 2027 through 2045.—B.S.

Richer and more savory than others in this top producer’s single-vineyard suite, Applejack is a 28-year-old vineyard surrounded by Applejack eucalypts, hence the name. The unique site gives an earthy, smoked meat character to this Yarra Pinot. It tempers the abundant red-fruit, vanilla, spice and floral notes. It’s supple and mouthfilling but never heavy or overblown, with a quiet-but-firm structure that suggests a capacity for aging, while being an intriguing drop now.

Tarraford is exuberantly and unashamedly Aussie in all the best ways. It’s bright and lemony, underscored with toast, flint and salt. There’s length, poise, complexity and a seamless balance of freshness, texture and flavor. Set to age, this is delicious right now, too. It’s an excellent example of how far the Yarra and Australia in general has come with this variety

While Sexton’s single vineyard counterpart, Tarraford, is unabashedly Aussie in style, this gives a wink to Burgundy, with rich cashew, hazelnut, flint and melon-custard characters. This 2023 bottling was a cool vintage and it shows via wonderfully racy acidity, tension and poise. This class act by winemaker Melanie Chester and her team drinks mighty well now but that should cellar beautifully. 

Supple, slinky and downright sexy, with aromas you could take a dive into, Primavera exudes scents of red and blueberry fruit, dried rose petal and vanilla bean, with clove and Chinese five-spice characters underpinning everything and a mineral note at the center. There’s a calm, confident energy here. Balanced, with fine, seamless tannins, it’s less age-worthy that its single vineyard counterparts, but is a complete and utterly delicious drink right now.

The 2023 Grenache Ovitelli is stunning. This has wonderful purity of energetic red cherry, dried herb and subtle meaty tones. Savory complexity builds on a textural palate while holding impressive composure through to a finish of serious length accented by a twist of tannins.

The stunning 2022 Cabernet Shiraz The Peake shows exceptional clarity of fruit, delicacy and detail. It opens with wafts of violet and rubbed sage over a generous core of pure blueberry. Exquisite balance is the key to the 2022, with ample flavor and a rich core of fine yet firm tannins singing over a long, sustained finish. This whispers rather than shouts and is all the better for it.

87% Cabernet Franc, 11% Merlot and 2% Malbec, for all Aussie intents and purposes this is Hickinbothams Cabernet Franc bottling and it is handpicked, destemmed and whole berry sorted. 16 days on skins basket pressed matured in French oak barriques of which 60% was new for 15 months. Like a shiny new toy this is impossible to put down. Bramble, cassis and sandy potting soil, like the type used for succulents and cactus. There is an edge of salted licorice, handfuls of star anise and cardamom. Oak looks quite polished here and adds to the gleam and glamour of the wine. It’s seductive and supple with gathering waves of acidity that linger. A wine that’s pleasure is immediate and yet worth some time in the decanter to get to know it better, before you envelop it.

Hand picked, destemmed and gently crushed, basket pressed, 16 days on skins and matured in French oak barriques of which 50% was new for 12 months. There is Merlot and then there is MERLOT, a wine with heart and soul and a gentleness guiding pressure of oak. This has it all in spades and then some. Black cherries, carob and stewed plums. There are Rosella flowers and a ground black sesame paste. Some bayleaf and thistle. Acidity walks an ascending line without artifact and the wine manages that leisurely form that only merlot can provide. Satisfying, flavour and harmonious. Some powdery tannins mean this will age another 4-5 years gracefully. Beef and black bean stir fry would set this off nicely.

Vivid aromatics with bright red cherry and redcurrant fruit. The palate is texture with appealing red fruits, showing nice structure and potential for development.

A stunning, complex style, showing notes of grilled peach, lemon curd, wildflower honey and marmalade on a sleek, mouthwatering frame. Accents of lemon verbena, litsea oil, crunchy sea salt and lemon oregano add to the aromatics and harmony, with waves of flavor lingering on the finish. Drink now through 2034.

Gorgeous cassis, blackberries, spicy wood, and floral notes define the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Colline Vineyard, a medium to full-bodied, pure, and focused effort. It shows fine tannins, charm, and elegance on the palate, with beautiful layering and a hint of iron on the finish. Based on 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, this beauty will drink nicely for 10-12 years.

Offers a frankly toasty frame of licorice and apple wood wrapped around a more than adequate core of plum and black currant preserves, all laced with a violet note. Sleek and reserved through the finish, with an iron hint peeking out amid the fruit, this offers length and a lovely mouthfeel and should develop well in the cellar while soaking up its toast. Best from 2026 through 2038. 3,500 cases made.

From the west side of the Zena Crown vineyard, and almost exclusively marine sedimentary soils, in this otherwise volcanic appellation of the Eola-Amity Hills. There's a fleshy blue and red fruits with gorgeous florals and sweet earth tones. Earthy and dark-fruited with exotic spices and smoke. Freshness, fruit and dusty blackberries paint the palate alongside earthen mineral tones.

Adjacent to the Sum block, this wine is fully destemmed and all from the 667 clone Pinot Noir. Next to the big Douglas fir in the vineyard, this wine gives off sweet truffle and sous bois notes with sweet and rich black fruits. Taut blackberries meld with a spicy clove. Exotic spices frame the palate with Oregon blackberry, raspberry leaf and a rich, loamy earth character.