Oakridge The Parish Pinot Noir 2010 - Yarra Valley, 2010

Light purple/ruby center. Aromas of dark cherry, cinnamon spice and Japanese mushroom. The palate is wonderfully seductive with wild red fruit and earth. Good acid to finish on this lovely young drinking style of Pinot Noir.A$33/bottle

90 points

Zette Malbec 2005 - Cahors, France

Ruby center with bright purple edges. The nose leads with pencil shavings, stewed plum and perfumed violets. The palate is medium bodied, gentle, slippery and spicy. Reasonable length and some juiciness of fruit. Nice value for an aged wine. A$14.99/bottle

86 points

Loom Long Yarn Blewitt Spings Shiraz 2008 - Mclaren Vale, Australia

The colour is surprisingly light for this region and this age, a light ruby red.  The nose leads with melted chocolate, cherry ripe and shaved wood. This Shiraz is medium bodied, with gentle spice and some tart red fruit flavours. Good acid and gentle tannin make for a more elegant style of Shiraz than I normally expect from this part of Mclaren. It is ready for drinking and at the peak now. A$20/bottle

87 points

Molly Dooker The Boxer Shiraz 2005 - Mclaren Vale/Padthaway/Langhorne Creek, Australia

Deep maroon with a black/purple center. Aromas lead with dried cocoa, pencil shavings and stewed fruit. The palate is incredibly full and thick with a syrupy texture. Flavours of dried prune, dark cherry and lashings of vanillin oak flow. I don't think there is much more to gain by further cellaring this wine. The time is now. A supercharged, super rich Shiraz from the deep South. A$35/bottle

93 points

Urlar Riesling 2010 - Gladstone, New Zealand

Super light pale green. The aromas are subtle in the fruit department and lean towards chalky, metallic notes. The wine is set in the Alsace mould with a mineral edge and a slight sweetness up front. There is enough acid to age this wine and that will certainly build extra weight and complexity. A nicely balanced wine. A$24.99/bottle

89 points  

Allandale Semillon 2004 - Hunter Valley, Australia

Golden yellow color. There is lychee, honeycomb and candied orange on the nose. The palate has developed wonderful richness and still has bright acidity giving a superb fresh citrus finish. The weight and complexity of this Semillon rises above most other aged examples on the market and has a very manageable price tag. A$30/bottle 


92 points 

Penny's Hill Red Dot Shiraz 2010 - Mclaren Vale, Australia

Dark as night with only slight purple edges. There are aromas of cigar smoke, grilled meat and dark chocolate which lead into a full blown palate of over ripe blueberry, peppery spice and some coffee/vanilla flavours, The tannin is mighty at this stage so I would hold for 3 years and then reap the rewards of the more than fair price you will pay now. A$18/bottle

88 Points