The HRB (Heritage Reserve Bin) premium series from Hardys represents the art of blending different terroirs, in this case Chard from Pemberton and Adelaide Hills. It is a remarkable wine with a nose that shows citrus and summer peach with subtle toasted vanilla, brioche and light spice notes. It is purely elegant on the palate with lemon-citrus-peach flavours, a racy vein of acidity, deft oak spice, and length through the finish. Serve with lobster or chicken with tarragon and sweet potato.
Who can resist the name? Nothing girly about this muscular Shiraz. Dense purple in colour, it has a smoky, savoury, blackberry nose. Medium- to full-bodied, dry and elegant with a peppery-herbal, black fruit flavour and stylish acidity.
A nose of lemon-citrus zest, melon and orange rind. It’s fresh and lively on the palate with spicy pear, fresh tangerine wedges and citrus fruits. Good summer sipper.
This Shiraz from McLaren Vale is a one-off. The subsequent vintage will be from the Hunter Valley. It shows refined red berry fruit with suggestions of mint, clove and pencil-box oakiness. Flavours on the palate shift towards rich blackberry, dark chocolate and dry tannins. Can use a bit more cellaring.
Embarks boldly with a burst of black fruit and spice on the nose. Goes big on the full-bodied palate, led by blackberry, ripe plum and black pepper flavours. Yet the firm acidity and soft tannins ensure balance and round out the warm finish. Superb value. Can tame well-marinated beef ribs.
Another consumer-friendly offering from Lindeman’s. The nose shows cherry-blueberry fruits on the nose with kirsch, spice and vanilla toast notes. A solid porch-sipper with a basket of red fruits on the palate and added plums and savoury notes.
The 2008 is a supremely impressive wine! This past autumn, in a blind tasting, it was pitted against other top Cabernet-based blends from all over the globe. When the results were tabulated, it was the clear winner, besting all the Bordeaux first-growths, as well as top Cali Cabs! Full-bodied and distinctly Australian, the explosive nose of jam — blueberry, blackberry, raspberry and cherry — meshes with herbs, spice and cola. There is outstanding length and more than enough ripe and well-integrated tannins to allow it to age for 2 decades. It is a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Shiraz and 5% Malbec.