From California’s Central Coast comes this rich and textured Pinot Noir. Black and red fruit snuggle up with rose, anise and earth. Tannins are firm, acidity brims and there is excellent length. Drink over the next 5 years.
Pale straw colour with a hint of lime, this tasty Riesling offers a minerally, green peach nose overlaid with a note of honey; light to medium-bodied, dry, with floral, green apple and green melon flavours; a beautifully balanced wine.
The Ribera del Duero often proposes wines in a modern style; this one is more traditional in its approach with dark cherry and vanilla-scented oak notes. Full-bodied, ripe fruity taste with a backbone of firm and slightly rough tannins. The fair acidity provides a good balance in the mid-palate. Already good to drink, it tastes like a very young wine so it will improve 3 to 5 years.
A blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Dolcetto and Lagrein. Enticing nose reflects the complex blend of varietals overlaid with a dusting of cinnamon and a light kiss of clove. Layers of red and dark fruit with gutsy tannic structure and food-friendly drying finish. Drink with grilled steak, roast lamb or other robust red meat dishes.
From IGP Valdejalón, in north eastern Spain's Zaragoza, Aragon, this small batch garagiste Garnacha is from a single dry-farmed vineyard above 400 m. Low intervention throughout, and from 40+ year old vines, this spent time in concrete (plus 5% in 3-year-old barrels). Finely gritty, grippy dusty tannins house wild raspberry, a cherry core, dried herbs and fine pepper on the finish. Acidity is brisk to a quick finish, reflective of the dry, unrelenting environment. An individual wine of terroir (my bottle was 31,002). Grilled sausages or winter squash would shoulder up well.
Former Penfolds Grange winemaker John Duval puts his stamp on this complex, well-balanced Syrah. Aromas of floral, pepper and blackberry lead the charge. The palate exhibits a dense core of dark fruits with smoky wood and cocoa around the edges. Long pepper spice finish, with hints of liquorice. Fire up the grill!
This is somewhere between a white and red, perhaps a sparkling rosé style of wine, made from a single, 100-year-old estate Fameuse apple tree, blended with 30% Santa Rosa plums and fermented with wild yeast. What a treat! It has a gorgeous mulled apple-plum nose with subtle caramel and red fruit notes. Lovely bubbles come into play on the palate with all that apple and plum fruit benefiting for a touch of sweetness.