Mitchell Harris 2011 Mataro Grenache Shiraz

John Harris, formerly the winemaker at Domaine Chandon and Mount Avoca, is now devoting all his attention to his family label. And what a delightful wine from the cooler-climate Victorian Pyrenees this is. Forget all the doom and gloom about the 2011 vintage, there are a lot of excellent wines if you look in the right places - and this is a very good place. This mataro-dominant red blend is juicy, spunky, spicy and very slurpable. There are some bright red currant notes, earthiness, lashings of pepper and some appealing softness on the palate. Good stuff. $27. www.mitchellharris.com.au