If you are looking for a chardonnay with precision, purity and linearity you won't go wrong with the delicious cool-climate chardonnay grown on a vineyard that veteran winemaker Brian Croser describes as producing fruit that provides "a pure expression of terroir". The vineyard site is 450 metres above sea level at Piccadilly in the Adelaide Hills and this is made entirely from the Tiers old vines planted in 1980. It shows no sign of 2013 having been a warmer than average year. French Vosges oak barriques (33% new) and partial malo play second fiddle to the quality fruit here; ripe stone fruit characters duel deftly with grapefruit and minerally acid notes to produce a wine that is refined and elegant. An Australian classic. $75. www.tapanappawines.com.au.
The Canberra region is producing some outstanding rieslings; think Helm, Clonkilla, Lark Hill and this delightful offering from Capital Wines. This is part of the quirky Ministry series, the labels of which poke fun at governmental figures. It is a deliciously brisk and fresh wine, perfect for enjoying chilled on one of these later summer evenings. There are zingy lemon and lime notes and some crisp acidity that would make this a great companion for salt and pepper squid or John Dory and chips. $19. www.capitalwines.com.au
There is room for confusion here with the label shouting 1913 in large letters and declaring vintage 2013 in tiny print but you'd probably need to be a moron in a hurry to believe you were getting 100-year-old wine for $25. This is a new label celebrating the arrival of the McWilliam family in the Riverina in 1913 to pioneer what is now a massive wine industry. The range consists of a vermentino, a durif and this spectacular offering made from the Portuguese grape variety touriga nacional. Touriga grapes have traditionally been use for fortified wines but here they produce a juicy, intense and savoury table wine of considerable appeal. Look out for more touriga releases as the variety clearly has great potential in warmer regions. $25. www.mcwilliamswines.com.au.
