Hoddles Creek 1er Yarra Valley 2022 Pinot Blanc

 

Australian wine lovers are very familiar with pinot noir and pinot gris/grigio, but far less so with their kin, the Alsace grape variety pinot blanc, which was planted 25 years ago in the upper Yarra Valley. It is usually a full-bodied white variety, but this iteration has some more delicate elements; weighing in at just 12.8% alcohol and displaying impressive palate texture and flinty minerality. A lovely - and versatile - food wine for matching with salads or shellfish dishes. This is only made in years when winemaker Franco d'Anna is satisfied with the fruit quality - and you would imagine he was very happy in 2022. $35. https://www.hoddlescreekestate.com.au/  

Wynns Coonawarra Estate 2021 The Siding Cabernet Sauvignon

 

This is an entry level wine in the excellent Wynns range - and represents perhaps one of Australia's best wine bargains right now. Several wine experienced wine writers at this week's Treasury Wines Estates tasting were stunned to find out how little it costs. Think an approachable young red with impressive structure and plenty of youthful joie de vivre. It is food friendly across a range of meals from barbecued meats to pizzas and pastas, and offers engaging drinking right now. Lush and bright with blackcurrant notes and a savoury edge aided by French oak treatment. Impressive. The RRP is $20, but it can also be found even cheaper on special. www.wynns.com.au/    

O'Leary Walker 2022 Polish Hill River Riesling

It is the perfect time of the year to sample this excellent new release from some of the best in the business. Spring and riesling go together like love and kisses and this is an outstanding young wine, full of bright citrus and notes from the heartland of riesling excellence in the Clare Valley. Winemaker David O'Leary says the "2022 growing season was superb - a long and cool ripening period enabled the vines to maintain a healthy canopy up until harvest". Think zingy fruit, minerality and brisk acidity. This would pair brilliantly with oysters, pan-fried whiting, fish and chips and a range of Asian dishes. It is organic and vegan-friendly and very fairly priced at $30. Lovely stuff. www.olearywalkerwines.com/

Levantine Hill 2018 Syrah

 

It has only taken a few years for Yarra Valley upstart Levantine Hill to build a formidable reputation for quality, with winemaker Paul Bridgeman crafting a range of wines that are noteworthy for impressive personalities and impeccable balance. This is a perfect dinner party choice; a cool-climate syrah with serious panache and pizzazz that has swept up several show awards already. It has medium-bodied style with plummy fruit characters married to some beguiling spice characters and impressive structure. Plush, with impressive length, this demands to be paired with food; perhaps a traditional roast lamb. I'll give this one 97/100. You can confidently cellar it, should you wish to, but it is drinking beautifully right now. $80. www.levantinehill.com.au/

Brokenwood 2022 Semillon

 

With spring upon us, it is the perfect time to enjoy some of the new-release semillons from the Hunter Valley; wines that are perfect for enjoying chilled, al fresco perhaps with some oysters, or in our case flathead fillets. Floral and Asian spice aromas, zingy green apple freshness on the palate and a load of racy acidity on the long, lean finish make this a real pleasure to drink. No oak or malo, just a short stint in stainless steel and then into bottle. Good stuff. $30. www.brokenwood.com.au/

Chapel Hill 2021 The MV Cabernet Sauvignon

 

Chapel Hill is probably best known to wine lovers for its terrific-value sub-$20 wines in its The Parson range, but move up a gear and you have some seriously excellent drinking at a realistic price. This is a very stylish, flavoursome red that went a treat with roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Think dusty tannins but with a core of generous black fruit flavours. Quintessentially Australian, cocky and confident with its intensity. At 14.5% alcohol, this is not a wine for wimps. It certainly shines with red meat dishes. $33. www.chapelhillwine.com.au/

Kooyong 2020 Single Block Ferrous Pinot Noir

 

I love this wine. All three of the 2020 single block pinot noirs from Kooyong on the Mornington Peninsula are outstanding but this one is the star turn; made from fruit grown on a site of under a hectare that is full of ironstone pebbles that give the wine its individual character. This is a concentrated, intense pinot with sweet and savoury notes allied to minerality, but it also also has elegance and style. A portion of whole bunch and wild fermentation in old oak have resulted in a magical potion. After fermentation the wine was pressed and racked into French oak barriques (25% new) and underwent malo, adding texture. Unfined, unfiltered and an absolutely marvellous drink that evaporated far too soon. Magical, and 98 points from me. $75. www.portphillipestate.com.au