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All right you up the back. Stop sniggering about "cougar juice". Brisk, vibrant sauvignon blanc remains a hugely popular wine style with Australian consumers. From a very good vintage in the Adelaide Hills, this new release will find favour with a lot of lovers of fresh, high-acid, fruit-driven whites - and is as good, if not better, than many of its Kiwi counterparts. That's no surprise as Nepenthe has been producing sauvignon blanc since its inaugural vintage in 1997 and has become one of the Australian benchmarks. This has immense length and depth of flavour and is low in alcohol at 12%. Think cut freshly cut grass, Granny Smith apples, herbal notes and a crisp, zesty palate. A great thirst quencher for summer and a terrific partner for oysters, scallops, sushi or salt and pepper squid. $20ish. www.nepenthe.com.au.
John Duval, the former chief winemaker for Penfolds, goes about his business with a minimum of fuss. That means the John Duval Wines range sometimes flies a little under the radar despite offering some of the best value from the Barossa. This, which can often be found at retail for $35, is a definite case in point; a beguiling blend of three varieties that traditionally shine in warmer climes; shiraz, grenache and mourvedre. Fourth-generation winemaker Duval has taken some quality fruit from old-vine, lower-yielding vineyards and crafted a wine that whispers its magic rather than shouts. The quality French oak plays a key support role in a delightful red of impeccable balance. $40. www.johnduvalwines.com.
Reliably good year after year, this is, quite simply, one of the best dry savoury rosés to be found in Australia. Made from 100% grenache fruit grown in the Barossa Valley, this has for several years been one of the style leaders as rosé transitioned from curiosity to mainstream. The back label tells the story: "Simply a light, crisp and beautifully aromatic wine that is best served chilled." Match it will anything from seared tuna to a Lebanese mezze platter. $21. www.turkeyflat.com.au.
It is always nice to discover a new wine producer doing impressive things. Even better when those wines are moderately priced. Last year I was very impressed with a Fetherston pinot noir. From the new releases, I was grabbed by this elegant and seriously underpriced chardonnay made from fruit grown at Gruyere in the Yarra. Fetherston is the cool-climate project of Chris Lawrence and Camille Koll, who have widespread wine, food and hospitality experience. They say their aim to produce "wines of great finesse that capture the purity of each vineyard site". This is certainly a very clean and fresh chardonnay (from one of only 154 cases made). It is elegant, brisk and taut with just a hint of spicy new French oak. Food friendly, too. The Fetherston folk say it will cellar well. I say drink it now to enjoy all its subtleties and give it a cheerful 94/100. Put on a Jason Isbell album, grab some pork crackle and all will be well with the world. A warning: this Macon Villages taste-a-like may be hard to find, so head to the website.
$25. www.fetherstonwine.com.au
There is an unmistakeable Barossa-ness to this bold but unostentatious wine; it's a red that is comfortably self-assured. Made from Australia's favourite red grape, grown on near century-old vines in a stellar vineyard, this is helps sets the standard in the $40 price category. It's full-blooded but reminds one of a veteran boxer; all the power is used economically. Think plum and dark berry, black chocolate, subtle oak. History indicates that Filsell shirazes cellar well for up to two decades, so I'd buy a six pack. Enjoy a couple now with a juicy steak or rabbit casserole, and the rest between 2027 and 2037. $43. www.grantburgewines.com.au.
The news is all good from the 2017 vintage for lovers of fine, dry Australian rieslings. I've seen some excellent unfinished examples from the Barossa and Eden valleys as well a pair of high-acid, high-excitement Clare Valley wines from Jim Barry - which are among the first to hit the stores. I thoroughly enjoyed the more complex 2017 Jim Barry Lodge Hill ($25) but this is my pick for drinking young; a dashing, lively wine with lemon, lime and grapefruit notes to the fore with plenty of length and linear acid. Distressingly drinkable, I'd have a second bottle of this on hand just in case and pair it with flathead and chips or some green Thai chicken curry. $20. www.jimbarry.com.
This is the new release of one of Australia's most complete wines; a Margaret River classic that offers quite spectacular value given the prices now being asked for other Australian icon reds. This is seriously worthy of 98/100 in a world of frequently overblown scores. There are a lot of big-name Bordeaux blends not in the same class as this; a single-vineyard blend of 87% cabernet sauvignon, 11% merlot, 1% malbec and 1% cabernet franc from another standout West Australian vintage. Think classic blackcurrant and violet notes, along with stoney minerality, leafy elements and dark chocolate nuances. Impeccably balanced with fine-grained tannins, this is beautiful now but will almost certainly develop over a decade or more. A work of vinous art that's worth taking out an overdraft for. $125. www.cullenwines.com.au
