Brown Hill Chaffers shiraz 2008 ($18)

A very good follow-up to the outstanding value for money 2007. This is more medium weight and less opulent but brings a degree of elegance and style to the table. Fine ripe tannins and understated oak add to a seamless velvety smooth palate. Great value and a wine that will cellar for at least five years.

Score: 89/100 Cellar: 3 years

April 2010 New Release

Cape Mentelle Trinders cabernet merlot 2007 ($32)

Just superb. Leafy perfumed notes of mint and cedar with a deeper layer of black currant. The palate offers a supple generous blend that carries effortlessly to a very long finish. Now this is cabernet merlot with some real class.

Score: 94/100 Cellar: 5 years

New Releases April 2010

Capel Vale Debut Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2009 ($17.95)

A fresh and fruity style of blended white with some nice gooseberry freshness from the sauvignon blanc and a little lemony edge from the semillon. Crisp fine acid and plenty of flavour for an appealing current drinking wine.

Score: 87/100 Cellar: drink now

New release April 2010

Capel Vale Debut Verdelho 2009 ($17.95)

Punchy little number, this with its vibrant tropical fruit zippy squeeze of lemon juice and fresh zingy acid. It's an ideal current drinking wine with some nice fruit sweetness balanced to a crisp dry finish.

Score: 87/100 Cellar: Drink now.

New Releases April 2010

Claymore Wines Dark Side of the Moon Clare Valley Shiraz 2008 ($

Opens with some earthy savoury aromas of ripe plum and spicy leather. Has some lifted perfumes. The palate is soft and generous with some nice richness. The oak is well handled and quite scented. A mix of French and American oak. Nice texture in the mouth. Has had 18 months in oak which is nicely weighted.
br> Score: 92/100 Cellar: 10 years

New Releases April 2010

Claymore Wines Graceland Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ($

This is quite a firmish wine with a fine spine of firmish tannins and grainy oak. The palate is medium weight. Quite an angular wine that will take some time. It's had about 18 months in oak. Needs a lot of time to come together. Lots of briary fruit and still slightly edgy but has promise.

Score: 91/100 Cellar: 12 years

New Releases April 2010

Annie's Lane

Coppertrail Clare Valley Shiraz 2006 ($54)

The colour is deep and dense. The nose is just a little subdued now but with some breathing intense mulberry and earthy, spicy complex mixes of black fruits emerge. The palate shows greater elegance than the outstanding '05 with a stylish poise that has this destined for greatness. Rich and succulent with stacks of time ahead if it.

Score: 97/100
Cellar: 20 years

Devil's Corner Tasmania sauvignon blanc 2009 ($20)

Loaded with crunchy tropical fruit dominated by crunchy lip smacking passionfruit and ripe tart gooseberry. The palate is well balanced and fine with a little fruit sweetness filling it out. Current drinking.

Score: 86/100 Cellar: Drink now

New Releases April 2010

Fifth Leg Margaret River Chardonnay 2009 ($20)

Made into a quite different leaner, lighter style but at the same time retaining some beautiful fruit intensity. The whole thing is about fruit freshness and lightness of touch. It works really well as an alternative style. Great warm weather drinking.

Score: 89/100 Cellar: Drink Now.

New Releases April 2010

Fifth Leg Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Chardonnay 200

There is a real lightness of touch in this wine. Finely balanced with crisp acid and a delightful fragrant perfumed aroma. The palate has a degree of generous fruit but it's kept light and lifted with a beautiful acid. Lower alcohol helps the freshness in the mouth.

Score: 90/100 Cellar: 2 years

New Releases April 2010

Frankland Estate Isolation Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ($24)

A classy cabernet of style and elegance. Seamless palate structure with fine tannins and firmish tannins. Lovely light leafy fruit nuances with more substantial red berry characters. A little cedary oak adds to the equation. Tightly structure with excellent cabernet length.

Score: 92/100 Cellar: 5 years

New Releases April 2010

Fraser Gallop Semillon sauvignon blanc 2009 ($20)

A racier style to the previous vintage. Fresh lively fine flavour fruit with a squeeze of lime juice adding a lift n the nose and palate. Has a really zippy mouth feel with a crunchy finish.

Score: 90/100 Cellar: 3 years

New Releases April 2010

Higher Plane South by Southwest Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc S

Typical of this excellent vintage. A light bodied easy drinking wine offering stacks of precise silky flavours. The acid is fine and the delicate fruit sustained. Nice current drinking.

Score: 88/100 Cellar: drink now

New Releases April 2010

Hillbrook Sauvignon blanc 2009 ($18)

Another really impressive sav blanc from these guys. I liked last year’s, and this one shows even more natural sweet fruit intensity but with a dry crisp acid finish. Typical regional crunchy gooseberry and limey tropical fruit on the nose carries to a sustained and beautifully intense palate. There is a real subtle restraint in here but no loss of precise palate intensity.

Score: 93/100 Cellar: 3 years

New Releases April... more

Hollick Wrattonbully Sangiovese Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 ($21)

There's quite a fruity aromatic lift on the nose with pronounced vanillin and cedar characters. The palate has a fine tannin and light oak influence with the dry earthiness of sangiovese cutting a clean line through the fleshier cabernet. Good current drinking food wine.

Score: 88/100 Cellar: 3 years

New Releases April 2010

Hollick Wrattonbully Tempranillo 2008 ($21)

Ripe fruit characters show on the striking bouquet with aromas of cedar, earthy and red berry. The palate is fleshy with a sappy astringency and dry edge keeping it tidy on the finish. Nice texture with good fruit weight.

Score: 87/100 Cellar: 5 years

New Releases April 2010

Houghton Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 ($19.95)

Opens with that so typical black currant and black olive of Margaret River. The palate has a surprising fleshiness with a solid core of firmish tannins and oak. Like the spicy lift with the supple tannins and fine grained oak contributing to quite a silky smooth finish. Earlier drinking Margaret River cabernet.

Score: 90/100 Cellar: 5 years

New Releases April 2010

Mount Pleasant Maurice O'Shea Hunter Valley shiraz 2006 ($65)

One of the best O'Shea's yet. Totally seamless with a medium weight intense palate supported with distinctive fine powdery tannins and silky fine grained oak. The fruit has remarkable persistence while the structure will carry this wine for many years.

Score: 96/100 Cellar: 20 years

New Releases April 2010

Oakridge Yarra Valley 864 Syrah 2008 ($60)

This is a glorious statement of shiraz. First sniff is an ethereal mix of spices and sweet perfumes. The medium weight palate is a peppery and spicy mix with supple medium weight fruit packing stacks of intensity. It's atypical of Oz shiraz and quite a departure - but it's got me on the platform to catch a ride.

Score: 97/100 Cellar: 10 years

New Releases April 2010

Yalumba Langhorne Creek Vermentino 2009 ($14.95)

A new wine from Yalumba. It's a style not dissimilar to a delicate riesling. Has a tight fine acid structure with a lingering lean finish. Deceptive flavour builds in the mouth delivering quite long. An Italian variety with a future in Australia.

Score: 88/100 Cellar: Drink now.

New Releases April 2010