25 great reds OVER $30

There was no algorithm at work behind this selection, other than a desire to give a balanced cross-section of high-quality wines to reflect the state of play at the top end of Australian red wine styles. I suppose I should admit a desire to avoid heavyhitters – wines full of alcohol, tannins and/or oak, even though they have appeal to some (oaky chardonnays a white wine corollary). In the same breath, the majority are priced between $30 and $40, and (for me) represent good value – though that of its own isn’t the raison d’être of the selection.

So what does a retrofit of the database reveal? Are there any useful patterns that emerge? There are five pinot noirs, seven shiraz, plus two shiraz viogniers and the Grosset Nereus (a shiraz nero d’Avola), three grenache/grenache blends, three cabernet sauvignons and a cabernet blend, then one each of a tempranillo, mataro and malbec. If this keeps the tea leaves opaque, the fact that 18 regions are represented, none with more than two wines, will thoroughly muddy the water. Algorithms ahoy.

I deeply distrust most overseas wine shows, whether in Asia, Europe or North America, but over the years I have judged at various international wine shows in both hemispheres. I’ve done this as a form of reality check – not of the shows per se, but the wines. Inevitably, you find only London has well-run shows with credible judges. All of this is a long way of saying the selected wines would more than hold their own against those of other countries at twice or (if not many times) more than these prices. This show of jingoism leads me to continue. There are few (if any) countries in the world that have all the major wine styles covered as convincingly as Australia. This selection happened to be quality red wines with the full spread of varieties. If you broaden the scope to take in sparkling wines, fortifieds and the broad sweep of white wines (headed, of course, by chardonnay), Australia’s strength doesn’t falter.

2017 Clyde Park Vineyard Geelong Pinot Noir

From all five blocks/seven clones of the estate vineyard, 25% whole-bunch pressed and open-fermented. This is the cat’s whiskers, making you itch to taste the individual block wines. Deep, bright crimson-purple, its flavours are strung along a high-tensile wire of foresty notes ex whole bunches, dripping satsuma plum and strawberry, curtailed and balanced by savoury notes and fine tannins on the finish. 13% alc. RRP $40 clydepark.com.au

2017 Dr Edge East Tasmania Pinot Noir

The Dr Edge Pinots are part of a voyage of discovery, so it is that the East, North and South are all clone 115 (the ’16s were MV6), and all have identical vinification: half whole-bunch carbonic maceration, half whole berries; once wild fermentation begins, 80% of the bunches are destemmed on top with 20% remaining as whole bunches, matured in French barriques (10% new) for 9 months. Fragrant, with more red fruits, long and silky; reflects the clonal change, driven by the very cool vintage, the tannin sotto voce. 12.5% alc. RRP $50 dr-edge.com

2016 Laurel Bank Pinot Noir

The vines 10-25yo, destemmed, 82% whole berries/18% whole bunches, 6 days cold soak, wild-fermented, 15 days on skins, matured for 10 months in French oak (20% new). The bright and lively crimson-purple is an appropriate colour for this elegant yet intense pinot. There is a gentle savoury underplay throughout that supports the deceptively long palate, spices already building, none of this threatening the varietal fruit core or aftertaste of cherry and plum fruit. 13.4% alc. RRP $36 laurelbankwines.com.au

2017 Rob Hall

Harriet’s Vineyard Yarra Valley Pinot Noir

This follows the ’15, none made in ’16 (quality not there). 90% destemmed, 10% whole bunches, 60% of the blend extended maceration for 1 month, 60% matured in

1yo French puncheons, the remainder in used hogsheads. It has a deep well of cherry fruit within the savoury/spicy envelope of superfine tannins. 13.5% alc. RRP $40 robhallwine.com.au

2017 Yabby Lake Vineyard Single Vineyard Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir

A mix of clones, open-fermented with a small percentage of whole bunches (less than 5%), 15 days on skins, matured for 11 months in French puncheons (20% new). Bright, clear crimson; more immediately accessible than Block 6, and likely to remain so. It’s floral and fragrant, with bright red fruits running smoothly like a stream, pebbles (aka tannins) on its bed in no way breaking the flow.

13% alc. RRP $60 yabbylake.com

2014 Fighting Gully Road Beechworth Tempranillo

Crushed and fermented with indigenous yeasts, spending 3 weeks on skins before pressing, matured in French oak (50% new) for 18 months, with a further 30 months in bottle. It’s an expensive business holding the wine for four years, whether in oak or bottle (even more so) as they do in Spain in Rioja and Ribera del Duero. The reward here is the elegance of Fighting Gully Road’s Tempranillo, coupled with varietal integrity – it’s a superior wine in many ways. 13.5% alc. RRP $32 fightinggully.com.au

2017 Thistledown

The Vagabond

Old Vine Blewitt Springs McLaren Vale Grenache

From old bush vines, wildfermented, one parcel with 35% whole bunches, 50% of which is fermented in a concrete egg, the other parcel destemmed, matured in the concrete egg and French puncheons (10% new). Ah, take one look at the crystal-clear crimson hue and know the wine comes from old vines in McLaren Vale – you’re on a certainty. What is truly remarkable is the way the wine has soaked up the new French oak without raising a sweat. This is lovely. 14.5% alc. RRP $50 thistledownwines.com

2015 Spinifex Esprit

58% grenache, 40% mataro, 2% cinsaut, whole berry/whole bunch wild fermentation, matured for 14 months in large-format used French oak. This is still at the dawn of its life, the colour brilliant but deep, the bouquet simply directing traffic to the medium-bodied palate that has so much to say. Red and dark fruits come first, spice, herbs and earth next, frisky tannins on the finish.

14.9% alc. RRP $35 spinifexwines.com.au

2016 Yangarra Estate Vineyard GSM McLaren Vale Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre

Wild yeast open-fermented, matured for 10 months in used French oak. Magical, deep crimson; as devotees of Chateau Rayas and others from the Rhone Valley will attest, grenache has many faces, the most admired in that part of France is its serious, long-lived, complex and structured single-varietal pose. But it’s usually in a blend, and in Australia, usually with shiraz and mourvedre. This is a compelling example of all the individual flavours of its components.

14.5% alc. RRP $32 yangarra.com.au

2017 Turkey Flat Barossa Valley Mataro

From the estate Stonewell Vineyard, hand-picked, open-fermented with 20% whole bunches, matured for 6 months in French oak (50% new). Altogether elegant, likewise fresh and vibrantly juicy. The whole-bunch inclusion has worked very well, bringing a note of spice that will increase in the years ahead. Attention to detail is one of the many strengths of Turkey Flat. 13.3% alc. RRP $32 turkeyflat.com.au

2016 Bleasdale Vineyards The Riparian Vineyard Langhorne Creek Malbec

This vineyard is significantly older than its siblings, planted ’88. The colour is deep, the bouquet immediately announcing the full-bodied palate that follows. The plummy fruit has excellent structure, and the wine will develop at a leisurely pace. There are far more similarities to the trio than differences, freshness in all preserved by minimal alcohol and hands-off winemaking.

14% alc. RRP $35 bleasdale.com.au

2016 Castelli Estate Frankland River Cabernet Sauvignon

10 days cold soak before warm fermentation, 26 days on skins, matured in French barriques (50% new). This takes you on a serious trip with a wine that over-delivers on its price, with cassis, redcurrant, fresh and dried herbs, and spices and tannins that are remarkably juicy. French oak has proven its affinity with cabernet time and again, but puts an exclamation mark here. 14.1% alc. RRP $38 castelliestate.com.au

2016 A. Rodda Beechworth Cuvee de Chez

66% cabernet sauvignon dominant, with merlot, malbec, cabernet franc and petit verdot, all fermented and matured differently, all coming from the celebrated Smiths Vineyard. There are rivulets of delicious red fruits running down the palate, ending with a hosanna of wild herbs that provide contrast.

14% alc. RRP $38 aroddawines.com.au

2014 Flowstone Queen of the Earth Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon

From a dry-grown vineyard in Wilyabrup planted in the ’70s, hand-picked, open-fermented, 18 days on skins, matured in French barriques for 3 years with a further 15 months in bottle before release. Stuart Pym makes light work of what is a complex exercise, and a patient one at that, given the time in oak and thereafter in bottle. It has a texture and structure all of its own, verging on velvety, yet reminding me that the cassis, black olive and dried bay leaf could only come from cabernet. 14.1% alc. RRP $74 flowstonewines.com

2015 Robert Oatley Finisterre Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon

This is looking pretty good, and very Margaret River. There is a pattern of flavours, and a pattern of textures from cedar and smoke, from purple to black fruits, from cassis to bay leaf. Some 24 hours after opening this wine, it was, by a small margin (but enough to reflect in points), the best among its siblings, which were tasted together.

14% alc. RRP $40 robertoatley.com.au

2017 Audrey Wilkinson Winemakers Selection Hunter Valley Shiraz

Estate-grown, open-fermented with 15% whole bunches, matured in French barriques and puncheons. Although ’17 was the hottest year on record, it “delivered perfect ripening conditions”. It is a rich and powerful shiraz with some 1965 blood in its vinous veins. Blue and black fruits are foremost, the tannins ripe, and the balance of its full body good. Climate change catastrophe? Gaia has means of defending itself.

14.5% alc. RRP $40 audreywilkinson.com.au

2016 Best’s LSV Great Western Shiraz Viognier

A 95/5% blend, wild yeast co-fermented with 15% whole bunches in a Potter fermenter and open vats, matured for 12 months in used French and American oak. Very good colour; very intense and complex from the word go, reflecting the whole bunch/whole berry/ co-fermented viognier, with exotic aromas and a splendidly textured and structured palate. 14.5% alc. RRP $35 bestswines.com

2016 Clonakilla O’Riada Canberra District Shiraz

Full crimson-purple; while not due for release until early ’18, as at June ’17 this medium- to full-bodied wine was already kicking up its heels. There is a masterful and utterly harmonious blend of dark fruits, warm spices, ripe tannins and French oak. The very large X-factor is its freshness, which will underwrite its very long life. Bargain basement shelf.

14% alc. RRP $36 clonakilla.com.au

2015 Grosset Nereus

Made from estate-grown shiraz with a small amount of nero d’Avola, it has a bright crimsonpurple hue, the fragrance a mix of exotic spices and perfumes, the palate a juicy mix of red and darker fruits, the tannins positive, the finish long and balanced. 13.7% alc. RRP $50 grosset.com.au

2016 Grove Estate

The Cellar Block Hilltops Shiraz Viognier

Hand-picked from 23yo vines, 50% destemmed, 50% whole berries, open-fermented with 2% viognier, matured in French oak (20% new) for 10 months. The co-fermentation has added an aroma and flavour dimension to a wine that is no more than medium-bodied, but has excellent intensity and attitude. There is a spicy, grainy texture to the black cherry/berry fruits of the palate, French oak adding a neat touch. A very good vintage also helped, of course.

13.5% alc. RRP $35 groveestate.com.au

2016 Maygars Hill Reserve Shiraz

This is the best Reserve Shiraz that Maygars Hill has made to date. There is an urgency, a freshness to the expression of the shiraz, and new oak has been easily absorbed on the long palate. This isolated vineyard is one of the jewels of the Strathbogie Ranges. 13.5% alc. RRP $42 maygarshill.com.au Co-fermented with 2% viognier, matured in new and used French barriques for 12 months; the usual shower of gold medals. The Moppity and Lock & Key wines have a remarkable consistency in the supple, fresh mouthfeel and varietal purity. Shortly put, they are beautifully made wines from a high-quality region.

14% alc. RRP $35 moppity.com.au

2016 Norton Estate Arapiles Run Shiraz

Hand-picked, whole berries open-fermented, matured for 14 months in French oak (25% new). A very complex, rich and compelling medium- to full-bodied shiraz. Multiple layers of succulent black fruits, a pantry of spices and dry peppers, evident French oak. Great length and balance. 14% alc. RRP $38 nortonestate.com.au

2015 Rudderless Sellicks Hill McLaren Vale Shiraz

From the estate’s planting of

1500 vines of shiraz. The colour is deep, and the seemingly effortless power of the wine is a tribute to the vineyard. The fruits are all black and inky, with licks of liquorice and an airbrush of oak leaving no room for others at this stage. It’s full-bodied, but not extractive, and most certainly not tannic. 14.5% alc. RRP $35 rudderlesswines.com.au

2015 Salomon Estate Finniss River Sea Eagle Vineyard Fleurieu Peninsula Shiraz

2016 Moppity Vineyards Estate Hilltops Shiraz Estate-grown, matured for 18 months in French barriques (33% new). Finniss River is adjacent to McLaren Vale, but has its own site climate and soil that doesn’t turn its back on dark chocolate as one of its flavours. The wine is medium- to full-bodied, with succulent black fruits, liquorice and dark chocolate, French oak and velvety tannins completing a particularly enjoyable palate. 14.5% alc. RRP $38 salomonwines.com