JM 1ST APPROACH

These characters intensify on the palate, opening with a fresh, upfront acidity of grapefruit and lime which provides an amazing backbone for the enticing flavours of green passionfruit, savoury herb scones, hints of spiced sourdough and a lovely lime sorbet sweetness. The structure is tight, directing these incredible flavours right to the back of your palate, leaving you with a crisp, clean finish showing just a hint of elegantly toasted French oak spice.

Made by the unflappable Javier Murua. Almost entirely tempranillo but co-fermented with a smidge of grenache. Sees a small portion of old French and American oak. Elegant yet characterful and then punchy through the finish. Has structure. Has a big dry finish. Licorice and cherry and twiggy sinewy almost-bitter notes. Chicory too. A grunty wine. Will be a handy drinking option through the cooler months. Like it. 90 points Winefront

a complex mixture of ripe blackberry and plum fruit with a dash of creamy vanillin oak. The palate is medium to full bodied which starts with some sweet plummy fruit, the flavour then builds in the palate to provide an explosion of raspberry flavours. There is some lovely mouth coating tannins which combine with dark chocolate oak and fruit to provide a great depth and length of flavour.

I don’t know what they’re doing at Kirrihill – but they’re not making a $20 wine. - OK, so it needs some time. The acid needs to settle, the tannin needs to relax, it all just needs to knit together some more. But the purity of fruit – blackcurrant, dust, brambly blackberries – and the firm seriousness of the finish mark it clearly as something other than a mere quaffer. A touch of chocolatey oak completes the picture. Good bones here. Rated : 92+ Points Winefront.com.au