JM 1ST APPROACH

Though I’ve scored it the same, I suspect I like the style of this better than the previous vintage.  Importer: Fourth Wave Wine Lavender and thyme perfume, spice, blue fruit and boysenberry. Medium bodied with a good uptake of fleshy berry fruit, but
tasty southern French elements taper it off neatly. Tannin well tucked in and a juicy, but dry finish. Spot on. No largesse. Great affordable spicy Shiraz drinking. 91 points

Decent, quaffable pinot noir for under $20? It's almost impossible to find but this terrific value import from the south of France manages it ... “the best French Pinot Noir outside of Burgundy” .... It's on the riper side of the pinot spectrum, certainly no shrinking violet, but no brash bogan either. The (French) girl next door with smoothness, dark cherry fruit flavours, hints of earthiness and plenty of length. It can be found on special for as low as $15 but the RRP is $19.  Windsor Dobbin

This wine, a modern type of French sauvignon, has intense varietal personality, suggesting tropical fruits, blackcurrants, grass and minerals. It tastes forward and fruity, refreshing and clean. Ralph Kyte-Powell

It’s cracking value. ... Tropical fruits and hay. Acidity gets a little stringy on the finish but it’s bright, flavoursome and different-enough to make you want to reach for more. Compelling in its category. Winefront.com.au

There’s impressive poached pear and fresh lemon fruit presence here, even a touch of baked apple and nutmeg, pulling into a nicely honed tail of cool Adelaide Hills acidity from this single vineyard in Charleston. One-third fermented in old French oak barriques helps to build its finely mineral texture, rounded out just a touch by residual sweetness on the finish. 92 points Tyson Tselzer

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

Medium crimson-purple; the plush red berry fruit and oak aromas lead into a multi-layered textural palate, with plum and more savoury fruit set within the subtle French and American oak in which the wine was matured. This is indeed a serious merlot at a laughable price. 92 points James Halliday Top 100 Wines

Tagged as the “baby brother” to their flagship Vat 47 chardonnay, the Moon Mountain has soft white peach and melon aromas with some nutty nuances shining through. With a creamy mouthfeel, ripe peach, nectarine and subtle biscuit flavours, this refined chardonnay is all about the fruit, with some added flavour from a mixture of new and seasoned French oak.

Deep straw colour, with a pale green hue. An intense combination of cashew, butter, honeycomb and stone fruit characters. Medium palate weight with a rich and creamy texture. Peach and nectarine fruit flavours are perfectly complimented by toasted nuts, honey and a persistent and flavoursome finish.

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