"Bottled just one month before my tasting, Clape’s 2023 Cornas opens with a deep, introverted bouquet of cassis, mulberries and licorice mingled with carnal notes. Medium- to full-bodied, dense and structured, it’s built around a firm, somewhat austere palate with a good chassis of youthful tannins that lead to a spicy, lead pencil-inflected finish. Despite its brooding character, it should benefit from time in the cellar."

Wine Advocate 95/100
Review Date: 05/2026

Tre Monti Vigna Rocca Albana is a dry Northern Italian white wine made from Albana grapes grown in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The grapes are left hanging for a long time to increase concentration then soaked in stainless steel for 15 - 20 days with skin contact. The wine has aromas of melon, apricot, honey and wildflowers and flavours of ripe peach, bitter almond pineapple and ginger.

Excellent value red from Domaine De La Charbonniere, with Grenache leading the way in this full bodied beauty, which is 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah.

The Domaine de la Charbonniere is owned by Eugene Maret, who owns 19 hectares in the Chateauneuf du Pape appellation, nearly six hectares in Vacqueryas and two hectares in the Cotes du Rhone appellation.

This is an outstanding Cotes du Rhone red with body to burn and flavours of approachable, soft and smooth spicy red fruit notes supported by a tannin structure of impressive velvet smooth framework and complex savoury, clean notes on the finish.

This wine is a classic example of Sauternes. A decent amount of botrytis on the nose complements the ripe fruit and honeyed aromatics. Quince and citrus on the palate are met with a touch of oaky spice and balanced acidity. Great as an aperitif or a desert wine.

Dark, ripe and concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon from the Barossa Valley, which is full flavoured wine made with black olive and dried herb complexity which will reward cellaring for up to a decade, longer in good cellaring conditions. 

A superlative wine to keep or decant and serve at room temperature in your best large red wine glasses now. 

Rockford Wines' legacy

Rockford Wines is an icon itself and a relatively new one, established in 1971 by Robert O'Callaghan, who has forged a reputation for preserving winemaking tradition and saving many of the world's oldest grape vines from being pulled up in the Australian Government's vine pull schemes of the 1970s and 1980s.

The Rockford vintage shed houses equipment from 50 to 100 years ago, which was discarded by other wineries as modernisation took over.

This Grenache dominant blend comes from certified organic vineyards in the southern Rhone. This wine offers excellent ripe red fruit notes and great structure. The palate is spiced, complex and rich. Charbonniere Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2016 is fresh enough for drinking young, yet promises to age gracefully.

Domaine Fazi rosé is translucent, airy and pale in appearance with a very subtle nose, slightly fruity, slightly spicy, with fine and elegant aromas. On the palate, it is fresh and reveals a persistent finish and perfect balance with notes of papaya, citrus and red summer berries.

35% Sciaccarellu, 30% Merlot, 25% Grenache and 10% Cinsault

Deep juicy red from the arid dry Alentejo region in the south of Portugal, a climate that Syrah loves and adores, giving its best depths of dark fruit flavours and smooth powerful tannins. This dry Portuguese red has body to burn and rich flavours to impress with hints of dried red berries, ripe plums and even notes of stewed fruit. 

This is massively good value for money and comes from the family owned Casa Santos Lima winery.

Syrah, Alicante Bouschet, Touriga

Confidencial is a taste combination of classic native Portuguese grapes Touriga Nacional (aka queen of Portuguese reds) with the better French red grapes, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. These three powerful red grapes each adds oomph and power to this wine, providing it with a full body, dry flavours and earthy complexity. 

We think that Confidencial offers great value for money and has layers of flavours, which will improve over time in the bottle, but also drink incredibly well right now. Decant and serve in your best big wine glass. 

Portugal is the most western country in Europe and home to a diverse range of wines from crisp dry whites in the maritime north to full bodied reds from the hot south, with many delicious variations in between. 

Paquet Victoire Pinot Noir 2023 is a bright, supple red showing lifted aromas of cherry, raspberry and wild strawberry, with subtle floral and earthy undertones. The palate is medium-bodied and silky, driven by fresh acidity and fine-grained tannins. Gentle spice and a touch of forest floor add depth, finishing clean, elegant and refreshingly vibrant on the finish with mineral lift.

If you love a cheeky little Cotes du Rhone, try this sensational South African lookalike, made from Syrah and Cinsault in a 60% / 40% blend here, which is a nod to the  French classics. 

Fermentation was in a combination of 70% / 30% stainless steel and 500 litre French oak, all with wild yeasts. This builds structure and texture into this full bodied, smooth, soft wine with its flavours of summer berries, cherries and plums. It's all here in complex layers and will age as well as drinking impressively now.

Tasting Note: 100% Nebbiolo from 40 year old vines. Aged 20 months in French barriques, 50% new. Ruby red colour, a highly perfumed nose with youthful flowers underpinned by earthiness. The palate is rich and structured, with warmth and gentle tannins.

Alcohol: 14.5%

Variety: Nebbiolo

Region: Diano d’Alba, Piedmont, Italy

92/100 – Bob Campbell MW

“Not quite Barolo-style-tar-and-roses, although it does have the delicate perfume and fine tannic structure that I associate with Barolo. It should develop well with bottle age. Drink 2021 to 2039.” – Bob Campbell MW

Grosjean's velvety Gamay from north east Italy tastes ideal with cured meats such as salami, prosciutto and Italian soups.

Gamay's smooth red fruited flavours and lifted red floral perfume are best known from France's Beaujolais region but here's an Italian take on the same theme from the dramatic beauty of the Valle d'Aoste in north east Italy. Grosjean is a small volume, high quality focussed producer, which makes this wine from grapes grown between 700 and 850 metres above sea level on steep sunny mountainous slopes.

The Grosjean family traces its roots back to the village of Fornet in the high mountain passes of the Valle d’Aosta known as Valgrisenche where they raised cattle. During the summer months, the family cultivated grapes and chestnuts on the slopes at a lower altitude, stocking up on wine to supply themselves over the long winters. In 1969, Dauphin Grosjean, the father of the five sons that now collaborate to produce the wines of this estate, was encouraged to present his wine at the local “wine expo”. The exceptional quality of his work was recognized and the entire family became engaged in the expansion of the vineyards and in the production of wine.

The estate has now grown to encompass seven hectares of vineyards. The domaine is located in the hamlet of Ollignan on the border of the towns of Quart and Saint Christophe and includes “cru” vineyard sites such as Tzeriat, Rovettaz, Creton, and Touren in Quart, plus Tzantè de Bagnere, Merletta and Castello di Pleod in Saint Christophe. After starting out with the traditional Petit Rouge along with some Gamay, Pinot Noir and Petite Arvine, the Grosjeans have planted other local varietals such as Fumin, Cornalin, Premetta and Vuillermin.

Sustainable farming techniques have been in place since 1975: only organic fertilizers are applied and no pesticides or herbicides are used. Natural yeasts are utilized for fermentation.

Pirrimimma was the first winery in Australia to grow the thick skinned Petit Verdot grape.

It's renowned for being an early budding, late ripening red grape with thick skins and powerful depth of colour, flavour and weight. This late ripening dark skinned grape is originally thought to come from Bordeaux in south west France where it can often struggle to ripen fully, hence it is most commonly used as a blending component to add depth to wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Ironically, it ripens best when it is least needed, as Master of Wine Jancis Robinson writes in the bible of grape varieties, Wine Grapes. 

In the warmest, driest best years, all of the grapes that struggle to ripen (Cabernets and Petit Verdot in particular) all tend to ripen well. Another good reason for seeking out good quality Bordeaux in dry vintages.

Which leads us to the Southern Hemisphere and to South Australia where Pirramimma Wines is based and this lovely red comes from.