A month in the media – See what these journalists thought about our wines in December and January:

2021 Highgate Organic Shiraz South Australia

Winsor Dobbin (Winsor’s Choice): This might just be the best-value red wine import in Australia right now. It is a vibrant young and food-friendly blend of garnacha (grenache) and tempranillo from Spain that would work a treat as companion to just about any grilled red meat dishes, or perhaps some stuffed mushrooms. Made organically and bottled under screwcap, this is lip-smackingly good with a great balance between fruit and savoury characters. Unoaked, I suspect, and soft and juicy. A perfect choice for a holiday barbecue. Distributed by Single Vineyard Sellers and ridiculously undervalued with an RRP of $20.

90 pts – Andrew Graham (Oz Wine Review): Approachable Rioja is the vibe here with this import from the crew at Single Vineyard Sellers. Great colour – mulberry red. Good standard Crianza style Tempranillo this – that sweet and sour dusty sour cherry fruit with a little of the leather. Half modern young red, half classic crianza. There’s a dip of leathery, slightly furry tannins to finish but it’s more fruit wine than tannic and long. Not undistinguished, though. Solid drinking. Best drinking: over the next five years for a start.

93 pts – Kim Brebach (BWU20): No vintage given but the distributor has the 2021 in stock. The colour is impenetrable, the nose offers a riot of smells ranging from cherries and dark berries to leather and dried herbs. The palate continues the story and adds some vanillan oak, fresh acid and ripe tannins. It packs a lot of flavour into a medium-bodied package that really needs a couple more years in a dark place.

94 pts – Patrick Eckel (Wine Reviewer): Produced from the riverbank vineyard, the wine gives a nose of plum and blackberry with top notes of new leather fresh earth and brown spice. There is wonderful texture and drive to the wine with firm but fine tannins and vibrant acidity contrasted by concentrated plum and just ripe raspberry. The earthen impact to finish is countered by a veneer of spice and dark chocolate. Excellent length.

92 pts – Gabrielle Poy (The Real Review): Mulberries, fresh earth and spiced plums suggest the wine has a few years of age. The core is up-front and ripe, funnelled through the palate with supporting tannins. A lick of acidity on the finish ensures it ends with freshness. This is aging nicely and is quite demure in its delivery

90 pts – Stuart Knox (The Real Review): Medium ruby-red colour from core to rim. Crushed raspberries, dry earth and curry spices on the nose. The palate carries a full rich fruit with layers of sweet spices as well. Definitely full-bodied but has a hint of brightening acidity, tannins are fine and it rolls into a warm earthy finish.

92 pts – Kim Brebach (BWU20): I thought Pecorino was a cheese, but it turns out to be a long-lost variety that has found a new home in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Vinepair tells us that ‘Abruzzo has an almost mystical relationship to the grape, with its higher rocky slopes and lower coastal influence producing some of the most complimentary growing conditions for its “finicky” nature.’ It’s a pleasant white, not unlike a soft Pinot Gris – aromatic with notes of pears and ripe apples finished off with a generous squirt of Meyer lemon. There’s a decent line of acid to keep it neat and tidy. The only Aussie Pecorino I’ve encountered, and very pleasant drinking.

92 pts – Stuart Robinson (The Vinsomniac): Chalky citrus, saline whiff – like warm sun on sea kissed rocks. Citrus, pithy, minerally edge – with an orange twist coursing through the finish. A summery delight. Give it a crack with some oysters, or fried whitebait. 

91 pts – Kasia Sobiesiak (The Wine Front): Pear drop and banana skin to start. It blows off a bit and changes into lemon balm and waxy quality. Floral perfume. It has aromas of pears and peaches too. Beautiful texture, cushy, silky and salty, with gentle cinnamon spice and sour edge. Lemon verbena. Lingering. I like the texture of this wine more than its bouquet. But it doesn’t make it less tasty.

90 pts – Kim Brebach (BWU20): My daughter gave me a glass of white wine on the weekend, and I told her it tasted like a Sauvignon Blanc, but I didn’t think it was. It turned out to be a Vermentino. Madeline at the Wine folly says: If you love Sauvignon Blanc, then Vermentino is your friend. Most plantings of this variety are found in Sardinia, and I’m not sure the Hunter Valley is ideal for this variety. A short spell in French oak adds some interest, but the wine didn’t have enough crunchy acidity for my taste. It’s an easy-drinking wine, well-made wine though.