Vintages Release: November 14, 2015

  
The Lane Vineyard ‘Block 1A’ Chardonnay 2013
Adelaide Hills, South Australia $19.95 (429233) 13.0% alcohol 
Baking spice, white peach and pear aromas precede a lively wash of white grapefruit, lemon curd and toasty notes on the palate. Fashioned from six Chardonnay clones across eight distinct blocks in the cooler Adelaide Hills with its significant diurnal variation, this has oodles of charm. It’s medium weight with good mouth feel and a lengthy, lip-smacking aftertaste. There’s good balance, structure and persistent purity of fruit. It’s well paced and well priced, pouring perfectly with salt and pepper, grilled calamari rings. (Vic Harradine)

  
Torres ‘Altos Abéricos’ Crianza 2012
DOCa Rioja, Spain $16.95 (381046) 13.5% alcohol
This top-drawer Tempranillo aged 12 months in French and American oak, a small portion new. Aromas of dark toast, lilac, grilled herbs and spice introduce a medium-bodied, gorgeously textured wash of red berry fruit—currant, fresh strawberry and cranberry—interlaced with notions of cherry cordial. It finishes balanced and beautiful, a perfect partner with prawn and chorizo paella, lasagna or pasta Bolognese. (Vic Harradine)

  
Bodega Secreto Patagónico ‘Limited Edition’ Chardonnay 2012
Patagonia, Argentina $18.95 (380055) 14.0% alcohol
A gorgeous golden hue and aromas of tropical fruit, honey and binned apple herald a creamy-smooth, nicely textured stream of baking spice-infused flavours of ripe, red apple and pear interwoven with grilled pineapple and lemon pie filling. It’s medium bodied with a finish and aftertaste that’s loaded with ripe orchard fruit and wisps of peach skin. Pour alongside chicken a la king. (Vic Harradine)

Vintages Release: November 28, 2015

  
Inniskillin ‘Montague Vineyard’ Pinot Noir 2012
VQA Four Mile Creek $29.95 (997353) 13.5% alcohol
Floral notes, pipe tobacco and mixed spice announce a balanced wash of red and black plum, piquant spice and bittersweet chocolate interlaced with kirsch liqueur. There’s persistent purity of fruit and great élan. It’s medium weight with good mouth feel and a lingering, delicious finish and aftertaste. The 18 months of oak, new and seasoned, is seamlessly integrated, excellent acidity is lip-smacking and the tannin underpinning provides structure and interest—it’s good to go now. (Vic Harradine)

• It was Inniskillin’s 1989 Vidal Icewine that put Canada on the world wine map winning the coveted ‘Grand Prix d’Honneur at Vinexpo in Bordeaux, France. And the rest, as they say, is history. For some time after, when tasting wines around the world, once someone found out you were Canadian, the question was, have you ever tasted icewine? Because at that time not many outside of Canada had. Canadian icewine went ‘viral, before universal use of the web. It truly was a game changer. The following wine is your opportunity to find out what the excitement was, and is, all about. 

   
Inniskillin ‘Sparkling’ Vidal Icewine 2014
VQA Niagara Peninsula $79.95 (560367) 375 mL 9.5% alcohol
Alluring aromas of ripe tropical fruit, apricot and rosewater waft from the glass preceding fruit-forward flavours delicately surfing on spritzy bubbles—mango, apricot and notions of lemon drop candy. It’s light on its feet and velvety smooth on the palate with a balanced, lingering finish. It’s a perfect welcoming wine or aperitif and just the right size for two—the perfect way to set the mood for an intimate evening. (Vic Harradine)

• There are three facets of the following wine on which one might focus. 1) The ‘man’, octogenarian Robert Oakley, listed in Forbes as Austrialia’s 34th richest person having made a small fortune, that’s now a large one, through ownership and sale of Rosemount Estates winery in 2002, a world famous yachtsman and now owns boutique Robert Oatley Vineyards. 2) The Robert Oatley Vineyards ‘brand’, that builds on the concept of the wildly popular Rosemount while under Oatley’s guidance, care and leadership—the wine must be ‘a darned good drink - and even better when shared with friends’ and, ‘ they must show a true sense of the land—that ideal combination of grape variety and region’ 3) And finally, the much be-medaled bottle of Robert Oatley Shiraz being reviewed below from the McLaren Vale region—one of Australia’s prime wine growing regions with Shiraz accounting for approximately half of total vine plantings.

  
Robert Oatley ‘Signature Series’ Shiraz 2013
McLaren Vale, South Australia $19.95 (327387) 14.5% alcohol
Fruit was sourced from premium sites in the Blewitt Springs-Willunga area of southern McLaren Vale, fermented on skins in closed and open topped fermenters and aged 12-14 months in French oak. Spice-infused aromas of ripe mulberry and black currant herald a creamy smooth, medium-bodied flow of dark berry fruit garnished with wisps of piquant spice and excellent tang and acidity. This is very good value, stylish, harmonious and certainly… ‘a darned good drink.’ (Vic Harradine)