Top drinks of the month: October 2015

Quarry Hill Lost Acre Tempranillo

2015 Quarry Hill Lost Acre Tempranillo, Canberra District, NSW, $25

The Spanish red grape tempranillo, with its ripe berry flavours and persistent but mellow tannin, is particularly well suited to the young, juicy, slurpable style of red wine currently in vogue – and this is a gorgeous example of the style.

A Retief Field Blend

2013 A Retief Field Blend, Hilltops, NSW, $28

A highly unusual blend of grenache, mataro, merlot, malbec and tempranillo from a single vineyard, this dark, snappy wine is good now but has the density and tannin to mature beautifully in the cellar for at least the next 10 years.

Benjamin Leroux Bourgogne Rouge

2013 Benjamin Leroux Bourgogne Rouge, France, $65

There were some terrific top-end wines at a recent Leroux tasting – 1er Cru Volnay, Grand Cru Corton – but the one I wanted to keep drinking because it was so vibrant and utterly delicious was this relatively humble Bourgogne rouge.

Glaetzer-Dixon Überblanc Goldpunkt Riesling

2013 Glaetzer-Dixon Überblanc Goldpunkt Riesling, Tas, $36

In a way, this tastes more stereotypically Germanic than the riesling from Germany also reviewed on this page: it’s very pale, extremely enticing to smell – all lime-leaf and white flowers – and intensely grape-pulpy in the mouth.

Bird on a Wire Syrah

2013 Bird on a Wire Syrah, Yarra Valley, Vic, $40

If you like medium-bodied cool-climate shiraz with a gentle dusting of peppercorns – some rich and black, some dusty and white – and a healthy dose of juicy black cherries and plums, track down a bottle of this. Seriously good.

By Farr Viognier

2013 By Farr Viognier, Geelong, Vic, $60

All the new wines from the Farr family of Geelong are good, but for me this exquisite viognier is the standout: a masterclass in balance, it offers delicate but piercing floral perfume and a seductive, creamy but fresh texture on the tongue.

Keller Von der Fels Riesling

2014 Keller Von der Fels Riesling, Rheinhessen, Germany, $59

If you’re expecting this German riesling to taste light and grapy, then you’ll be surprised: this tastes more like a seriously dry Australian riesling crossed with the rich minerality of a white Burgundy. It’s fantastically complex and multilayered.

Seresin Osip Pinot Noir

2013 Seresin Osip Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New Zealand, $65

Reach for a bottle of this lovely medium-bodied pinot the next time your wine cynic friends start bagging biodynamics or natural wine: it’s wild-fermented from certified biodynamic grapes with no sulphur dioxide added, but it tastes completely, well, normal.

Four Pillars Navy Strength Gin

Four Pillars Navy Strength Gin, Yarra Valley, Vic, 700ml, $95

The “standard” Four Pillars gin at 41.8 per cent alcohol is good, but this 58.8 per cent bottling is very good: punchy, rich, full of the flavours of juniper and citrus and woody spices. Perfect for a Dirty Martini or a Gimlet (gin and lime juice).

Burnside Organic Farm

2013 Burnside Organic Farm Zinfandel, Margaret River, WA, $35

Forget your preconceptions of zinfandel as a big, alcoholic wine; this one, from a small biodynamic vineyard in Margaret River, is savoury, taut, medium-bodied and elegant, with flashes of the grape’s wild spice in among the dark berries.