Taylors Estate Clare Valley Riesling 2014, $12.95-$19
It may seem hard to believe now, but the mid-1970s release of Taylors Estate's first wine, a 1973 cabernet sauvignon, attracted widespread publicity at the time. Retail price maintenance was collapsing, making wines affordable, a wine boom was under way, and cabernet was in short supply. People flocked to it. Forty years on, everyone offers cabernet, and a new generation of Taylors run the Clare Valley's largest vineyard holding (about 400 hectares). Taylors' version of the valley's signature white offers a big mouthful of juicy, fresh riesling flavour at a fair price.
Tim Adams Clare Valley The Fergus, $21-$25
Take two gloops of Spain and one of Cahors and we have The Fergus, an evolving blend, built on the red variety, grenache (or garnacha in Spain). The 2012 Fergus companions in the blending vat are tempranillo (Spain) and the deep and brooding malbec (Cahors, France, and Argentina's signature variety). The lighter, more fragrant grenache and savoury tempranillo, however, keep the malbec from being too dark and broody. Indeed, it just fleshes out and firms up a unique, medium-bodied dry red, with bright fruit and distinctly savoury, rustic tannins.
Yard Channybearup Vineyard Pemberton Sauvignon Blanc 2014, $25
Winemaker Larry Cherubino makes a dazzling array of wines from vineyards across south-western Western Australia. His sauvignon blancs take us well away from the Marlborough style, providing welcome variation on the varietal theme. Cherubino combines several components to the blend: some barrel-fermented, some tank-fermented, some fermented with cultured yeast and others fermented spontaneously with ambient yeasts. The result is toned-down but still clearly recognisable sauvignon blanc of great freshness, with a rounded, juicy palate, rich texture and a subtle spicing from the oak.
