24 wines that did make it this February 2024 (with plenty for $30 or less)

Now that we’ve got yesterday’s dive into a few wines that didn’t float my boat this February, let’s look at some good drinks. The pleasure zone. In particular, for this collection, I went diving into the tasting pile for more wines that sell for $30 or less because we could all do with saving $$ right now (or is that just me, looking at the Amex bill again).

Let’s dive in:

Angullong Fossil Hill Barbera 2022

I really feel the Angullong wines have come along in leaps and bounds in recent years. This Orange Barbera offers plenty of boysenberry purple joy. Boysenberry plum nose and a jubey purple fruit palate is the story here. You wouldn’t call it varietal but you wouldn’t call it not. Acidity is a bit firm but hey it’s Barbera! Jubey purple primary fruit is the main driver, and it never feels too much. It’s not wildly distinctive but very likable. Best drinking: nowish, no hurry. 17.5/20, 91/100. 14.5%, $30. Angullong website. Would I buy it? I’d go a few glasses.

Angullong Fossil Hill Sangiovese 2022

This is nice and varietal, too. Light, with vanilla oak over leathery red berry fruit. It feels nicely composed, with red berries, light tannins, and lots of vanilla sweetness, making it a bit simple. Will win friends easily. Best drinking: worth a year or so to mature, then will drink over the next decade. 17/20, 90/100. 14.5% $30. Would I buy it? A glass.

Break Free Bliss Bomb Pet Nat 2023

I like these Break Free wines, which come from the Clandestine Vineyards operation. This pet nat comes from a single vineyard in Swan Valley. I smartly decanted this, which I don’t always do with pet nat. This is the way. It’s the colour of dark, cloudy apple juice. I love cloudy apple juice! 100% old vine Chenin, and it tastes like Chenin too – lemon pie, a bit of phenolic grip, the palate bone dry, tangy, with a bit of the Loire Chenin sour lemon rind tang to it. Lots of foam, but it just adds more lemony refreshment. Clean, linear, fresh. There’s a line of peach richness, which is nice too. This is simply clever pet nat in the Loire mode. Best drinking: now. 17/20, 90/100. 11%, $38. Clandestine Vineyards website. Would I buy it? Worth a few glasses.

Chateâu Tanunda The Chateâu Grenache 2022

I always forget the accents in the Chateâu Tanunda name. Not today! Barossan Grenache is the story, and it’s pleasurable stuff. Raspberried, red0fruited, sandy tannin, it’s only medium-bodied and juicy, even if the alcohol steps out. Soft, warm and ripe Grenache – Barossan heartland stuff (and $32 a bottle direct from the winery right now). Best drinking: over the next five years for most appeal. 17.5/20, 91/100. 14.5%, $40. Chateâu Tanunda website. Would I buy it? Worth a few glasses.

Collector Wines Cherry Orchard Shiraz 2022

Well, this feels like a proper cool climate, Shiraz! Briney, spicy, olivey Canberra Shiraz. Blackberry and cranberry with a slice of ham. It’s lovely Canberra red, though it needs a little more stuffing, especially with the stalky mushroom edges biting in. A nice wine, though. Best drinking: no hurry, it will live for a decade and some. 17.5/20, 91/100. 13.2%, $30. Collector Wines website. Would I buy it? A few glasses.

De Bortoli Ancient Soils Tempranillo Touriga 2022

From a new range of Heathcote reds from De Bortoli based on Iberian varieties. With juicy berries and plenty of heart, it’s an entirely drinkable weight style of grip and appeal. The only gripe I have is the acidity, which feels a bit blunt, but the grainy texture and plump, savoury fruit make it ok. Best drinking: nowish, no hurry either. 17/20, 90/100. 14.5%, $26.95. De Bortoli website. Would I buy it? A glass.

Gundog Estate Indomitus Albus 2023

Indomitus is Matt Burton’s experimental label, and this is Hunter Semillon in a different mode. A portion spends 175 days on skins, and the blend ends up with a little residual sugar (6.3 g/L) and lower acidity than the Hunter Sem mode. Lemony, forward and yet grassy, there’s a nice phenolic tang even though the sugar and higher pH (3.21) make it a bit diffuse. It’s not my preferred style of Semillon, but I can admire the provocative nature (and it’s an easy drink). I wonder if it sells compared to (notoriously hard to sell) traditional Hunter Valley Semillon? Best drinking: now. 17/20, 90/100. 11%, $35. Gundog Estate website. Would I buy it? A glass.

Gundog Estate Indomitus Rosa 2023

More drinking entertainment. This pink wine is a blend of 50/50 Cabernet Sauvignon & Shiraz, with the Cab from Canberra and the Shiraz from Hilltops & Canberra. There’s 12 hours of skin contact before pressing, too, which is a bit for rosé (but gives flavour), with the juice then wild fermented in barrel and tank. Indeed, it’s quite pink and smells quite pink and fruity, with a candied fruit flavour here even though it’s dry (RS 2.8g/L pH 3.3 & TA 6.5g/L). But that fruit is part of the appeal, with a strawberries and cream easy flavour hit. It’s a fun, frisky wine, even though the winemaking is dead serious. It’s maybe a bit pointy, a bit firm to be seductive, but crisp and enjoyable all the same. Best drinking: now. 17.5/20, 91/100. 13%, $35. Would I buy it? A few glasses.

Kellybrook Estate Reserve Shiraz 2019

Pinot is the shining light in the Kellybrook range, but this Shiraz is certainly interesting. Comes off a vineyard in suburban Melbourne too (and just 50 doz produced). Grilled coconut oak, dark red fruit, bitter edges, ham, with some smoky sweet and sour development that isn’t necessarily easy, but it does feel cool and spicy and detailed. Complexity is the winner. Best drinking: nowish, as it probably isn’t getting any better. 17.5/20, 91/100. 13.2%, $45. Kellybrook Winery website. Would I buy it? A glass.

The Little Wine Company Pecorino 2023

Judging by this wine, Hunter Valley Pecorino might have a future. Stonefruit, lemon butter and a buzzy edge – it’s lightly floral, packed with lemony peach fruit, and then a fun and rather fruity palate, complete with an authentic lemony almond edge. Good fresh drink with flavour. Best drinking: now. 17.5/20, 91/100. 12.4%, $26. The Little Wine Company website. Would I buy it? Several glasses at least.

Longhop Watercourse Pinot Gris 2023

The whole Longhop range is ridiculously well-priced, and no change here. This is Adelaide Hills fruit and a pretty likeable wine, too. The orange/peach tinge to the colour suggests ripeness, but it’s a pretty taut style with Texta and orange blossom florals and a little musk. Underneath that floral freshness is a taut and tangy palate that is more about crunchy acidity than character. A wine of vitality that could do with a bit more of the flavour that the colour suggests but also ends up quite refreshing. Best drinking: now. 17/20, 90/100. 12.5%, $24.99 (but $19.99 direct from the winery). Longhop website. Would I buy it? Definitely a glass or two.

Mumm Central Otago Blanc de Noirs NV

My second look at this wine and very similar notes. Lots of strawberry fruit – it smells quite vinous, a little dusty, with a little aftershave. It’s not obviously Champagne-esque, but it’s a pretty wine. Creamy, frothy and reasonably vinous palate but a bit singular, too – it tends to underripe strawberry and citrus rather than something creamy and exotic. But that core of pink fruit is entirely appealing too. Best drinking: now. 17/20, 90/100. 12%, $59.99. Would I buy it? A glass.

The Other Wine Co. Arinto 2023

Crunchy, tangy and fresh neutral white with grapes from Riccca Terra farms in the SA Riverland. Such precision and crunch – it’s an obvious winner. A little estery almond and honey aromatics with a firm, buzzy, almond, lanolin and tangy grapefruit pith and phenolic palate. Very refreshing, perhaps a little too firm to be truly great, but man I’m not complaining for these dollars? It’s a no-brainer. Best drinking: now. 17.5/20, 91/100. 13%, $27. The Other Wine Co. website. Would I buy it? A few glasses for sure.

The Other Wine Co. Barbera 2022

Another hit under this label, this time Adelaide Hills Barbera. Ripe, warm, blackberries and instantly appealing. Low oak and slightly biting on the finish, but the purple fruit really shines – it’s just what you want in a juicy ripe Barbera at this price, if a little warm. Best drinking: nowish. 17.5/20, 91/100. 14.5%, $35. Would I buy it? A glass or two.

Paisley Linen Fiano 2023

Adelaide Hills & Eden Valley fruit for this Fiano. A bit of waxy almond seaspray Fiano character going on, then a chalky sour pear palate. It’s a little bit angular, but there’s freshness and energy here. Best drinking: now. 17/20, 90/100. 12.5%, $30. Paisley website. Would I buy it? A glass or two.

Patritti Urban Vineyard Collection Marion Vineyard Grenache Shiraz 2021

Sourced from a vineyard in suburban Adelaide at Marion. It’s a bit leathery, meaty and drying, but the heartiness and mushroomy dark fruit depth has an unquestioned savoury charm. It’s not exactly polished and a bit forward for this price point, but certainly some intensity. Best drinking: over the next ten years. 17.5/20, 91/100. 14%, $50. Patritti website. Would I buy it? A glass.

Rogers & Rufus Rosé 2023

Top-end Barossa Grenache rosé from the extended Hill Smith family empire. Blood orange and unripe red berry fruit and a creamy edge thanks to some barrel and lees work. Close your eyes and we’re off to Provence! If anything, it’s a bit too strict this year, with sharper edges really noticeable – I found myself wanting a bit more generosity. Fresh though. Best drinking: now. 17/20, 90/100. 11.5%, $23. Smith’s Wine Store. Would I buy it? A glass.

Rowlee Single Vineyard Gewurztraminer 2023

Nailing Gewurz is a tricky proposition, but this wine from Rowlee in Orange feels pretty involving. Heady, highly aromatic terpene and evocative spice give this such punch, although the palate perhaps gets a bit too drying and phenolic. What do you do though? Residual sweetness doesn’t win customers over, either. Anyway, I like the perfume and varietal punch here for sure. Best drinking: nowish. 17.5/20, 91/100. 13.4%, $35. Rowlee website. Would I buy it? A few glasses, for sure. I love Gewurz!

Rowlee Single Vineyard Pinot Gris 2023

A barrel fermented Orange Pinot Gris, although it doesn’t feel rich enough for 13.6% – more about restrained white pear and a lightly oily finish. Clean cut lines, though. A pleasantly texural drink, maybe missing a top gear, but there’s just enough width through the middle to bring you back for another glass. Best drinking: now. 17.5/20, 91/100. 13.6%, $38. Would I buy it? A glass.

Rowlee Rosé 2023

Orange Shiraz in this savoury pink. It’s a juicy yet crisp style of easy rosé with pink fruit and a little candy before a taut finish. Straightforward but entirely pleasant drink and pretty, with that pink grapefruit appeal shining through. Best drinking: now. 17/20, 90/100. 12.6%, $30. Would I buy it? A glass.

Soumah Nebbiolo 2020

Dead serious Yarra Valley Nebbiolo. Spends 120 days on skins, and two years in old oak, more like Barolo. Rusty ruby coloured, with a little volatile lift – all preset and correct for the Nebbiolo show. The palate looks a bit dried out, and the coppery fruit a little cooked at the edges – I wonder if it’s a bit too worked and warm. Nice tannins. There’s a nice cherry note here, and it feels like real Nebbiolo, even if ambition has clearly overwhelmed the fruit just a bit. Still drinkable and so commendable. Best drinking: now and for a decade at least. 17.5/20, 91/100. 14.5%, $52. Soumah website. Would I buy it? Several glasses.

Tin Shed Lazy Arvo Grenache 2022

Grenache from Damien Tscharke’s vineyard in the western Barossa. Jubey purple berries for the win here. Lots of whole berries, juicy glace fruit, and light tannins. It’s a little singular and jubey (hello Gummy Bears), but a pretty easy and instantly varietal Grenache wine. Best drinking: good now and for at least five years. 17.5/20, 91/100. 14.5%, $32. Tin Shed website. Would I buy it? A glass or two.

Tin Shed Wild Bunch Riesling 2023

From a vineyard at Craneford in the Eden Valley. A slightly forward edge to this Riesling, with the first toasty whisper. But the palate is really quite generous, with cooked lime/appley fruit and great intensity. It’s hard not to like this style of punchy Eden Riesling, I think, even if it’s a bit more progressed on the nose. Best drinking: I’d go nowish. 17.5/20, 91/100. 12.5%, $32. Would I buy it? A glass.

Torzi Matthews Mystic Park Shiraz 2022

Probably the most purple and ‘Barossan’ feeling wine in the Torzi Matthews portfolio and very well-priced. Ripe plums, coffee, dark berries, the alcohol a punchy feature, with just a little stewed fruit. This packs in some flavour for $28! A slightly clumsy finish is the only downer for what otherwise feels like Barossan Shiraz essence. Best drinking: good now and for a decade. 17/20, 90/100. 14%, $25. Torzi Matthews website. Would I buy it? A glass.