What have you been buying and drinking this September 2025?

It’s that time again. Time to inspire me to spend more money on drinks, even though the WineArk cabinet can’t be closed properly, and the Amex is maxed out.

So, what wine, beer, and other refreshing liquids have you been buying and drinking this month?

It was another lean month for additions to the Ozwinereview cellar, although a few bottles of Christophe Montée de Tonnerre Chablis snuck in. What about you? What snuck into your wine fridge in September?

If I needed any temptation, there has been plenty in recent weeks. We’re smack bang in the middle of spring trade show season, which means that while I’ve not been drinking much, I’ve had fleeting tastes of a shedload of great wines over the past few weeks to make up for it. Let’s take a look:

I can’t afford it, but this sublime Suenen Chouilly Le Monte-Aigu Blanc de Blancs 2017 is a superstar. Sell your firstborn, buy some right now-esque. Yes, this is very much in my wheelhouse as a low dosage Blanc de Blanc Champagne, but damn, the purity and driving length of this fizz is near perfect. I was standing next to Annette Lacey MW, and we were swapping notes about the waxy, white fruit purity. With only a single demi-muid produced, it’s a rare beast, and is suitably selling for a substantial $600AUD. I want.

Speaking of superstars, I had a quick tour through the latest Egly-Ouriet releases as well, and they’re both eye-catching and eye-wateringly expensive. The Egly-Ouriet Grand Cru Millésime 2015 is a $1200+ bottle of wine now, and while it’s a brilliant, multi-layered Champagne of grandiosity and length, the Egly-Ouriet Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs V.V. Les Crayères (based around 2017) might be my pick of the new releases. A swaggering wine and a glorious deep dive into Pinot Noir Champagne, it’s both rather uncompromising (but truly great) and also wildly unaffordable ($850+).

Interestingly, Fran Austin poured me some of the Delamere Late Disgorged Blanc de Blancs 2014 at a different tasting, less than an hour after trying the above Champagne superstars, and the Tassie wine stacked up very nicely. TBH, I have to remind myself not to compare Champagne with Australian sparkling as they’re quintessentially different wines, but I liked the yeasty complexity and layers of the Delamere an awful lot. Fran’s joyful Delamere Sparkling Rosé NV is a well-priced, pink-fruited and easily attractive winner too.

By contrast, I couldn’t see the value in the Laurent Perrier Grand Siécle No 25 open just metres away at the same tasting, and it looked more like a wildly overpriced NV than a $350 prestige cuvée. Speaking of disappointments, I couldn’t warm to any of the warm and surprisingly tart Greenock Creek releases at the same tasting either, though a Gautheron Vieilles Vignes Chablis 2021 tasted soon after delivered plenty of Chablis charisma (and it’s not expensive).

Meanwhile, in a brace of minerally and interesting whites from distributor Lo-Fi Wines, this Good Intentions Wine Co. ‘Volcanic Lakes’ Chardonnay 2023 was a wildly complex, layered and coiffed Chardonnay that could just as much be from some shit-hot Burgundy name than from humble Mt Gambier. The smoky, pithy Good Intentions Wine Co. ‘Ash Cloud’ Pinot Noir 2023 is really not far behind it either.

I always appreciate Emmanuelle & Toby Bekkers’ wines, and the Bekkers Syrah Grenache 2022 is a McLaren Vale hero. You just won’t find many more intelligent McLaren Vale wines than this. It’s bright and luscious, but with light and shade in a wonderfully complete expression. I love the savoury, ‘I can’t believe this isn’t from the Adelaide Hills’, Bekkers Syrah 2020 as well. Fantastic wines, both. There’s a quirky new Bekkers TOME (by) Bekkers 2022 red as well, crafted from Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache that has charisma, even if it’s not as special as the top wines.

I’ve been in race prep mode for most of the last month, which means it’s been rare to have more than a single glass of anything. This Foradori Teroldego 2021 coaxed me into busting that, with its very lively, slightly ferrous and proudly lo-fi vibes, really quite enjoyable. It’s not for everyone, but such charisma. I snatched a look at the whole ’23 Foradori range too, with the Foradori Nosiola 2023 a minerally and convincing release that upped releases like the 2017. The Foradori Scarzon Teroldego 2023 is even more impressive again (to the point where I want some), with its sandy tannic form making for such a refreshing red wine.

More quickfire vibes from this month’s tastings:

• I love the latest Man O’War releases. Sometimes the reds can be a bit up and down, but the Rhoney Man O’War Dreadnought Syrah 2021 and Man O’War Ironclad Cabernet Merlot 2022 were expressive, highly detailed takes that are excellent alternatives to Hawke’s Bay reds (and not wildly expensive).
• The new Vietti Castiglione Barolo 2021 is surprisingly safe and contained. Sure, the best is later, but it’s nowhere near as off-the-bat impressive as the ’21s from G.D. Vajra, Marcarini, etc.
• I had a very brief sip of the new Bowen Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, and it might be the glossiest Bowen Cabernet I’ve ever had, to the point where I thought it looked a bit too medium. Especially interesting in the context of the recent Coonawarra Tutorial, where approachability was the new maxim.
• Grant Taylor’s Valli wines are typically superb, and all of the new 2022 wines are uniformly great. The Valli Waitaki Pinot Noir 2022 is extra fine, however, with this fizz of acidity and definition that is extraordinarily fine.

What about you? What have you enjoyed this month?