These 50 wines pose as many questions as answers

As I mentioned last week, the theme for November is to open as many things as possible. And part of that journey involves a plethora of wines that are all good, silver medal quality, but come with a little asterisk that questions whether they could have been even better.

This collection covers a whole spectrum from wines that are a little underripe to a little overripe, with some that need time, some might already be peaking (when you expect more) and plenty that pose questions (and not always with an easy answer).

Let’s go on a journey:

M Burton Shiraz II

What a place to start. This is the Shiraz magnum opus of Matt Burton (Gundog Estate), and it’s a fascinating wine. Bottled in 2024, this red includes four vintages of Canberra Shiraz in a multi-vintage headturner. Bottled in heavy glass, cork-sealed, the feel here is icon with all the trimmings. Yet it doesn’t taste like that. Instead, it’s mellow and quite complex, a slightly amorphous red with nothing jumping out. I guess that’s the intention – a mouthfilling texture-fest more in the mode of that great multi-vintage unicorn Vega Sicilia Unico. It’s definitely Canberra, with plum fruit, and black/red berry fruit, a little of that cranberry chocolate bar vibe, some young cocoa vanilla bean oak influence and both black pepper, spice and brick dust development, finishing warm and hearty. I can appreciate the layers, yet there’s a lingering question whether this is missing a knock blow beyond the smooth ripe flow of flavour.

Best drinking: now, but no hurry. 17.7/20, 92/100. 14.5%, $150. Would I buy it? A glass as a curio.

McWilliam’s Single Vineyard Tumbarumba Chardonnay 2024

With McWilliam’s now back in the living world as part of the Calabria family’s brand suite, the wines have taken a welcome step back into the light too. This Chardonnay is in the premier tier of McWilliam’s whites, and looks very Tumby (and very lean). It’s all grapefruit juice, a bit of popcorn and reductive funk, the palate is tight and stony, all lean grapefruit purity, with just enough lees and winery work to stop it disappearing into a giant void of acidity. There’s quality here, though the drinking horizon seems some distance away, and you have to question whether a little more ripeness/malo etc might have done wonders to deliver more approachability.

Best drinking: it will need 2-3 years as a start. 17.7/20, 92/100+. 12.5%, $40. Would I buy it? A glass.

Anvers Acta Non Verba Chardonnay 2022

From the cool and crisp to the big and old school buxom. This is Adelaide Hills going large. In a huge, naughty-heavy bottle and cork, the packaging here feels like noughties world, complete with the numbered bottle and all. There’s some old school peachy heft to the wine too – tinned peach, vanilla bean, some solidsy funk and flesh. It’s a bit short after all that mid-palate heft, but the whipped butter and peach palate will win friends in the ‘I like buttery Chardonnay’ crowd, and undoubtedly this has some presence. The question is whether it needs that excess, or whether less would be more.

Best drinking: now. 17.5/20, 91/100. 13.5%, $55. Would I buy it? Probably not.

Barons of Barossa Barossa Cellar Grenache 2024

Young Grenache as a Pinot alternative is always a smart move. This Barossan red is just a little raspberried and simple, but the Pinot-esque prettiness and light touch of winemaking make this approachable. Could be better with a little more oomph? Certainly plenty of redcurrant lolly red fruit, with light tannins and everything carried in the mid palate. A pretty joyful style of Grenache, nonetheless, even if I just want a bit more.

Best drinking: now. 17.5/20, 91/100. 13.5%, $30. Would I buy it? A glass.

Castel Firmian Pinot Grigio Riserva 2023

Note the ‘riserva’ moniker – this is next step up Grigio from a producer with a billion wines. It is quite the layered thing with quince, yellow apples, hay and bottle-aged bits, with a soft, yet still tart ,lemon balm finish. This is pretty solid for a big company Grigio, really; it’s just a bit forward and loses shape on the finish, but the mouthfeel is pretty inviting. Could it be fresher?

Best drinking: now, don’t wait. 17.5/20, 91/100. 13%, $40. Would I buy it? Probably not.

Cupitt’s Fiano 2024

Cupitt’s is based in the holiday town of Ulladulla, where I spent many a summer as a kid, annoying my parents by never getting out of the water. It definitely doesn’t feel like wine country, so instead the family sources fruit from other parts of NSW (which is a smart move). This Hilltops Fiano is probably the most interesting white in the Cupitt’s range. It’s a ripe golden wine of creamed honeycomb and a little white nectarine, with a broad, golden, yellow-fruited palate that feels full and generous in a yellow barley sugar mode. A bit obvious, and you wonder whether a little less ripeness and more lees work would make it fresher, but the trade-off is plenty of flavour.

Best drinking: now. 17.5/20, 91/100. 13.4%, $36. Would I buy it? A glass.

Fowles Stone Dwellers Riesling 2024

Fowles is in the Strathbogie Ranges, which is like the wine region that Victoria forgot. Good Riesling country, too. This snappy Riesling has the bones of something good as well, although it’s in a curious place – there is already some toast and a little TDN on the nose, but the stony, taut lime concentrate acid-shaped palate is excellent. Powerful. Dense. Lots underneath. It just needs to go through a transition phase (and I question whether this would have been better last year (or released later altogether).

Best drinking: come back in 2-3 years for the good times. 17.5/20, 91/100+. 11.6%, $35. Would I buy it? A glass.

Lerida Estate Cullerin Pinot Noir 2022

Now with a few years under its belt, this is such a serious, autumnal Canberran Pinot in a very savoury and quite complex phase. Coppery red colour, it smells of crunchy leaves, a bit of whole bunch cinnamon and clove, and with a cherry fruit profile. It’s a little spicy, and interesting, the only gripe is that it just ends up a fraction bitter and drying, the finish adding a bit of a leathery pucker. It’s a good drink but a polariser too – it’s not easy at all. A proper duck wine too. Would it be even better with just a little more late generosity rather than bunchy, tannic sternness?

Best drinking: now. 17.5/20, 91/100. 13%, $42. Would I buy it? A glass.

Longhop Valley View Chardonnay 2024

Adelaide Hills Chardonnay here. It’s an ultra-tight and crunchy wine that feels more like Fiano than Chard. Pepper, buzzy acidity, a little milky almond and roasted buts but that sits over a palate that is all grapefruit. Very pure, but a bit too lean. I know it would be better with more (and especially given that crisp detail).

Best drinking: a year or two will do wonders. 17.5/20, 91/100+. 12.5%, $29. Would I buy it? A glass.

Meerea Park Hell Hole Semillon 2023

What a curious time to be releasing this Semillon. The Eather’s Sems are so good that it feels odd to be releasing one of the highlights at two, which is no man’s land for Hunter Semillon development. Indeed, this is stuck, having shed some primary fruit and not yet picking up interesting aged characters, save for a whisper of wool. Tart, green apple fruit and driving acidity all point to something that will be excellent in a few years post the awkward stage. But for now, it’s just a slightly sullen white wine. Indeed, you have to love the style to even appreciate what will come out the other side.

Best drinking: in another three years. Ideally, in another 8-10 years, really. 17.5/20, 91/100+. 11%, $35. Would I buy it? Not yet.

Nautilus Cuvée Marlborough Brut NV

It always surprised me that we don’t see as much Marlborough fizz locally as we used to. The best wines are more than handy. This is a Pinot-dominant blend that spent three years on lees. It’s a tight, lemony aperitif style, with just a twinkle of leesy development, then some rather classic bottle-fermented Pinot notes. Just a little lean – the acidity hits pretty firm. This has classic bottle fermented yeastiness though. Plenty good drinking, really, even if it feels a little shrill to finish.

Best drinking: now. 17.5/20, 91/100. 12%, $47. Would I buy it? Worth a glass.

Nautilus Southern Valleys Pinot Noir 2020

Marlborough Pinot in rude health for a 2020 vintage release. You can see a bit of development in the colour, with the first little intrusion of orange in the red. It smells quite secondary too – some rhubarb, stewed meat, a bit of a stewy vibe all through. That’s the divisive part – for all of the cherry fruit, it gets a bit woody and a little bitter with firm stem tannins and raw edges, the fruit (which is clearly classy) slightly unable to keep up with the acid and tannins. Great Pinosity though – this is real deal Pinot. I would have preferred it as a younger wine, though.

Best drinking: now. 17.5/20, 91/100. 13.5%, $44. Would I buy it? A glass.

Nomad’s Garden Skin Contact White 2023

Ben Dahlenburg has a great handle on skin contact wines, and this well-priced release is definitely good drinking. Sourced from the Baxendale vineyard at Whitlands (and largely made from Sauv Blanc), it’s a gentle, not scary orange wine. Preserved lemon, a grassy whisper of pyrazine from the Sauv, then passion fruit and lemon. High acid but not harsh, the only thing here is that I think I want a bit more orange juiciness – it feels just a little fleeting.

Best drinking: now. 17.5/20, 91/100. 12.5%, $27. Would I buy it? A glass.

Oakridge Blanc de Blancs 2018

Plenty happening in this Yarra Valley sparkling. It’s yeasty, to the point of being cheesy, with a full nose of creamy yeasty autolysis that is all baked bread and nougat, some bottle-aged nuttiness and then a creamy width. It’s overt, super complex if just a little challenging (and a little disjointed). The more you look at this still wine with bubbles, the more interesting it gets, although I see an overt bottle age character and some aldehydes. Notably, this was disgorged four years ago, and I think perhaps a more vital wine then.

Best drinking: right now. 17.5/20, 91/100. 12.5%, $48. Would I buy it? A glass.

Renzaglia Sangiovese 2024

One of the more challenging wines in the lively Renzaglia range, this is made using Mudgee fruit from the First Ridge vineyard. Autentic Sangiovese it is too. Forest berries, berries red and black, a little blood and bone and cola. I’m so glad to see that this has the untouched, living, breathing feel of the Renzagloa releases too. If anything, this is just a little up and down, with sweet and sour and earthy elements all fighting, and that red earth cola tang just a little incongruous. Frisky and fresh drink here, though.

Best drinking: now. 17.5/20, 91/100. 12.5%, $37. Would I buy it? A glass.

Rising Gamay 2024

There’s a ‘challenging vintage’ air to this wine, even though I’m just presuming how it went down. Compared to other Rising vintages, this Yarra Gamary took a while to come together. Great colour though – lovely purple-tinged ruby. Mulchy and yet expressive nose promises a lot, too. Bright and fizzy palate starts well, it just gets a bit phenolic and green on the edges, the stem tannins closing down the finish. 9/10ths delicious, but tricky and a bit pointy after that.

Best drinking: nowish. 17.5/20, 91/100. 13%, $38. Would I buy it? A glass.

Soumah Equilibrio Viognier 2023

Ultra ambitious Yarra Valley Viognier here from Soumah, sourced from the close-planted Hexham Vineyard. It doesn’t smell opulent. Doesn’t taste it either. Instead, it’s taut, phenolic and driving, with these grippy white wine layers but also plenty of oak and extract, with the fruit a bit too subtle (rather than full and apricotty) and unable to quite keep up, finishing a fraction sour. There’s a slight Viognier flourish, but the ultimate feel here is less Viognier and more warmish white wine.

Best drinking: nowish. 17.5/20, 91/100. 14.25%, $92. Would I buy it? A glass.

Soumah Nebbiolo 2022

Also from the Hexham Vineyard, and Soumah have come a long way with Nebbiolo. This dark ruby Yarra red has plenty of dark cherry fruit, too, with fine tannins and a finish that fans out into something sticky and cherry-jammy at the edges. Does a great job at the variety, I just want a bit more of a savoury/succulence balance.

Best drinking: worth another two years in bottle for best times. 17.5/20, 91/100. 14%, $58. Would I buy it? A glass.

Sweetwater Estate Shiraz Cabernet 2023

Close your eyes, and you could definitely fool yourself that this is not a Hunter Red. She bold! Dark purple coloured, it’s especially dark compared to the other 2023 Sweetwater reds. It tastes thick too, with ripe blackberry fruit and quite a wall of tannins, with the ultimate feel leaning towards more stewy and very chunky. Sure, it has legs and weight, but it also a bit OTT for a Hunter red.

Best drinking: definitely later. You could have another go in a decade and have more fun. 17.5/20, 91/100. 14%, $70. Would I buy it? Probably not. The other wines in the range (like the Shiraz or Shiraz Touriga) would be a better choice for mine.

Tahbilk Marsanne 2025

It’s just too young. That’s always the case with Tahbilk Marsanne, and especially this release. At the moment, it’s a pretty neutral, lightly estery and slightly tart simple white wine. A little blossom, estery fragrance, hay and tart acidity, with the nose a little forward and missing some of the varietal honeysuckle. You have to know this wine to see what it will become in a few years, popping out like a magical toasty butterfly.

Best drinking: ideally, drink this from four years old. 17.5/20, 91/100+. 12%, $21.95. Would I buy it? Only for the cellar.

The Other Wine Co. Savagnin #4

Most of the excellent The Other Wine Co. range is about good time wines – bright, varietal, fresh, well-priced (and well-made) reds and whites of obvious easy appeal. But this oxidative take is anything but easy. Matured under flor for 48 months or more, with fruit from the Fleurieu GI. Bottled in July 2025. Straw yellow coloured, it smells of hay, straw, waxy flor, bitter lemon, a little aldehyde, lots of buttered wool. All the expected smells. There’s a nice lemony tang on the palate too, with that buttery tang contrast a bit hard to get your head around, ending a bit tangy and sour rather than refreshing. Ultimately, I admire the effort of this very serious wine, but I couldn’t drink much (and I like Vin Jaune too).

Best drinking: nowish. No hurry. 17.5/20, 91/100. 13%, $30 for a half. Would I buy it? A glass is plenty.

Tokar Estate Pinot Noir 2024

Plump and flush Yarra Pinot here. Raspberry pastilles aplenty in a fleshy, perfumed, glossy and polished mode with just a little mint and tang. Lacks the structure for another level. But wonderful, generous openness.

Best drinking: nowish. 17.5/20, 91/100. 13%, $40. Would I buy it? A glass is good.

Whispers of Chaos Roussanne Riesling Semillon 2025

I loved Marcus Torzi’s first red, and this Eden Valley white pushes the boat out too, with the grapes given a little skin contact and some time in old oak. It smells of hay and lemon, with a pithy, slightly grippy palate that is more about texture than aromatics or fruit. It’s just a bit firm, but plenty of lemony depth – it’s not exactly seductive, but a real vinous nature.

Best drinking: nowish. 17.5/20, 91/100. 13%, $38. Would I buy it? A glass.

Williams Crossing Pinot Noir 2024

It’s back! The return of the second label Pinot for Curly Flat, and this is a pretty attractive light wine. Great colour too – it’s quite purple for Macedon Pinot, as if it almost has some Shiraz in the blend (which it doesn’t, don’t mind me). Light, crisp, with acidity that fizzes along and a light touch. A little mint and mulch, crisp purple fruit, pulls up shortish but has the style. I’d like a bit more fruit weight, but unquestionably drinkable.

Best drinking: for the next few years. 17.5/20, 91/100. 12.5%, $34. Would I buy it? A glass or two.

Zema Estate Coonawarra Shiraz 2021

Bargain Coonawarra red for the patient. It’s super impressive that this is still kicking around for sub $30 too. It’s mid-weight, a bit minty and cool in a very Coonawarra way. Full-bodied but also reserved and clothed in a wall of chocolatey and rich flavour with tannins covering plenty. This has guts; it just needs a decade.

Best drinking: in the 2030s. 17.5/20, 91/100+. 14.5%, $27.99. Would I buy it? Would be a pretty easy choice to put some in the cellar.

Angullong Fossil Hill Barbera 2023

The Angullong wines keep getting better, and this is pretty handy Orange Barbera. It’s a riper expression with Cherry Ripe chunkiness. It’s slightly leathery and warmish, but more than solid. The only question is if it might be a bit fudgey. Solid drinking.

Best drinking: over the next five years. 17/20, 90/100. 14.5%, $30. Would I buy it? A glass.

Anvers Acta Non Verba Shiraz 2021

Like the Chardonnay, this is in a huge OTT bottle, which is a big no in a world where carbon footprint matters. Anyway, a blend of Langhorne Creek and Adelaide Hills fruit. Like the big bottle, this is a big wine, with lots of medium + toasty oak flowing through this wine in a big wall of caramel and coffee bean. A bit of a flashback to the early noughties really! There’s firm dark fruit and some nice minty and black fruit contrasts in there, though it all feels a bit hard, dry, and overdone. The length and power, however, lift this up to a low silver (just).

Best drinking: likely better in a decade. It will live forever. 17/20, 90/100. 14.5%, $98. Would I buy it? Not for me.

Bremerton Special Release Malbec 2023

This is a good, solid red that will win friends. Plush, warmly ensconcing, full-flavoured wine with a plush purple hug of fruit, though it feels like a ripe red rather than anything Malbec. Acid juts in on the finish, too. So much purple cranberried wine, though. A real crowd pleaser.

Best drinking: over the next decade. 17/20, 90/100. 14.5%, $26. Would I buy it? No, but I know lots of people who would.

Chapel Hill The MV Grenache 2024

This is a curiously more restrained and lightish release of the MV Grenache from Chapel Hill. I feel like the acidity cuts it off a bit, as the volume seems turned down. Still some bright gummy raspberry fruit makes it a nice drink, if not quite the usual solid personality.

Best drinking: nowish. 17/20, 90/100. 14%, $33. Would I buy it? A glass.

Cupitt’s Little Red 2024

Tumbarumba And Hilltops. Pinot and Nebbiolo. Two birds of a feather, right? As you can imagine, it’s a pretty light wine, ferrous and slightly earthy with crunchy, cherry and redcurrant. It’s quite charming in an only just ripe style, if you can see the bones poking through. Plenty refreshing though.

Best drinking: nowish. 17/20, 90/100. 14%, $29. Would I buy it? A glass.

Cupitt’s Viognier 2024

Hilltops fruit for this Viognier too. Speaking of skinny, this is a curiously lean thing for 14% alcohol. I kept waiting for something to happen. There’s a wash of unripe peach and unripe apricot, and it toys with being more weighty and ripe but never quite gets there. As it warmed up a bit I could see more phenolic weight, but it took a while. It’s a valid Viognier and drinkable, I just want a bit more.

Best drinking: nowish. 17/20, 90/100. 14%, $35. Would I buy it? Probably not.

Domaine Galuval La Clavelle No. 8 Grenache Blanc 2019

A new name for me, with a range of ambitious Rhône wines from an estate between the villages of Cairanne and Rasteau. This comes from a single block of 40-year-old Grenache Blanc vines off a plot at Cairanne. If anything, this is just a bit old – I’d love to have seen it four years ago. It’s ripe, cheesy and nutty with golden fruit and a little red apple. Toasty, plump, mouthfilling, it’s all that, but good luck picking a variety, as this is more just a round white wine with large pricetag.

Best drinking: right now. 17/20, 90/100. 14.5%, $150. Would I buy it? No.

Ekin Pinot Gris 2025

Nice packaging on these Ekin Adelaide Hills wines. Well priced too. This is more Grigio than Gris, with tart pear, a little Texta and a light, crisp, varietal palate that doesn’t quite get into the richer flavour spectrum but delivers plenty of freshness and life. Solid drinking, even if a little more width would be appreciated.

Best drinking: now. 17/20, 90/100. 13%, $25. Would I buy it? A glass.

Five Vineyard Reserve Chardonnay 2023

I’ve been critical of these Five Vineyard wines, and the use of ‘Plenty region’ on the label annoys me no end (it’s not a recognised GI. Technically, this would sit under the Port Phillip GI). Anyway, grumpy middle-aged bloke rant over! This is a solid wine from a tough vintage. There’s a sawdust oak push to start, which plays against the just-ripe white nectarine fruit, making it a bit raw and chippy. There is nice fruit in there, in a Yarra mode (which makes sense, the Yarra region boundary is almost spitting distance), if a bit sweet and sour. Scrapes in for silver.

Best drinking: over the next five years. 17/20, 90/100. 13%, $58. Would I buy it? Probably not.

Longview Devil’s Elbow Cabernet Sauvignon 2023

Making Cabernet in the Adelaide Hills still seems like masochism. And the Longview Barbera, Nebb, etc, wines are so good that I’d already have grafted the vines over. Anyway, this is an aromatic, sharp-edged and super varietal Adelaide Hills Cab. Blackberry, mint, cedar, sharp acidity, well-judged tannins. Lively wine, even if it’s jaunty.

Best drinking: it will last, but a big question about whether you wait for it to settle or just enjoy the leafiness. Maybe go now. 17/20, 90/100. 13.5%, $32. Would I buy it? A glass.

Longview Fortuna Sparkling Nebbiolo 2024

Great packaging on this Adelaide Hills fizz. Great! It’s effectively a sparkling version of the high-quality Longview rosé, though I vastly prefer the non-fizzy version. I feel like I could be an outlier on that too. This is a coppery-pink coloured drink with light red fruit flavours and lightness. If anything, the froth (and it’s a charmat style, so they’re broad bubbles) distracts from the gently textural rosé experience, and makes the finish look a bit stark. It’s going to be a hit and clever wine (deserving of the silver medal score), but I prefer the standard rosé.

Best drinking: now. 17/20, 90/100. 13%, $48. Would I buy it? No.

Longview Twin Palms Pinot Noir 2024

Stalky, dry cherry and drying Adelaide Hills Pinot that doesn’t quite rise above its structure. There’s a solid core of cherry fruit to this, though not enough weight for the serious layers of extract, oak and acidity. Solid Pinot ambition though.

Best drinking: nowish. 17/20, 90/100. 13%, $30. Would I buy it? No.

McWilliams 660 Tumbarumba Pinot Noir 2023

Well-priced and cool Tumbarumba Pinot Noir here. It’s a cool minty thing that deals in twigs and mint, the feel of a sparkling base trying to be table wine. There’s a push of red raspberry fruit, but it’s a struggle against the minty and lean tone. It’s quite refreshing, though and available in retail for $21ish, which is entirely good drinking.

Best drinking: now. 17/20, 90/100. 13%, $25. Would I buy it? A glass.

Nautilus Clay Hills Vineyard Pinot Noir 2020

Just like its brother above, the primary fruit has departed, much to the drink’s overall detriment. Frustrating. No shortage of tannins, acid, and oak, though! It’s annoying as there is still this cherry weightiness and drive – it would have been probably a delight three years ago. It’s long too, if drying. The silver medal score is as much a structural recognition as anything.

Best drinking: now. 17/20, 90/100. 13%, $110. Would I buy it? Probably not.

Nomads Garden Glenmore Springs Pinot Noir 2024

Light and lithe Pinot from the King Valley. There’s a sparkling base vibe to this, too. A slightly murky light orange ruby, it smells and tastes ferrous, a little bitter, clear and lucid and cool. The redcurrant fruit is in a constant battle with the bitter, mulchy Pinot expression. It’s a wine that gnaws at you with its leafy bitterness and tang, never quite being generous enough. Lots of interest and detail though (and a bargain for the complexity).

Best drinking: nowish. 17/20, 90/100. 13.4%, $27. Would I buy it? A glass.

Nomads Garden LJR Field Blend 2024

This is an easy, juicy field blend from Rutherglen. It’s a little tannic to be a fridge red, I think. Some leafy red berry, plenty of acidity and leathery tannins, forest berry. I didn’t know it was Sangio-based when I opened this, and should have picked the forest berry varietal signature, but it’s interesting. Sappy and leathery but not without some berry juice. Such a savoury wine, which also makes it not easy. Again, detail and refreshment though.

Best drinking: now. 17/20, 90/100. 13%, $27. Would I buy it? A glass.

Nomad’s Garden Melville’s Vineyard Rosé 2024

Single vineyard Rutherglen Sangiovese rosé here. Coppery orange, it’s a lean, slightly phenolic wine that feels more like red wine saignée than a rosé-first style. with the slightly firm flavour and a little unripe tomato. It’s just a little firm, really, even though the quality is certainly there.

Best drinking: now. 17/20, 90/100. 13.1%, $24. Would I buy it? A glass.

Pikes Los Compañeros Shiraz Tempranillo 2022

Great colour and joy in this entry into the Pikes Clare Valley range. This is super affable wine too, all purple juiciness in a glossy, medium-bodied, ripe-fruited style that goes light on the tannins and is very much about fruit. Rather simple, drinking is the only trade-off, but bang on for drinkability and value.

Best drinking: over the next five years. 17/20. 90/100. 14.5%, $26. Would I buy it? A glass.

Rising Cabernet Franc 2024

I found myself doing backflips about this wine, even after a day in the fridge. Mrs Ozwinereview weighed in that it was light but not harsh, though, which is important as she is not a fan of hard-edged reds. Anyway, this is Yarra Valley Cab Franc from the Rising Vineyard that walks the peppery Cab Franc herbaceous line, with the full suite of peppery grass-clipping herbal twiggy notes, and a palate that is bright and lucid but also a bit lean. Interestingly, it’s not strictly unripe as there is some proper red fruit on the nose. The twiggy herbs rise up on the finish too. On the one hand, this is refreshing and good quality, but also a challenging wine.

Best drinking: now. 17/20, 90/100. 13%, $38. Would I buy it? A glass.

Soumah Marzemimo 2024

Hanging out my prejudice, I’ve only ever loved Marzemino as a sweet wine (from Colli di Conegliano). This Soumah version is a dry Yarra Valley red. Leafy, ferny and a bit herbal, there is a blackness to the plate that is like cherry jam – quite a counterpoint to the herbs on the nose. For all that ripe feels, this is only medium-bodied, save for late alcohol warmth and some drying tannins. It’s an interesting thing, with depth alone raising the score, but the jury is out on whether it’s a truly congruent wine.

Best drinking: probably better with a few years of bottle age. 17/20, 90/100. 14%, $40. Would I buy it? Probably not.

Soumah Single Vineyard Hexham Chardonnay 2024

The best wines under the Soumah label are Chardonnay, and this is typically a star. This 2024, though, is a curious release. Cinnamon doughnuts was the flavour I couldn’t escape (which I’m pitching as a yeast/reduction element). A big expanse of vanilla and orange and ripe citrus with a wad of candied mandarin and surprisingly obvious oak. It’s quite a wine (hence the silver medal), with weight and length yet not the cohesion and cool of the often lean and very cool previous vintages. It’s like we’re in a different place altogether.

Best drinking: over the next five years. 17/20, 90/100. 13.6%, $52. Would I buy it? A glass.

Soumah Single Vineyard Hexham Pinot Grigio 2024

A riper expression of Pinot Grigio with a chalky pear flush through the middle and a chalky finish. This Yarra valley white is just a little clumsy through the finish, but it feels like a good take on the grape and style.

Best drinking: right now. 17/20, 90/100. 13%, $33. Would I buy it? A glass.

Soumah Single Vineyard Hexham Viognier 2024

This is the little brother to the wine above and interestingly feels more like Viognier. Ginger and peach leaning towards apricot flavour width, but with a fresh finish. It’s a little chewy with a phenolic punch to contrast the more juicy Viognier stone fruit. It’s also a fraction lumpy through the finish, but flavour and intention are pretty good. Solid.

Best drinking: now. 17/20, 90/100. 13.3%, $40. Would I buy it? A glass.

Tokar Estate Chardonnay 2024

Driven by reductive funk, this is a firm and pretty classy Yarra Chardonnay, although the yoghurty sulphur-based character and the slightly sour acidity don’t quite gel. Lemon, whipped butter, lots of funk and a palate that is taut but also peachy, an intersection of flavours that almost comes off.

Best drinking: within the next few years. 17/20, 90/100. 13%, $35. Would I buy it? A glass.

Young Tree Wines Marsanne Roussanne 2023

Pyrenees fruit for this wine. Honey, lemon and hay, with a bit of lemon barley as it fights to get over the oak ferment weight. There’s an easy, generous honeyed wine in there, though it feels a bit weighed down by oak and robs the wine of a little freshness. Nice textural weight though.

Best drinking: now, don’t wait. 17/20, 90/100. 13%, $35. Would I buy it? A glass.