DE BORTOLI WINES The Estate Vineyard Dixons Creek Cabernet, Yarra Valley

COSSE MAISON NEUVE Le Combal, Cahors Rouge 100% Malbec. Pure, pristine fruit produced a clean, detailed wine that has all the drinkability of Malbec. The fruit for this wine was sourced from 3 ha 30+ year old vines planted on terraces of clay, gravel and siliceous soil. The vineyards are farmed organically, yielding approximately 45 hl/ha. The juice is vinified in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. The ferment is pumped over and this occurs for 15 days to around 3 weeks. The wine then spends 12 months in barrels before being bottled without filtering.

DOMAINE MERIEAU Le Bois Jacou Gamay, Touraine, Loire

DCB Wines Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley The entry-level Pinot from Chris Bendle is made to be enjoyed. Details below are for interest only. The fruit for this Pinot (MV6 clone) is sourced from two vineyards one in Kangaroo Ground and the other Woori Yallock. Or as you may know them, the northernmost and southernmost points of the Yarra Valley. Both areas ripen at around the same time but their soil profiles are markedly different. The fruit was treated almost identically from harvest but kept separate. Chilled then destemmed, kept in tank for 48 hours before being pressed onto seasoned oak with around 18 days on skins. The wine was racked then bottled. Pure, simple pleasure.

This wine is fun… spicy nose of anise and dark berries. The palate has dark plums and cherries with a juicy centre. A back palate of crushed cherries linger.

In the glass: Youthful red purple. On the nose: Vibrant and grapey dark berry fruit lift. On the palate: Fresh and fleshy, yet dry and savoury at the same time, showing ripe curranty fruit characters, leather and cola notes and some meaty complexity. This all makes for an interesting food-friendly style of Touriga.