Stockist/Retailer: Flagship Wines

(2025) Fruit for this comes mostly from the maritime Wilyabrup sub-region. A small proportion spent nine months in new French oak hogsheads and barriques, the remainder in one year and older American and French barriques. Ruby/garnet in colour, there's a ripe plum and mulberry character here, a bit of a fruit compote character with any oak influence in the background. In the mouth lovely sweet and supple black fruit fills the mid-palate, the freshness of the acidity propels it, filled in beneath by some grippy tannin and a hint of cocoa.

(2025) The flagship dry white wine of Disznókő is a blend of 90% Furmint and 10% Hárslevelű. It is fermented in 225- and 500-litre barrels of Hungarian oak, only about 10% new oak. After around two months in oak it transfers to tank for further ageing. Pale lemon in colour, there's an absolutely pristine quality to this, a hint of exotic perfume - lychee and mango - but pure and glacial overall. In the mouth that ripeness, again quite exotic, definitely peachy, fills the mid palate before a phalanx of acidity and oak spice tingles on the finish. There appears to be no UK retail stockist of this 2023, but the quoted stockist has an earlier vintage at time of review.

(2025) Harvested from heritage bush vine vines dating back as far as 1920, this is always a lovely wine. Creamy, pulpy red fruits dominate the aromatics, over spices and a violet note. A very positive bouquet leads on to a similarly plush and ripe palate. Red fruit still dominates, with nicely tart berry acidity, and a little hint of more chocolaty, rich depth. Tannins are quite firm, but have a silky ripeness for a full, but quite charming wine.

(2024) From Tasmania's Pipers River region in the north of the island, soils are red basalt and this wine was matured in French oak barriques (24% new). The estate was purchased by the Hill-Smith Family who also own Jansz, one of Tasmania's top sparkling wine producers. Garnet in colour, it has real Pinosity with a sappy, autumnal truffly character over cherry and raspberry fruit. Some chocolate and spicy oak notes add complexity. In the mouth it walks a line between fresh, raspberry-like keen fruit and something more luxurious and dark, soft, sweet and plush tannins and cherry acidity keeping it fresh into a moderately long and spicy finish.

(2024) A very attractive wine from Nelson on the tip of the South Island, this comes from the stony Edens Road and Brightwater vineyards, around 15km from the ocean. It has plenty of exotic perfume, touching lychee and mango, a light smokiness and a squirt of grapefruit. On the palate it is that mango into peach that dominates, a wine that is easy to drink and though dry with only 1.6g/l of residual sugar, has a relatively soft, medium-acid drinkability.

(2023) Grenache, Cinsault, and Tibouren is the blend, typical of the Golfe de St Tropez where vineyards sit on red clay and limestone, with some elevation. Grapes are harvested at night to preserve freshness. It has quite an intense nose, of cherry lips and  strawberry, and a little suggestion of salty minerals. In the mouth concentrated and peachy, with small intense red berries and quite a decisive pithy acidity. Full flavoured and concentrated style, perhaps best with food.

(2022) A third wine from the Helderberg, mostly from estate fruit with a little contract fruit in the blend, it spent 19 months in French oak barrels (40% new). A lovely little whiff of peppery herbal character here, before copious black fruit that is firm and savoury, touched by olive and polished wood. In the mouth plenty of blackcurrant and spicy Asian dried plum giving more savouriness. A very firm edge to tannins and acidity on this one, just softened by a little mocha character from the barrel, and a long, fruit-dominated finish.

(2021) A small proportion of this is aged in Acacia wood barrels, which perhaps adds to the intense florality of the nose, a really expressive take on Viognier that verges on Gewürztraminer aromatics, and makes sense of the pairing with the Te Whare Ra 'Toru'. In the mouth it is rich in texture and full of luscious fruit, moving into pineapple from apricot. There is acidity here, but I confess the whole thing feels just a little heavy in the mouth.

(2021) From the coastal-influenced and relatively cool Pinot country of the Russian River Valley, this wine was matured in French oak barrels, 35% new. It has a lovely spice and aromat nose, infused with the mocha coffee of the barrels, but delightful fruit too, little earth and truffle aromas adding complexity. The palate has a more raspberry-like, firm juiciness of fruit, but then that density of chocolate weight and creamy tannins, with finely-balanced acidity extends the finish with its fresh edge. Watch the video for food matching suggestions and more information.

(2020) Yalumba was the first producer of Viognier in Australia that really impressed me many years ago with a wine called 'Virgilius'. That wine will now set you back more than £30 per bottle, so I'm delighted to find this excellent example from the same region (The Eden Valley), made by the same winemaker, Louisa Rose, made with some barrel fermentation and wild yeasts, giving a similar character to its big brother. Aromas of lychee and jasmine dominate over peach and apricot, then the palate is powerful and broad, lots of grip and fruit weight and texture, a bite of graperfuit or marmalade orange bittersweet acidity into a long, intense finish. Watch the video for more information and food-matching ideas.