Peter's Pick

2006 Mike Press Wines Cabernet Suavignon, Adelaide Hills, $12

Mike Press is hardly a household name, yet he's been making wine for the big boys for more than 40 years.  He moved to the Adelaide Hills to grow grapes 10 years ago, then started his own winery.  This is a classic cool-climate cabernet with ripe blackcurrant and mulberry aromas, a hint of dry toast and a pleasant leafy note.  The plalte is soft and gentle, and the fruit shines through unemcumbered by excessive oak or alcohol.  In a wine market dominated by expensive 'wanna-be' icons, this is well made and excellent value.

2008 Logan Mosacto, Orange, $20

Peter Logan chose gewurztraminer grapes rather than the white muscat varieties used by other winemakers.  However, he has halted the fermentation midway, leaving just 9% alcohol and a pleasing level of CO2.  The result is a fresh, bright and grapey little gem.  The exotic, floral aromatics are of rambutan, lychee, passionfruit and pineapple with the palate adding pear, white peach and ginger to the already crammed fruit basket.  A slash of razor sharp acidity quells the residual sweetness.  Serve well chilled.

2008 Pikes Traditionale Riesling, Clare Valley, $25

Neil Pike is one of the Clare Valley's unsung heroes, making incredible rieslings year in and year out.  The fact that his brother, Andrew, keeps an eye on the vineyards makes Neil's job somewhat easier.  The cool 2008 vintage spawned a swath of classic Clare rieslings and the Pike's Traditionale is no exception.  It has fine floral aromas of orange blossom, Burnbrae apple and freshly squeezed lime, and intense flavours in a similar vein, with a seam of minerality and a finely focussed finale.

2006 Martin Codax Burgans Albarino, Rias Biaxas (Spain) $17

This entry-level albarino, exclusive to Vintage Cellars, exhibits all the classic characteristics of an exciting grape variety with its homeland in Galicia on the Atlantic coast of Spain.  The aromas are fresh and bright with lots of white peach, pink lady apple and lemon blossom with a hint of musk stick.  The palate is clean and straightforward but it's the texture that's really exciting - rich yet not heavy, creamy yet still crisp, it carries a little sweetness with aplomb.  The finish is clean with a touch fo smoke-flint and lemon zest.

1989 Chateau Suduiraut Premier Cru Classé de Sauternes, Bordeaux (France), $125/375ml

Suduiraut is one of the most deliciously accessible Sauternes and this little charmer comes direct from the Chateau's cellars.  It's from an excellent Sauternes vintage, mid-gold in colour with flashes of green.  The bouquet is enticing with fresh apricot, mango, poached quince and toffee and a lift of star anis and beeswax.  The palate has a tantalizing balance of freshness and vitality - the inherent richness cut by a slash of acid, leaving the mouth clean and bright way beyond the final swallow.

2006 Trinity Hill Homage Syrah, Hawkes Bay, A$145/NZ$120

This dense yet stylish syrah was named Champion Wine at the 2007 Air New Zealand Wine Awards.  The grapes were drawn from a low-yielding plot on the famed Gimblett Gravels, then a splotch of viognier was added to give the wine a perfumed lift and silky texture.  Dark plum, blueberry and black cherry aromas greet the nose with a background of licorice and dried herbs.  The textural richness is amazing.  The finish is tight and tense, lingering for minutes after the last delicious sip.