Of the thousands of table wines made in Australia today, I have allocated a highest possible Wine Ranking of 1 to a mere sixteen. These are the wines that time and again perform to the highest standard. Each has its particular stamp, its special quality and personal identity. To a major degree, each wine reflects the character of the individual or company whose name it carries. Each certainly reflects vintage variation from year to year, usually without compromising the special qualities associated with the label. I believe these are the modern benchmarks, the wines against which others can be measured. As a group they are continually improving, but together they define the limits of contemporary Australian wine. Bannockburn Serr̩ Pinot Noir An astonishingly deep and complex wine from a close-planted vineyard within Bannockburn’s vineyard near Geelong, made to Gary Farr’s own interpretation of the Burgundian ideal with obvious whole bunch fermentation influences that need significant time to integrate. Bass Phillip Reserve Pinot Noir Australia’s best and longest-living pinot noir: a frustratingly rare, full orchestra wine capable of stunning evolution and expression. From Gippsland, by Phillip Jones. Best’s Thomson Family Shiraz Sourced from some of Australia’s oldest shiraz vines, this wine is about intensity and purity of dark spicy fruit, style, elegance and a wonderfully tight-knit and fine-grained backbone. Cullen Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot An essay in concentration and refinement from Margaret River, but not without its power and presence. The piercing intensity, classically refined structure and enormous potential of Vanya Cullen’s premier wine leaves little to the imagination. Giaconda Chardonnay My pick as Australia’s finest chardonnay, extraordinarily structured and complete, expressing a heritage more Burgundian than Australian. From Rick Kinzbrunner at Beechworth in Victoria. Grosset Polish Hill A modern icon in Australian wine, Jeffrey Grosset’s standout Clare Valley Riesling stretches the limits of what this most traditional of Australian varieties is able to achieve. Henschke Hill of Grace In a country full of spectacular single vineyard shiraz wines, Steven Henschke’s signature wine from this individual Eden Valley vineyard has consistently been the best and most important. Katnook Estate Odyssey A superlative modern Coonawarra cabernet reserve label from one of the region’s star makers. Odyssey is luxuriant in its expression of pure, dark fruit and is sumptuously but carefully oaked. Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay At the forefront of Australian chardonnay since its first vintage in 1980, this luscious and long-living Margaret River wine has been for many palates the real ‘white Grange’. Mount Mary Cabernet ‘Quintet’ An inspiration by John Middleton in Victoria’s Yarra Valley. The nearest Australian wine to a premier Bordeaux red and a global standard in its own right. Recent vintages are brilliant. Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon Penfolds’ most eloquent expression of cabernet sauvignon. A multi-regional blend representing the pick of Penfolds’ entire South Australian cabernet crop and matured in new American oak. Penfolds Grange Australia’s definitive red wine, a model of style and consistency ever since 1951. Based on Barossa shiraz, with contributions from other regions and small amounts of cabernet sauvignon. Petaluma Chardonnay Brian Croser’s intellectual approach to chardonnay pays dividends in a tightly crafted, complex and sophisticated wine sourced from a variety of ‘distinguished sites’ in the Piccadilly Valley. Petaluma Coonawarra While its regional origins may be the subject of present debate, there’s no denying that with the release of the 1997 and 1998 vintages, Petaluma’s Coonawarra has joined the elite. Petaluma Tiers Chardonnay There have now been five releases of this single-vineyard chardonnay, sourced from the mature block immediately above Petaluma winery. It’s very restrained, exceptionally long and mineral, with a surprisingly concentrated core of explosive fruit. Pierro Chardonnay The role model for so many of Australia’s more opulent and hedonistically proportioned chardonnays, this stunning expression of Margaret River chardonnay is made by Mike Peterkin.
