A classical, restrained, medium to full-bodied blend of tempranillo and grenache that delivers charming Old World savoury style. A musky perfume of rose petals, dark cherries, redcurrants and fiery eastern spice precedes a spotlessly clean, firmish and fine-grained palate whose moderately rich core of fruit culminates in a savoury finish of spice and red licorice. The last twelve months has seen it flesh out considerably into an artfully balanced, elegant and yet sumptuously flavoured red of excellent quality.

Let this wine open a little and marvel at what $30 can still buy you. Heady and musky, with a fiery bouquet of red berries, plums and redcurrants backed by suggestions of cedar, graphite and eastern spice, it’s medium in weight but delivers surprising intensity and texture. Underpinned by a slatey spine, its generous dark fruit drives long and persistent, while the finish is stylish and savoury. What a package!

A long, smooth and seamless, faintly rustic (in a positive sense) shiraz whose meaty presence of brambly blackberries, blackcurrants and blueberries is underpinned by a fine, slatey spine. Its meaty, spicy fragrance of vivacious dark fruits reveals notes of chocolatey oak, cracked pepper and a charming earthiness, while it finishes long and and licorice-like. It’s varietally correct, but has much in common with good pinot, and should flesh out over the medium term.

Genius winemaking and a superbly managed site has created the best Swan Valley red in decades. Laced with fiery scents of paprika and eastern spice, its heady bouquet of dark violet-like floral notes, blackberries, dark plums, briar and dark chocolates reveals a hint of roasting meats. It’s sumptuous and bloody, long and mouthfilling, unfolding a smooth core of dark, perfectly ripened fruits framed by firmish fine tannins before finishing with softness, savoury qualities and a lingering note of licorice.