Here’s cheers: Australia’s 52 top wineries of 2020

Australian wine has never been better, despite the trend towards hotter, drier summers. Heat and drought might not be good for yields, but they are conducive to ripeness, richness, flavour and quality.

Earlier harvesting helps, and there’s a move towards lower-alcohol and lighter-bodied wines. The vogue for lighter reds plays into the hands of pinot noir and the likes of gamay and pinot meunier, and we can add grenache to the list with its fruitier, earlier bottled, more refreshing style.

Blends of shiraz and pinot noir are proliferating. Less oaky, lower-alcohol chardonnay is also on trend, while appetising sauvignon blanc and semillon sauvignon blanc blends have held their popularity. Likewise, rosé is a wine for today: our climate, our food, our lifestyle.

Shiraz in its many guises is still clearly the most popular wine in the land. Lighter shiraz fits well with the fashionable spicy styles from cooler climates fermented with stalks, resulting in hip “bunchy” wines – fragrant and fascinating to drink young. Other trends? Italian varieties are hot, especially nebbiolo and fiano. Tasmania is in, too, and everybody’s doing tiny bottlings of multitudes of single-vineyard and single-block wines. More work for professional wine tasters!

This is the third year that wine website The Real Review has created its “Top Wineries of Australia” list. Each year we publish about 10,000 wine reviews, plus numerous articles. Working from the previous 24 months’ reviews, we use the highest-rated wines to produce the rankings. Blind tasting and algorithms ensure the process is objective. Unlike other lists, ours classifies the wineries themselves, not the individual wines.

It’s a great pleasure to partner with Good Weekend to reveal the top 52 of more than 400 wineries on this year’s list. Competition was fierce. Cullen replaces Penfolds at the top, and NSW emerges strongly with Tyrrell’s, Mount Pleasant and Clonakilla in the next three places. Barossa Valley, Yarra Valley and Hunter Valley have all excelled, the Yarra emerging on top of the regions with 10 wineries. The Barossa (including Eden Valley) has seven, the Hunter six and Margaret River four.

New entrants this year are Swinney, from WA’s Great Southern region, in sixth place: a stunning showing from a very exciting emerging producer. Barossa winery Gibson is a big mover, shooting up to 11th spot, while Poonawatta, arguably the best least-known producer in Eden Valley, leapfrogs 40 places to 24th. Exciting young Hunter winemaker Angus Vinden’s Vinden Estate rises to number 22. Less-renowned wineries Hoosegg, Handpicked, Silkman and Levantine Hill rub shoulders with star-studded Henschke, Mount Mary and Yarra Yering.

Next year’s list promises to look very different, thanks to a 2020 harvest disrupted by bushfires, smoke and COVID-19, but some wineries will benefit from our 24-month tasting window. And hopefully with our support, they’ll still be in business.

Cullen, a biodynamic vineyard within the Margaret River wine region in Western Australia.

1. CULLEN

LOCATION: Margaret River, WA.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Sublime chardonnay and the supremely elegant cabernet merlot blend Diana Madeline, named after winemaker Vanya Cullen’s mother.

HUON SAYS: Great biodynamic vineyard making an array of chardonnays and cabernets based on lunar phases, several of which rated very highly. Biodynamic, yes, but it’s the attention to detail and understanding of quality that count. The 2018 vintages of Kevin John Chardonnay and Diana Madeline were stand-outs.

Tyrrell Wines in Pokolbin, Hunter Valley.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

2. TYRRELL'S

LOCATION: Hunter Valley, NSW.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Single-vineyard shiraz and semillon; many of the vineyards are more than 100 years old.

HUON SAYS: Venerable 162-year-old family-owned winery making benchmark regional wines from shiraz, semillon and chardonnay. Tyrrell’s Vat 47 is the original Australian chardonnay. The 2017 shirazes are outstanding, but the re-released 2014 Four Acres Shiraz, Johnno’s Shiraz and Stevens Semillon are the clinchers.

Mount Pleasant in the NSW Hunter Valley is known for its single-vineyard wines from vines dating back to 1880.Credit: Chris Elfes

3. MOUNT PLEASANT

LOCATION: Hunter Valley, NSW.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Classic regional shiraz and semillon, produced from some of the most historic vineyards in the Hunter, Australia’s oldest wine region.

HUON SAYS: Single-block, single-vineyard wines from vines dating back to 1880 offer a thrilling experience, capped off by the brilliant 2017 Maurice O’Shea Shiraz. The 2018 1946 Vines Rosehill Shiraz is magical.

Chief winemaker at Clonakilla, Tim Kirk.

4. CLONAKILLA

LOCATION: Canberra District, ACT.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Its ground-breaking shiraz viognier blend, which had its first vintage in 1992.

HUON SAYS: The 2018 shiraz viognier is a cracking wine, one of winemaker Tim Kirk’s best. Indeed, the entire range is splendid and the pure shiraz labelled “syrah” 2018 is as good as the shiraz viognier. The house style is restrained, elegant, perfumed and very beautiful. The finesse extends to the viognier and riesling 2019.

Yalumba in the Barossa Valley, South Australia.

5. YALUMBA

LOCATION: Barossa Valley, SA.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Refined, minerally Eden Valley rieslings, classic Barossa reds and Australia’s leading advocate of viognier white wines.

HUON SAYS: The top wines tasted were three glorious old tawnies – 21, 30 and 50 years old respectively – as well as Menzies Coonawarra cabernet and Steeple Vineyard Barossa shiraz, both 2014 vintages.

Siblings Matt and Janelle Swinney of Swinney vineyards in the Frankland River region of Western Australia.

6. SWINNEY

LOCATION: Great Southern, WA.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Riesling, shiraz and grenache.

HUON SAYS: A new name to reckon with. The Swinneys aren’t new to vines but the recently launched brand amazed us with its formidable quality. The 2018 syrah and grenache and 2019 riesling are sublime; the top reds, named Farvie, also 2018 vintage, are shockingly good.

Hardys in McLaren Vale, South Australia, are sticklers for blending.

7. HARDYS

LOCATION: McLaren Vale, SA.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Hardys are sticklers for blending. The high-scoring 2017 Eileen Hardy chardonnay is a mix of Yarra Valley and Tasmanian grapes.

HUON SAYS: Hardys is part of one of Australia’s biggest wine companies, Accolade, serving up a diverse and wide portfolio. Top scorers this year were the luscious Rare 20 Year Old muscat, the one-off 165th Anniversary 2014 cabernet shiraz, and the Eileen chardonnay, closely followed by the 2016 Tintara Reserve grenache and the very affordable 2018 HRB pinot noir.

Morris Wines in Rutherglen, Victoria, is known for its fantastic fortifieds: muscats, topaques and tawnies.

8. MORRIS

LOCATION: Rutherglen, Vic.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Its fantastic fortifieds – muscats, topaques and tawnies – which are arguably Rutherglen’s finest.

HUON SAYS: The top five scorers are all fortifieds, Old Premium muscat, topaque and tawny, plus Classic and Cellar Reserve Grand muscats. But its reds are also superb, the 2013 CHM durif and shiraz both right up there.

Lake’s Folly, a family-owned, boutique winery in the Hunter Valley, NSW.

9. LAKE’S FOLLY

LOCATION: Hunter Valley, NSW.

BEST KNOWN FOR: A tiny but mega-premium offering of just two styles: the Bordeaux-inspired red blend, simply named Cabernets, and magnificent chardonnays.

HUON SAYS: Lake’s Folly continues to sit at the pinnacle of Hunter wines. The brace of 2019 chardonnays, the Hill Block and regular Lake’s Folly labels, are thrilling, while the red blend from the stunning 2018 vintage possesses benchmark style and elegance.

Yering Station, Yarra Valley, Victoria.

10. YERING STATION

LOCATION: Yarra Valley, Vic.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Powerful pinot noirs and Reserve shiraz viognier, one of Australia’s greatest such blends.

HUON SAYS: The 2017 vintage was a ripper, and the Reserve shiraz viognier and Scarlett pinot noir of this year share top honours. Reserve labels of chardonnay, pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon also excel. The restrained 2017 Laura Barnes shiraz showed strongly.

Shiraz and shiraz blends are a specialty of Gibson, in South Australia's Barossa Valley.

11. GIBSON

LOCATION: Barossa Valley, SA.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Shiraz and shiraz blends under numerous labels, capped by the 2015 Special Reserve Bin 65 shiraz and 2016 Australian Old Vine Collection shiraz – both dense, plush and succulent.

HUON SAYS: Owner Rob Gibson has lately added a stunning Eden Valley riesling made by ex-Peter Lehmann winemaker Andrew Wigan. The 2019 is outstanding. The 2008 Bin 60 cabernet shiraz, at $300 a bottle, is glorious for those with deep pockets and a love of reds with some maturity.

Henschke, Eden Valley, South Australia.

12. HENSCHKE

LOCATION: Eden Valley, SA.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Iconic Hill of Grace and Mount Edelstone shirazes.

HUON SAYS: Great wines across the board, from innovative Adelaide Hills sparkling blanc de noir to Eden Valley riesling and grenache blends from the Barossa. Top wines include the magnificent 2014 Hill of Grace and 2015 Mount Edelstone. The winningly fragrant 2019 Julius riesling and 2016 The Wheelwright shiraz also shine.

Pooley in the Coal River Valley, Tasmania.Credit: Natalie Mendham

13. POOLEY

LOCATION: Coal River Valley, Tas.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Super-fine riesling, especially Margaret Pooley Tribute 2019, but its chardonnay and pinot noir are rising fast.

HUON SAYS: Notwithstanding the marvellous rieslings and chardonnays, the top scoring wines are two reds, the 2018 J.R.D. syrah, an eye-opening cool-climate shiraz, and a spellbinding 2018 Jack Denis Pooley pinot noir. This is a winery which is blossoming.

The underground cellar at Best's in Victoria's Great Western wine-growing region.

14. BEST’S

LOCATION: Great Western, Vic.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Shiraz, especially the $250 Thomson Family and $85 Bin No. 0, of which the 2017s are sensational.

HUON SAYS: Best’s impressive spread of great wines comes from a handful of vineyards in the one region. These run from riesling to sparkling shiraz, and the hauntingly beautiful 2019 Old Vine Pinot Meunier ($100), made from original vines planted in 1868.

Hoosegg vineyard in Orange, one of many fine wine regions in NSW.Credit: Amy Woodward

15. HOOSEGG

LOCATION: Orange, NSW.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Chardonnay has figured brightly in former Rosemount and Southcorp winemaker Philip Shaw’s distinguished 55-year career, and the legend continues with the super-complex 2017 Seven Heaven chardonnay.

HUON SAYS: The next most arresting wines are the 2017 Mountain Dragon and Jade Moon blends, the former based on merlot, the latter cabernet franc. These are lush and gorgeously balanced with prices to match ($175-$250).

Taylors in South Australia's Clare Valley offers cabernet sauvignon in the hearty Clare style.

16. TAYLORS

LOCATION: Clare Valley, SA.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Cabernet sauvignon in the hearty Clare style, often offering outstanding value for money at the budget end.

HUON SAYS: The year 2014 was a stellar vintage, providing the grapes for its ground-breaking The Legacy cabernet sauvignon, as well as The Visionary cabernet, both of which pushed Taylors up the scoreboard. St Andrews cabernet and shiraz from 2016 also excelled.

Chateau Tanunda in the Barossa Valley, South Australia.

17. CHATEAU TANUNDA

LOCATION: Barossa Valley, SA.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Hearty reds that spotlight the Barossa’s rich heritage of old vines, capped by the herculean 150 Year Old Vines 1858 Field Blend, of grenache, mourvedre and malbec.

HUON SAYS: The Everest grenache and shiraz (2016 vintages were tasted) are the pinnacle of those varieties. There are also Terroir shirazes from Ebenezer, Greenock, Marananga and Eden Valley. A stunning line-up.

Visit Oakridge, in Victoria's Yarra Valley, for exquisite chardonnays.

18. OAKRIDGE

LOCATION: Yarra Valley, Vic.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Exquisite chardonnays from a multitude of individual Yarra Valley vineyards, climaxing with 2017’s 864 Funder & Diamond.

HUON SAYS: The 2018 Hazeldene chardonnay, and the chardonnay and pinot noir from the Henk vineyard, are other stand-outs, but 2018 vintage 864 bottlings of both cabernet and syrah attest to the diverse talents of chief winemaker David Bicknell.

Italian varietals are a speciality at Coriole in McLaren Vale, South Australia. Credit: Isaac Forman

19. CORIOLE

LOCATION: McLaren Vale, SA.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Italian varietals are the speciality, especially sangiovese, fiano, nero d’avola, negroamaro, montepulciano and barbera.

HUON SAYS: The 2018 Italian red varietals are outstanding, but the rich single-vineyard reds also excite our palates, especially the 2016 Lloyd Reserve shiraz from century-old vines. Owner Mark Lloyd is a creative force in the region, pioneering Italian grape varieties, olive oil, cheesemaking, concerts, poetry and theatre among the vines.

Yarra Yering, Yarra Valley, Victoria.

20. YARRA YERING

LOCATION: Yarra Valley, Vic.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Gloriously elegant cabernet blend Dry Red Wine No.1 and spicy shiraz blend Dry Red Wine No. 2 – the 2017s are as good as it gets.

HUON SAYS: Winemaker Sarah Crowe has added a stellar reserve-style Carrodus range based on the original vines: a cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, viognier and pinot noir. Balancing power with elegance, the reds are gorgeous, young, yet also long living if cellared properly.

Mount Mary, a single vineyard estate in the heart of the Yarra Valley, Victoria.

21. MOUNT MARY VINEYARD

LOCATION: Yarra Valley, Vic.

BEST KNOWN FOR: The five-variety cabernet blend Quintet, a Yarra benchmark.

HUON SAYS: The miracle is that the Bordeaux varieties excel in the same diminutive vineyard as the Burgundy grapes. Pinot noir and chardonnay are as remarkable as the Quintet and its white running-mate, Triolet, a sauvignon blanc, semillon, muscadelle melange. All 2017 vintage.

Vinden Estate in the Hunter Valley, NSW.

22. VINDEN ESTATE

LOCATION: Hunter Valley, NSW.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Shiraz and semillon are the standard-bearers, but the tempranillo and chardonnay also wow us.

HUON SAYS: The top label is The Vinden Headcase, limited-volume barrel selections of all four varieties. Vintages sampled were 2017 and 2018, both top Hunter years. Youthful Angus Vinden, assisted by Dan Binet, has emerged as a top winemaker.

Shaun and Liz Silkman at their winery in the Hunter Valley, NSW.

23. SILKMAN

LOCATION: Hunter Valley, NSW.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Multi-award-winning winemaker Liz Silkman excels at shiraz, semillon and chardonnay, especially the Reserve labels, but her Reserve shiraz pinot noir (current vintage 2017) is a ground-breaker.

HUON SAYS: The top 2017 chardonnays, Reserve and Silk, combine smoky, reductive complexity with tightly coiled fruit of great intensity; built to reward cellaring but also accessible young. At $30 a bottle, the 2018 semillon is the value buy: classic but with an extra level of fragrance and textural charm.

Poonawatta in the Eden Valley, South Australia.

24. POONAWATTA

LOCATION: Eden Valley, SA.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Old-vine Eden Valley shiraz is the specialty.

HUON SAYS: Poonawatta should be better known, but there’s little to go around. Centenarian is a 300-bottle edition of the 2010 vintage, a snip at $225. The 2015 1880 shiraz is half as old and half the price. The rieslings, 2019 standard and 2018 Reserve, are superb. The 2015 and 2016 BS shiraz are bargains at $23.

Coldstream Hills in the Yarra Valley, Victoria.

25. COLDSTREAM HILLS

LOCATION: Yarra Valley, Vic.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Pinot noir and chardonnay of consistent quality and elegance, especially Deer Farm chardonnay and pinot noir from a high-altitude site, and Reserve bottlings of both varieties.

HUON SAYS: Andrew Fleming and Greg Jarratt craft a range of polished wines, with the 2018 and 2017 vintages highly successful. The 2018 Reserve chardonnay is full and rich with a flinty note. The 2015 sparkling pinot noir chardonnay also impressed, for its modest price ($35) as well as its quality.

Handpicked, on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, has emerged as a pinot noir and chardonnay specialist.

26. HANDPICKED

LOCATION: Mornington Peninsula, Vic.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Originally fielding a broad range of wines from many regions, Handpicked has emerged as a southern Victorian pinot noir and chardonnay specialist.

HUON SAYS: A relatively new business, established by Chinese-Australian dynamo William Dong, with an innovative cellar door in Sydney’s Chippendale, Handpicked has expanded from being a négociant-style business to having its own winery and vineyards in Mornington and the Yarra. The 2018 Collection pinots from Mornington and Tasmania stood out; also 2017 pinots from Wombat Creek and Capella vineyards. Collection Barossa grenache 2018 is the surprise package.

Wine by Farr, Geelong, Victoria.

27. WINE BY FARR

LOCATION: Geelong, Vic.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Sublime chardonnay and pinot noir, and arguably Australia’s best viognier.

HUON SAYS: The 2018 chardonnay By Farr and Côte Vineyard chardonnay are both exquisite. The 2017 Tout Prés, Sangreal and Côte Vineyard pinots are also impressive, in their distinctive bunchy Farr style, while the 2017 shiraz continues its great form. The Saignée is one of the most characterful rosés anywhere.

TarraWarra Estate, Yarra Valley, Victoria.

28. TARRAWARRA ESTATE

LOCATION: Yarra Valley, Vic.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Very fine chardonnays and pinot noirs, especially under the MDB, Reserve and single-block labels.

HUON SAYS: TarraWarra has recently extended its range to elegant barbera, nebbiolo, shiraz and an exemplary roussanne marsanne viognier blend. The 2017 vintage is exceptional across the board. The merlot and rosé are also among the best money can buy.

Wynns Coonawarra Estate, Coonawarra, South Australia.

29. WYNNS COONAWARRA ESTATE

LOCATION: Coonawarra, SA.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Pristine cabernet sauvignon.

HUON SAYS: In Coonawarra, there’s Wynns, and then there’s the rest. Standout wines this year were 2016 vintages of the flagship John Riddoch cabernet and Michael shiraz, but the 2015 Messenger cabernet and 2016 V&A Lane cabernet shiraz also delighted. The less-pricey labels are always great value.

Levantine Hill, Yarra Valley, Victoria.

30. LEVANTINE HILL

LOCATION: Yarra Valley, Vic.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Idiosyncratic pinot noir, shiraz and cabernet sauvignon, produced in winemaker Paul Bridgeman’s very personal style, involving a lot of whole-bunch fermentation.

HUON SAYS: The wines are as superb as they are individualistic. The 2016 Samantha’s Paddock Bordeaux-style red blend and Colleen’s Paddock pinot noir, at $200 each, are extraordinary. Rosé, chardonnay and bubbly are close behind.

The tasting room at Penfolds, Barossa Valley, South Australia.

31. PENFOLDS

LOCATION: Barossa Valley, SA.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Grange, RWT shiraz, Bin 707 cabernet, St Henri, Yattarna chardonnay, Bin 389 cabernet shiraz – where do we stop?

HUON SAYS: Australia’s most famous wine brand celebrated its 175th anniversary with a new blockbuster Clare/Barossa shiraz, 2016 Bin 111A, and a very smart 2015 Grange. The 2017 RWT is a knockout, as are the 2017 Bin 169 Coonawarra cabernet and 2017 Reserve Bin A chardonnay. With chief winemaker Peter Gago at the helm, there is never a false step.

Giant Steps, Yarra Valley, Victoria.

32. GIANT STEPS

LOCATION: Yarra Valley, Vic.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Pinot noir, chardonnay and shiraz, but the 2018 Harry’s Monster, a plush berryish cabernet blend, equal top-billed this year.

HUON SAYS: Individual vineyards Sexton, Applejack, Tarraford and Wombat Creek – and more recently Nocton in Tasmania – supply a welter of stunning wines of great consistency and site clarity.

Howard Park, Margaret River, Western Australia.

33. HOWARD PARK

LOCATION: Margaret River, WA.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Cabernet, the flagship the 2016 Abercrombie, although it’s been joined at the top by A.S.W cabernet shiraz. The 2017 is a beauty.

HUON SAYS: Even the lower-priced 2016 cabernet sauvignons Leston and Scotsdale wowed us, while the highest scorer overall was the sublime 2018 Allingham chardonnay. The 2019 Porongurup riesling is mentioned last only because of so many other great wines.

Yangarra, McLaren Vale, South Australia.

34. YANGARRA

LOCATION: McLaren Vale, SA.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Wonderful Rhône-style varietals and blends, grown in the highest part of the region. While the 2016 Ironheart shiraz is amazing, the 2016 High Sands grenache is its equal.

HUON SAYS: The newer addition 2017 Kings Wood is a more affordable shiraz at $50. The Rhône theme extends to roussanne, mourvèdre and blends. The base-label shiraz, grenache, mourvèdre and roussanne are fantastic value at about $35 a bottle, all scoring very highly.

Sittella Wines is a small family winery in Western Australia's Swan Valley.

35. SITTELLA 

LOCATION: Swan Valley, WA.

BEST KNOWN FOR: A small family winery, established in 1998, making outstanding sparkling wines sourced from cool Pemberton. The top choice is the 2015 vintage Marie Christien Lugten pinot noir chardonnay.

HUON SAYS: The 2018 chardonnay and 2016 Berns Reserve cabernet sauvignon, grown in Margaret River, and 2017 Coffee Rock shiraz from the Swan are worthy stablemates. Limited-edition T3 red blends are also worth sniffing out.

Mark Walpole at Fighting Gully Road in Beechworth, Victoria. The elevated region is a good spot for sangiovese.

36. FIGHTING GULLY ROAD

LOCATION: Beechworth, Vic.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Italian varieties are the speciality of the vineyard and a special love of owner Mark Walpole.

HUON SAYS: Sangiovese and aglianico under several labels, and a rosé which blends the two, figured highly. Walpole has a light touch that allows the varietal signatures to shine through. Chardonnay, from the established Smith vineyard, is another stand-out.

Will Byron (at left) and Mike Symons from Stonier, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria.

37. STONIER

LOCATION: Mornington Peninsula, Vic.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Chardonnay and pinot noir, appearing each year under a varied array of single-vineyard labels.

HUON SAYS: The key to the Stonier style is finesse and consistency, provided by long-serving chief winemaker Mike Symons. Don’t look for dark-coloured, powerful pinots but fragrant, beautiful wines. The 2019 KBS Vineyard wines, both pinot and chardonnay, are stunners.

Soumah is one of the more recent entries into the top circle of Yarra Valley wineries.

38. SOUMAH

LOCATION: Yarra Valley, Vic.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Pinot noir, chardonnay and viognier from its Hexham vineyard, the top label Equilibrio. The 2018 chardonnay is the star act.

HUON SAYS: Soumah is one of the more recent entries into the top circle of Yarra wineries. It’s based at Gruyere in the Warramate foothills. An Italian bent is provided by nebbiolo, barbera, brachetto and pinot grigio, while the Savarro is one of the best savagnins going around.

Pepper Tree in the Hunter Valley, NSW.Credit: Chris Elfes

39. PEPPER TREE

LOCATION: Hunter Valley, NSW.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Coquun, a first nations’ name for the Hunter River, is Pepper Tree’s top shiraz and the 2018 is its highest-scoring wine.

HUON SAYS: Owner John Davis, a former geologist, has vineyards in Orange and Wrattonbully as well as the Hunter, and makes fine wine from each. They often carry geological names: Alluvius is the top semillon, with the 2018 and 2019 super-fine examples. Two 2016 Wrattonbully cabernets, P.J.P and Block 21A , are also impressive.

Crittenden Estate, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria.

40. CRITTENDEN ESTATE

LOCATION: Mornington Peninsula, Vic.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot gris.

HUON SAYS: Notwithstanding the quality of the former, the two top wines this year are both left-field examples made from the rare savagnin grape. The 2015 Cri de Coeur, a sherry-like “sous voile” version, modelled on Jura’s Vin Jaune, must be tasted to be believed.

Woodlands, Margaret River, Western Australia, was established in 1973 and is still going strong.

41. WOODLANDS

LOCATION: Margaret River, WA.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Cabernet sauvignon, one of the region’s best, named after a family member each year: the 2016 ($135) is Clementine Eloise.

HUON SAYS: The Watson family established this vineyard in Wilyabrup in 1973. Today, sons Stuart and Andrew do the heavy lifting. The 2016 Margaret Reserve cabernet merlot malbec is a beaut, and there are several variations on Bordeaux red blends, but don’t forget the Chloe Reserve chardonnay, the 2018 is magnificent.

Shaw + Smith, Adelaide Hills, South Australia.

42. SHAW + SMITH

LOCATION: Adelaide Hills, SA.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Stunning chardonnays and pinot noirs from its Lenswood vineyard, while the consistently smart sauvignon blanc is the market leader in its price range.

HUON SAYS: The wines that clinch it are the high-altitude 2018 Lenswood pair, but even more impressive is the 2017 Balhannah Vineyard Shiraz.

Go to Duke's Vineyard, Great Southern, Western Australia, for fragrant, cool-climate riesling.

43. DUKE’S VINEYARD

LOCATION: Great Southern, WA.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Fragrant, cool-climate riesling under the Magpie Hill Reserve label.

HUON SAYS: The 10-hectare vineyard is in the very cool, southerly, granite-soil Porongurup subregion. The 2019 Magpie Hill Reserve riesling is the standard-bearer, but the reds, cabernet and shiraz, under the same Magpie Hill label, are today neck and neck for line honours. The 2018 vintage of both helped get Duke’s onto the list this year.

Managing directors Martin Shaw (left) and Michael Hill Smith at Tolpuddle Vineyard, Coal River Valley, Tasmania.

44. TOLPUDDLE

LOCATION: Coal River Valley, Tas.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Just two wines – chardonnay and pinot noir – but what wines they are!

HUON SAYS: Established in 1988, this vineyard was bought in 2011 by Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith, the guys behind South Australia’s famed Shaw + Smith label, as a hedge against global warming. They immediately made superb wine. Chardonnay, naturally, is the headline act, pinot being more difficult. But in 2018, both are outstanding.

Mount Langi Ghiran Vineyards, The Grampians, Victoria.

45. MOUNT LANGI GHIRAN

LOCATION: The Grampians, Vic.

BEST KNOWN FOR: The most peppery shiraz in all Australia.

HUON SAYS: The 2017 Langi shiraz, from the original vines, is arguably the best of this very impressive lineage. The Mast shiraz 2017, named after former owner-winemaker Trevor Mast, is a more restrained alter ego to the Langi, and 2017 Talus is the latest addition to the shiraz portfolio, fitting between the two others in style.

Yeringberg in the Yarra Valley, Victoria.

46. YERINGBERG

LOCATION: Yarra Valley, Vic.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Superb wines across the range, but the cabernet-led Bordeaux blend, just labelled Yeringberg, stands out.

HUON SAYS: The Yeringberg red blend is great in 2017, beaten only by a one-off straight 2017 cabernet sauvignon, commemorating the de Pury family’s 350-year anniversary in the business. These are wines of effortless purity.

Robert Stein Vineyard, Mudgee, NSW.

47. ROBERT STEIN

LOCATION: Mudgee, NSW.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Benchmark rieslings, led by 2019 Dry riesling, but Jacob Stein has also crafted a more elegant Mudgee red style.

HUON SAYS: The flagship red, The Kinnear shiraz 2016, is worth mentioning, but for consistent quality in a region better known for reds, the riesling range of four different labels merits special praise.

Eldorado Road, Beechworth, Victoria.

48. ELDORADO ROAD

LOCATION: Beechworth, Vic.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Arguably Australia’s best nero d’avola, and the 2018, branded Comrade, is right on song.

HUON SAYS: Rich reds are the forté, with 2018 Onyx durif topping the score sheet, and 2017 Perseverance shiraz, from old vines at Glenrowan, also impressing, while the buttery 2018 Beechworth chardonnay is sublime – its best white wine to date.

Torbreck Vintners in the Barossa Valley is known for its "big reds".

49. TORBRECK VINTNERS

LOCATION: Barossa Valley, SA.

BEST KNOWN FOR: RunRig, a statuesque shiraz with a dash of viognier.

HUON SAYS: A bevy of lush shirazes did the job: 2017 RunRig and Descendant, 2018 The Struie and The Gask, and finally 2015 The Laird, one of Australia’s most expensive wines. Always “big reds”, they are now more stylish than ever.

If you're into great chardonnay, head to Giaconda, Beechworth, Victoria.

50. GIACONDA

LOCATION: Beechworth, Vic.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Arguably Australia’s greatest chardonnay.

HUON SAYS: The 2017 Estate chardonnay packs as much complex flavour into a bottle as any chardonnay on earth. Its next chardonnay, Nantua, is almost as good in 2018. The two shirazes, Estate 2017 and Warner 2016, are ripping wines, too.

Riesling rules at Frankland Estate, Great Southern, Western Australia.

51. FRANKLAND ESTATE

LOCATION: Great Southern, WA.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Riesling, riesling and more riesling!

HUON SAYS: After blazing a red-hot trail with riesling (the original aptly named Isolation Ridge), Isolation Ridge shiraz and Olmo’s Reward (cabernet franc, merlot, cabernet sauvignon blend) are now in the same exalted class.

Vasse Felix, Margaret River, Western Australia.

52. VASSE FELIX

LOCATION: Margaret River, WA.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Statuesque, ageworthy cabernet sauvignon and powerful, grapefruity chardonnay.

HUON SAYS: Dr Tom Cullity was the first to plant a vineyard in the region, 53 years ago, so it’s fitting the 2016 Tom Cullity cabernet malbec led the field this year with the 2018 Heytesbury chardonnay. Both are great examples of regional styles.

Correction: the original version of this story said Penfolds celebrated its 140th anniversary last year. It was its 175th birthday.

For the Top Wineries of Australia full list, go to therealreview.com

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