Best Australian red wines under $40
Australia’s premier wine critic James Halliday has selected the very best value Australian red wines on the market – and it includes a ‘beautifully-balanced bargain’.
It was a strong year for more affordable Australian wines, with high scores in the Halliday’s Top 100 handed out to varietals hailing from across the nation.
South Australia’s Adelaide Hills region again garnered the most spots in the list, with noteworthy inclusions from Macedon Ranges in Victoria, the Canberra District and Hilltops in NSW, and the ever-present Hunter Valley.
Also of note are the lesser known varieties in the local market – like sangiovese, barbera and mencia.
HALLIDAY'S TOP 100
Drink like James Halliday with this offer
The Australian Wine Club is offering a mixed dozen from James Halliday’s Top 100 - including a 99-point sensation - for $27.99 a bottle. Find out more.
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Best Australian red wines under $40
Australia’s premier wine critic James Halliday has selected the very best value Australian red wines on the market – and it includes a ‘beautifully-balanced bargain’.
PINOT NOIR
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Castle Rock Estate Porongurup Pinot Noir 2022
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This puts Castle Rock into the top echelon with those cool climate regions in eastern Australia. The colour is superb, the bouquet and mouth-filling palate a symphony of strawberry and red cherry fruits, spices of every hue, and a peacock’s tail opening on the finish and aftertaste.
97 points, $40, 13.5% alcohol
Drink to 2033
castlerockestate.com.au
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Sidewood Estate Adelaide Hills Shiraz 2022
Fashioned from 12 different, estate-grown clones, fermented in small batches and matured for 18 months in French oak (30% new). Black cherries are at the centre of this beautifully poised wine. It’s first class, and at a derisory low price.
■ 96 points, $26, 14% alcohol
■ Drink to 2042
■ sidewood.com.au
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The fruit for this full-bodied, black-fruited shiraz comes from different soils: red Cambrian or decomposed granite. It’s a no-nonsense wine, the drive as straight as a die, a touch sharpish now, but the overall balance gives confidence for the years to come.
■ 95 points, $28, 14.5% alcohol
■Drink to 2033
■ paulosickawines.com.au
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This is a totally beautiful wine, as fresh as a spring day. It points the way for newcomers, be they winemakers or consumers. There’s nothing demi here, nothing left undone, nor overdone. There’s just enough edge to the pepper and the posy of fruits.
■ 96 points, $33, 13.2% alcohol
■ Drink to 2032
■ syrahmi.com.au
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A 60/40% blend ex-40-year-old vines, the ’21 vintage playing its part. Open-fermented for 8 to 10 days, finished in American oak; matured for 20 months in American and French barriques. The wine is a flood of dark fruit pulsating through to the finish.
■ 94 points, $22, 14.5% alcohol
■ Drink to 2031
■ lakebreeze.com.au
GRENACHE AND BLENDS
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An evocative, indeed perfumed wine that speaks in a loud Voice of its place in the world of grenache. One of the leaders in the bush vine grenache game: this is a fragrant and superbly balanced wine, a melting pot of all things red.
■ 96 points, $33, 14% alcohol
■ Drink to 2037
■ chapelhillwine.com.au
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Head Old Vine Barossa Grenache 2022
Hand-picked from 80-year-old Krondorf and 163-year-old Springton vines; foot-trodden, hand-plunged, matured in large-format oak. The bouquet is fragrant, with exotic spices showing the way, the palate juicy, laden with purple fruits. Silky tannins simply add to the flavour.
■96 points, $40, 14.5% alcohol
■ Drink to 2029
■ headwines.com.au
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Chapel Hill The Parson McLaren Vale Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre 2021
Wow. Isn’t this a bargain? It’s juicy, it’s silky, it’s beautifully balanced. It’s so fresh on the finish. All three varieties have their say; it’s a house special, so watch for the ’22.
■ 94 points, $18, 14% alcohol
■ Drink to 2031
■ chapelhillwine.com.au
Charles Melton La Belle Mère Barossa GSM 2021
A delicious rendition of a style that has blossomed over the past 10 to 20 years, here gaining an extra degree in an excellent vintage. Winemaker Charlie Melton has been a leader of the pack from the start, and intends to keep it there.
■ 96 points, $32, 14.5% alcohol
■ Drink to 2025
■ charlesmeltonwines.com.au
CABERNET SAUVIGNON AND BLENDS
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A hand-picked 59/28% blend (with small amounts of cabernet franc and petit verdot) of destemmed, whole berries, 10 to 14 days on skins; matured for nine months in used French barriques. It’s succulent and juicy, awash with cassis, soft tannins quietly holding the wine’s shape.
■ 94 points, $30, 13.5% alcohol
■ Drink to 2030
■ frasergallopestate.com.au
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Estate-grown mature vines, a very good vintage, and the 25-year track record of Press come together to produce wines at rock-bottom prices. Here cassis and black cherry fruit, and integrated oak ex-18 months in French and American oak, all glide along the palate.
■ 92 points, $16, 14.2% alcohol
■ Drink to 2030
■ mikepresswines.com.au
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This enchanting cabernet has been produced from a blend of sites on the estate vineyard, including a planting from 1975. It has a flawlessly rich palate with abundant blackcurrant fruit embraced by integrated French oak and ripe tannins.
■ 96 points, $35, 14% alcohol
■ Drink to 2047
■ foresthillwines.com.au
Picked mid-April; cold-soaked three days; post ferment 14 days on skins; matured in French barriques (30% new, balance 1-2 years old). A high-quality wine at this price, everything in balance: cassis and a dressing of fine tannins.
■ 96 points, $40, 14.2% alcohol
■ Drink to 2041
■ singlefilewines.com
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Bleasdale Vineyards Frank Potts Langhorne Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec Petit Verdot Merlot Cabernet Franc 2021
This is a 68/17/8/6/1% blend. A very complex wine that has no need of time, thanks to its balance, texture and length. It is an outstanding achievement and offers equally exceptional value for money.
■ 97 points, $35, 13.5% alcohol
■ Drink to 2041
■ bleasdale.com.au
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From three estate blocks; a warm ferment extracts colour and softens tannins; matured for 14 months in used Troncais oak. It is an irresistible sangiovese, with an ethereal play of sour through to crystallised cherry and Turkish delight; lingers long on the lips.
■ 95 points, $29, 13.8% alcohol
■ Drink to 2030
■ pizzini.com.au
Don’t be put of by the light (and clear) colour, just revel in the perfumed red berries and flowers, and the mouth-watering, lipsmacking tension of the palate and incredibly long finish and aftertaste.
■ 95 points, $32, 13% alcohol
■ Drink to 2032
■ ravensworthwines.com.au
Includes 5% colorino, an old Chianti variety. The wine spent 28 days on skins, then matured in Italian-coopered large casks. Bright, clear crimson colour; it has a delicious sour cherry, raspberry and black pepper blend, the palate harmonious, juicy, and as fresh as a daisy.
■ 96 points, $35, 13.5% alcohol
■ Drink to 2032
■ fightinggully.com.au
OTHER VARIETALS
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Barbera is widely planted in Piedmont, but only has a toehold in Australia. Deep but bright crimson-purple hue. Comes from a single block. The expressive bouquet of dark berries and violets heralds a sumptuous, velvety and utterly satisfying palate, the finish and aftertaste fresh and alive.
■ 96 points, $38, 14% alcohol
■ Drink to 2041
■ mordrellewines.com.au
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DogRock Grampians Pyrenees Touriga Nacional 2022
Harvested mid-April after a perfect lead up to vintage, the only addition a touch of estate shiraz to bolster the mid-palate. The brilliant crimson hue tells its own tale of a fresh, spicy red-berried light- to medium-bodied palate.
■94 points, $30, 12.5% alcohol
■ Drink to 2027
■ dogrock.com.au
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Varney Mencia 2023
A variety on the rise in Spain and Portugal. Bright colour; a haunting herbal/dark cupboard bouquet is swiftly dealt with by the medium- to full-bodied palate anchored by dusty tannins, and that Varney touch of freshness on the finish.
■ 95 points, $36, 13.7% alcohol
■ Drink to 2038
■ varneywines.com.au