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Best Buy Wines (June/July 09): $20 and under

2008 Clos Pierre Pinot Noir, Vic, A$20
The irrepressible young(ish) Burgundian winemaker Pierre Naigeon has been leaping onto that long-haul flight each year for the past few vintages to make wine in Australia. His latest pinot is right on the money: quite dark in colour, it smells of stewed plums, tastes snappy, is slightly – refreshingly – tart and finishes dry. It is crying out for a plump little quail, grilled until pink and moistened with lemon juice. And it comes in at $20 because it’s an exclusive to the ever-expanding Dan Murphy’s chain of liquor superstores. MA

2008 Bloodwood Big Men in Tights Rosé, Orange, A$16
If you haven’t checked out the Bloodwood website or read the Bloodwood Bible, do yourself a favour. You may not know anymore about this delicious pink but you’ll have smiled along the way. The allusion in the title is to the Cohen brothers earlier film, Barton Fink – as the Hollywood producer says “it’s a wrestling picture… you know… big men in tights”. This is predominantly malbec with a touch of cabernet franc: clean, fresh and savoury, silky smooth, tight and fine with a long, dry-ish finish. PF

2007 Mount Trio Gravel Pit Shiraz, Great Southern, A$20
Gavin Berry is a well-known Great Southern winemaker – initially at Plantagenet and more recently as a partner in the West Cape Howe venture. Mount Trio’s wines are fine and focused and great value for money, this ’07 Shiraz no exception. Sweet spice and ripe plum aromas greet the nose with a hint of dried herbs. The mid-weight palate is like a good Rhône Valley Saint-Joseph with similar savoury complexity and gentle tannins. Enjoy now or cellar for three years. PB

2007 Swinging Bridge Canowindra Shiraz, Central Ranges, A$20
This is a trophy-winning shiraz from a region not noted for reds of that quality, namely Cowra. Perhaps that’s why the maker chooses to identify it as coming from Canowindra in the NSW Central Ranges zone. It’s a gently spicy style of shiraz, with some meaty overtones, while the taste is smooth and medium-bodied, with appealing texture and supple tannins, excellent balance and drinkability. Its 14.8 per cent alcohol doesn’t show. A stylish, classy shiraz. Drink now to five years. HH

2008 Spy Valley Noble Riesling, Marlborough, A$25/NZ$20
Marlborough experienced a lot of botrytis pressure in 2008 and many good dessert wines were made although some show less desirable rot characters. This wine has a high degree of botrytis influence with strong honey and musk flavours but citrus and root ginger varietal notes remain very evident. Even though it’s quite sweet, the wine is perfectly balanced by crisp acidity and is certainly not cloying. It offers particularly good value at this price. BC

2008 Evans & Tate Classic White, Margaret River, A$20
While a number of Western Australian sav blanc semillon blends appear to be trying to outgun the sweaty herbaceousness of so many Kiwi sav blancs, it’s great to find a finer, leaner and more focused expression of this regional style. Tropical aromas of passionfruit and gooseberry are backed by grassy nuances, while the long, even and slaty palate reveals undertones of nettles and herbs beneath its pleasing length of lively fruit. It’s neither rich nor cloying, and finishes with a lingering chalky texture and a hint of brine. JO