BEN TOMBS

Burgundy in colour with a light crimson hue. Dried lavender and garigue, distinctly Te Muna perfume on the nose. An elegant palate with a warm core of brambled wild berries, porcini mushroom and red cherry in balance with the silk-laden tannins, which perfectly frame the wine. It speaks volumes to an incredible site.

5% whole bunch with fermentation in open top stainless steel tanks and French oak barrells for 11 months with about 20% new. 

Marlborough-born Ben Tombs has been working in wineries and vineyards since the age of 17. After receiving coveted scholarships from the Bragato Research Institute, he embarked on a Bachelor of Wine Science, graduating with an Academic Excellence Award from the Eastern Institute of Technology. More recently, with an interest in honing his leadership and marketing skills, he is nearing completion of a Master of Business in Global Management and Marketing.

Ben joined Craggy Range in 2021 and became Chief Winemaker in November 2023; his ongoing pursuit to push the boundaries for improving wine quality and the emphasis on custodian ships have set him apart.

CHRIS CATLOW

I love how grapey this is. I also love how ‘gamay’ it is, in that it doesn’t secretly wish that it was pinot noir. It tastes of iodine and blood orange, blue berry and spearmint, black cherry and quite intense florals. Its attitude is wrapped in silk or, rather, in grape skins. It’s quite terrific to drink, both for the flavours themselves but also the freedom of it, in the context of structure. CAMPBELL MATTINSON, The Wine Front 

Gamay is the go in the North East. There are some deeply impressive gamays coming from the King Valley and Beechworth. Here is one, all red-cherry-bright, plum, herbal and violet in aroma, which delves into some savoury-toned earthiness and spice on the palate. The brightness of acidity keeps it clean and fresh. The combination of fruit and acidity makes for a cracking wine, and to think it's still a youngster. There's plenty of room to develop further. JENI PORT, Halliday Wine Companion 

ROBERTO SANTANA, ALFONSO TORRENTE, LAURA RAMOS & JOSE MARTINZE 

The bottled 2022 Lousas Viñas de Aldea is aromatic, extroverted, open and immediate, floral, perfumed and expressive, with a juicy and round palate. It's fleshy and round, still with 12.5% alcohol on the label but possibly a tad riper than the 2023 sample I tasted next to it. It's a very approachable vintage for this cuvée. 25,200 bottles and 360 magnums produced. It was bottled in LUIS GUTIERREZ, The Wine Advocate 

There are some incredible things happening in Spanish wine right now and one of the producers at the heart of this revolution are Envinate. A project between four winemakers who met studying oenology in Alicante in the mid two thousands bonded around a shared ideology and desire to explore and express the underappreciated terroirs of Western Spain. Envinate has since risen to become one of the icons of 'New Spain' a movement which is has reached a crescendo in recent years as young producers strive to craft wines that showcase a patchwork of Spanish terroirs, using indidgenous grapes farmed fastidiously and rendered into wines without artifice. 

GUY LYONS & LIAM CARMODY

BEST VALUE - HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION

A wine that never disappoints. Based on old, dry-grown vines that are able to rise above any threats in the growing season. The complexity of the wine runs through the bouquet and palate from start to finish. The bouquet has spice and black licorice at its heart, wrapped in blackberry and plum fruit. It will outlive those who cellar it for decades. (96) JAMES HALLIDAY 

Deep ruby with a bright purple rim. Fragrant mulberry and raspberry fruit, white pepper and musk spice leap from the glass. Medium weighted palate, silky blue fruits fill the line with intensity and are well balanced by white pepper and violet notes that intrigue the senses. Tannins build as the wine flows along, creating pressure and tension that drives it incredibly long and ensures you make a return visit. A stunning cool-climate style. (96) STUART KNOX, The Real Review 

After studying Viticulture & Oenology at Curtin University, Liam has built vast experience in cellars around the world, including South Africa, France, California, New Zealand and Australia. Joining Forest Hill in 2008, Liam is a firm believer in the balance and fruit quality seen from dry grown vineyards, combined with a great passion for the subtleties of cooler climate winemaking.

Igniting his interest while working at Forest Hill Vineyard during his school holidays, Guy moved interstate to study a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Oenology) at the University of Adelaide. With a diverse background, and experience in Australia, France and Germany, Guy now works within all aspects of Forest Hill. An advocate of managing the vineyard to produce wines that reflect and respect the site as well as its history.

While Giant Steps' enviable reputation was built on the back of its single-vineyard pinots, that didn't stop it from taking out trophies for best shiraz and cabernet at the 2023 Yarra Valley Wine Show. A medium deep, bright crimson-purple, this elegant and concentrated wine has aromas of dark cherries, blackcurrant, ugni, cedar from the impeccably handled oak, and violets. The palate is medium bodied and perfectly pitched. This is another superb Yarra cabernet that dispels the notion that you'll have to cellar it for ages to enjoy. (97) PHILIP RICH, Halliday Wine Companion

When the Yarra Valley does Cabernet Sauvignon well …

This is a beautiful medium-bodied red wine. It’s svelte, it’s laced with tannin, it blooms with fruit as it rests in the glass, and it’s balanced on a pinhead. Blackcurrant, mulberry, cedarwood, bay leaf and cigar box; it’s all here, and it all plays deliciously. For all that, the length of this wine’s finish ultimately vies to be the main highlight; here, red licorice is added to the show, along with everything else. (95) CAMPBELL MATTINSON

Melanie Chester joined Giant Steps as Head of Winemaking and Viticulture in 2021. Her previous experiences include working at Sutton Grange Winery in Central Victoria, where her influence on winemaking and viticulture led to multi trophy winning wines; as well as time in the Grampians for the historic Seppelt Great Western, working with fruit from all climates in Victoria – from the cool Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot region of Henty to the warmer continental climates of Heathcote. She is a gun!

PAOLA & PIERA RINALDI

The transformation that has taken place at Francesco Rinaldi over the last few years is truly remarkable. Today's wines are cut with beautiful precision and show exceptional harmony. ANTONIO GALLONI

Juicy and delicious, the 2022 Langhe Nebbiolo from Francesco Rinaldi & Figli doles out flavors of ripe raspberry, crushed strawberry, cake spice and mint. Polished, refined tannins and tangy acidity provide support. Enjoy soon to capture all the succulent fruit. Drink through 2026. KERIN O'KEEFE 

The estate is fronted by the stylish sisters Paola and Piera Rinaldi, the current generation steering this historic winery. Francesco Rinaldi e Figli is one of Barolo's great traditionalist domaines after Francesco Rinaldi inherited a vineyard and house. 90-year old Luciano Rinaldi took over in 1941 and only recently gave the winery to his nieces, Paola & Piera Rinaldi.

They have changed little in their approach and continue to build om the legacy built by Luciano and those that came before him. However, Paola & Piera have implemented some "modern" improvements, mostly in the way of updated equipment such as a mechanical press (Luciano did all crushes by foot-trodding) some stainless steel, concrete and temperature controlling for ferments. The result is wines of more purity and freshness that still adhere to the traditional mold but present with a sense of pliancy and openness in their youth.