Picardy Dandelion Best Wines Under $50

This is just the second release of Firehawk Farm which is produced from Dandelion’s finest vineyard. There is mammoth concentration of fruit here and perfect integration of fruit, oak and acid. Closed on opening, this morphs into an absolute stunner as is breathes and opens over several days. Sweet fruit, searing acid, savoury complexities, chocolate, graphite and blue fruits are all on show along with earthiness, cedar and plenty of tannin. This might just be the McLaren Vale’s best Shiraz. Learn More

A beautifully balanced and elegant Riesling replete with brooding limes, lemon sherbet and good length. Lovely now and will continue to develop well for years. Learn More

A wonderful Grenache with a little age. New school bright fruit and exceptionally deftly placed tannins meet high-quality, old-school oak. Ned Goodwin from the Halliday Wine Companion wrote a year ago ‘too much mocha-vanilla-infused oak enshrouding this, the fruit and structural latticework beyond it is sublime, auguring well for future change... Raspberry bon-bon, thyme, orange zest and lavender. The acidity, juicy and palpably natural. The grape tannins, lithe and etched with grace... I score this with the promise to which I hold it.’ A year later and this wine’s time has arrived, it is a ripper! Learn More

Powerful, inky black McLaren Vale fruit was basket pressed into a mix of older French and American oak where it spent 18 months. Saturated with ripe black fruits, cacao, cherries, milk and dark chocolate, and spice. Finished with a reassuring crown of cedar and fine tannins. Learn More

A tiny patch of 111 year old Eden Valley Vines produces this magical Riesling elixir. Explosive perfume and lime on the nose lead to a palate packed with intense fresh lime juice, brown lime and overall exceptional clarity and intensity of fruit. Learn More

A properly exceptional SBS from Picardy in Pemberton Western Australia. Three separate clones of SB are used, with 10% of the fruit whole bunch pressed and 2 different yeasts used to help build complexity. On opening it seems soft and delicate but as it airs, minerality, guava, lime, passionfruit and all manner of complexities emerge. This is a beautifully balanced delicious wine which will age well too. Learn More

If you are into Rhone wines, this is the Aussie Shiraz for you. Medium bodied with a slightly richer texture than we were expecting based on our experience of previous vintages. Pepper, spice, earth and florals here along with smoked meats, spice and plentiful tannins. Good now with a decant, should be a ripper in 5-10 years. Learn More