leconfield

The 30th of August every year marks International Cabernet Day and we got seriously lucky this year, picking up 8 different vintages of Leconfield's revered Coonawarra Cabernet to have a squiz at. Matt and Phil stepped through the 2002, 2004, and 2009-2014 and saw quality and refinement improve markedly over the journey. What started as a very good looking lineup finished as absolutely outstanding.

The sun is shining yet not too harshly to deter me from wanting to drink a few glasses of red. 2013 was an early vintage and low in yield yet the quality of the fruit that was picked for Leconfield is exceptional. It is rare for such a fresh wine to be ready to drink so soon but it certainly is. Decanted and drunk. I normally organise some nice food when I drink but I simply didn't need to. The Leconfield Shiraz 2013 is densely red in colour with raspberry and spices coming through the subtle hints of vanilla. The French oak has balanced the smooth tannins and I know the wine will age well over the next few years. It is such a delicious, tidy number now so you will need to be disciplined. Tape up the box, write your name and ‘moscato’ in large letters and store it at your friends place. Silky, vibrant and elegant.

I was lucky enough to go to Day on the Green at Leconfield Wines, McLaren Vale on the 27th of Jan. A massive lineup starting with Stephen Cummings; a great songwriter but not on top of his game this day. Maybe he could have used a glass or 2 of the Hamilton Cab 2011. I had a couple on the day and it is looking particularly tasty. Sunnyboys belted out their melodic teen angsty pop-rock, and the band were all in fine form. Some seriously snaky riffs slithered off the fretboard. Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons were decent, apart from the Wilbur Wilde/Joe Camilleri schtick - trading fat jokes in the intro to ‘Shape I’m In’ which conjured memories of the Hey Hey It’s Saturday revival. They sure play nicely together with their horns out tho. Tex Perkins and the Dark Horses were loquacious and limber loosey goosey - with some ripper tunes, Tex in spectacular voice and swagger, James Cruikshank beautifully nuanced on the geetar … much like the Hamilton Slate Quarry

It’s always handy to have a guide to good drinking over the Christmas period. Here’s my pick for the best bots to crack this Chrissie.

Bird in Hand Sparkling It’s an unusual wine this one with enough fruit and sweetness to keep the occasional wino happy and enough quality fruit to shift curmudgeonly wine snob from miffed to mollified. Pleasures best on its own but suspect it would be all over the turkey if given a sniff. Most accommodating Sparkling. Dandelion Vineyards Rosé 2011 A delight from its light pink hue to its delicate, near dry ending. The fruit in this is sourced from an 85-year-old bush-grown Grenache vineyard. Unusually the wine was left to wild ferment and stored on a bed of dead yeast in old barrels for a bit. The result is a superb texture with pristine and bright Grenache flavours and a whip crack of acidity that made me stand up and pay attention. Sugar is very low at four