Top 100 Wines of 2018 - #63 The 2014 Helena Dakota Cabernet Sauvignon is a completely fascinating wine from Pierre Seillan. The Cabernet fruit was sourced from the 12.4-acre Helena Dakota vineyard, which runs southeast to northwest and possesses slopes of up to 15 degrees. The vineyard benefits from the westerly winds, which pass over a large, cold pond and blow uphill in a direction parallel to the rows of vines, and slow down the ripening of the grapes. The result is a gorgeous wine which displays a dark, opaque color and begins with profound aromatics of ripe blackberries and black currants laced with roasted coffee, spices, loam and well-integrated lightly scorched oak all bursting from the glass. On the palate this is full-bodied with a gorgeous opulent texture as well as remarkable concentration and depth. Everything is kept well balanced from start to finish and the beautiful touch of underlying acidity provides jest enough lift to guide this through the long, supple finish. Overall, this is a flat-out delicious Cabernet, and while it is just about impossible to resist today, the future for this fantastic Cabernet looks even more promising.

An extra special wine, the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard possesses full body as well as a terrific bouquet of blue and black fruits, crushed rocks and spring flowers. A super-muscular, rich, powerful Cabernet built for long-term cellaring (which may explain why it has not yet been released), I would not touch a bottle for 5-7 years. It should last 30-50 years.

Chile 2018 Special Report This superb Carignan, grafted on to old vine País is made for the Jackson family by Andrés Sánchez. Perfumed, refined and well balanced with remarkable precision and focus, notes of mint and liquorice and polished tannins.

Vines planted in 1946. Hand picked, sorted, destemmed, crushed and tipped into two 657 litre ceramic eggs. Kept on skins for 138 days post ferment. No oak time at all; ceramic eggs only; no pressings either. Price seems to have been reduced; I can’t imagine anyone complaining. Beautiful grenache. Fresh, firm, spice-ripped and characterful. A joy to sit and sip. Redcurrant, sand, graphite, cloves, peppers and roasted spices.It cruises, curves and carves its way through your mouth in majestic fashion.

I adore the individual nature of this wine. The medium-depth colour is clear and vibrant. Snappy and fragrant are the cherry aromas. The palate is light yet textural; it epitomises suppleness and the flavours are lively and intense. I particularly enjoy the burst of cherry fruit on the finish, with the flavours long and satisfying.

Joyous fruit is flanked by exotic spices. This is complexity and sophistication all the way. From a 2 hectare block planted in 1946, the crushed fruit is tipped into 675L ceramic eggs. Fermentation occurred in the eggs and remained on skins for 138 days. No pressings used, no oak either with an additional six months in the eggs. Certified Organic and Biodynamic Medium bodied and delicate to taste, mulberries and blueberries reign supreme. Flirtatious from the get-go, touches of raspberry and strawberry are present too. Pretty scents of dried red flowers and almost dashes of violet slowly rise up. Mouthfilling and charming, superfine tannins roll out to a long and moreish finish. Just brilliant.

This has to be one of the best value wines in Australia. Glorious, fragrant, dark fruit with an intricate, yet silky, tannin frame. The flavours are incredibly pure, poised and vibrant. It is a serious wine, yet incredibly drinkable in its youth. Outstanding value. Drink now or age for further complexity.

Track this down and rip in. A brilliant example of McLaren Vale Grenache. Sourced from certified and biodynamic bush vines planted in 1946, the fruit was handpicked with 50% whole berries used in the ferment. Wild yeast employed before ten months in French oak. A gorgeous medley of fruit and savoury characters highlighted by dried herbs, char and soft spices. Red fruits and blueberries expand through the mouth with absolute ease. Licks of strawberry coulis rise up on a long on what seems a never-ending spicy finish. Devine.

This is the second release of this wine, sourced from the estate's old bush vines and fermented on skins in large ceramic eggs. The nose is a complex medley of aromas like dried rose petals, brambly red berries, mushrooms, damp earth and what seems like a whole garden of herbs. Texturally, it's like chalk dust, sliced with laser-sharp acidity and wound with tight-grained tannins. A tightrope walk of power and elegance, the bright, juicy fruit and savory, mineral nuances flow right through to the finish.

Vines planted in 1946. Hand picked, sorted, destemmed, crushed and tipped into two 657 litre ceramic eggs. Kept on skins for 191 days post ferment; this is full of grape tannin goodness. No oak time at all; ceramic eggs only. It smells of grapes. It smells of the earth. It smells wild or free or something like that. It’s red-fruited with a trace of licorice, shows a gentle line of chicory, is spicy and earthen, and has a keen insistence to the finish. Tannin here, silty, is quite gorgeous. It has flair but it also has understatement. It’s a wine to take to the world.

Why Australian Wine is Some of the Most Exciting in the World Aside from being released earlier, this sets itself apart from the High Sands Grenache with its shape, texture and freshness. Lighter and brighter red fruits in the raspberry and red-plum zone. There is an innate strength to the tannins here, as well as a very vibrant, deep core of fruit that really shines. Superb!

A highly rich and concentrated wine with gorgeous aromatic appeal. Alluring dried cherry fruit enhanced by some fine sweet-oak. Although the palate is concentrated, there is appealing background savouriness. The tannins are intricate, fine and plentiful, and the finish is long and delicious.

Sublime Grenache! Planted in 1946, these bush vines deliver pristine fruit. The highest section of this 1.7 hectare McLaren Vale site sits 210m above. Give this some time to catch its breath and it sings harmoniously. Hoisin and soy slide underneath dark berry fruits and subtle dried herb nuances. Aromas of purple flowers continue to shine with a gorgeous profile moving with ease through the mouth. Waves of fine spices roll through freely with fruit and acid perfectly balanced. Elegant and precise perhaps summarise this best. Wow!

A cracking Grenache from the McLaren Vale subregion of Blewitt Springs. So fine, layers of interest keep you enthused. Vibrant and elegant, a beautifully structured piece of art from Peter Fraser. Sourced from bush vines planted in 1946 on ancient sands, the vineyards are certified organic and biodynamic. Handpicked, 50% whole berries, cold soaked for 5-6 days, wild yeast fermentation and aged in old French oak for ten months. Quite savoury, veneers of dried herbs, smoked meat, fine pepper and brown spices are peeled back throughout. Dark berries play very much a secondary role and their support act is certainly worth tapping your foot to keep the beat. It sways and veers through the mouth effortlessly, the sand on which its grown evident in the subtle minerality present. A sip all night kind of wine - superb!

Yangarra Goes Even Higher: Four Outstanding Super Premium Releases From bush vines planted in 1946 and a yield of just 15hl/ha! Includes 50% whole bunches. Wild ferment and matured in old oak. Numbers: TA 7.4, pH 3.22. Bright and energetic molten raspberry fruit is the key point again here. Again, such lively wines – it just makes for an immediately drinkable style. Interestingly this is only medium weight, the extraction leaning towards freshness rather than grip, the tannins fine and elegant with minimal stem influence. Perfectly balanced, I can still taste the beautiful raspberry fruit here. A picture of the beauty of McLaren Vale Grenache. It’s just shaded by the intensity of the Shiraz, but yum. Best drinking: Now to 15 years. 18.6/20, 95/100. 14.5%. $140. Would I buy it? I’d marginally take the Shiraz, but again a worthy purchase.

The 2014 Grenache High Sands has a medium garnet-purple color and opens with the most incredible perfume of violets, black forest cake and mulberries with hints of star anise, underbrush, tapenade and cloves plus a waft of Sichuan pepper. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is densely packed with berry, earth and spice layers, supported by firm grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with epic length.

From bush vines planted '46 at Blewitt Springs, cold soak, open-fermented with 50% whole berries, wild yeast, matured in used French oak for 9 months. Lightish colour is misleading: the wine has a cascade of red fruits, with a slightly unexpected brush fence of ripe tannins, important now as much as in the future when they will fuse back into the wine.

Rich comfy date and figgy smelling with a touch of walnut and wafts of cherry wood. And this is how it tastes: there’s a lustiness and swagger. And ferrous sweet-soy tastes. Another couple of years will bring on more.

An extraordinary wine; silky and rich with racy, jammy, spicy blackberry and blueberry fruit; pure, intense acidity and elegant flavors.

Single block shiraz. 25% whole bunches, the remainder berry sorted. Cold soak, open fermenters, spontaneous ferment, no pressings, all matured in 25hL foudre. Certified organic/biodynamic. It’s structured and fine but apart from anything else, it’s delicious. It’s a joy to drink. Jellied boysenberry, plum, red/black cherry, graphite and clove notes come gently infused with cedarwood oak. Freshness is paramount. So too finesse. So too fine bones of tannin. Indeed this wine has quality written all over it. This medium-bodied red should be on your shopping list.

This is an utterly mesmerising and compelling shiraz. Divine, concentrated dark fruit with very gentle spice. Classically-structured and not overdone in any way. Lively acidity and plentiful integrated tannin. An absolute steal at this price. Fabulous.

Damn this is a superb Shiraz. The richness and density just pull you in. The asking price has gone up $5 from the 2016 release but just pay it. There's plenty of Shiraz wines for $50 that wouldn't come close to what is on offer here. A fifth of the ferment was made with 25% whole bunches. Wild yeast fermented, it saw 25% new French oak for 16 months. Certified organic and biodynamic. As with the 2016, purple and blue fruit aromas reign supreme. Some cedar and dark chocolate are evident too. It's lush to taste. Dark plums are joined by blueberries and mulberries all roaming about consuming the mouth with silky feels. Savoury notes sit in the background courtesy of the whole bunches with brick dust tannins to finish. Superb drinking really.

WBM Wines of the Year 2018 – the best of the best, 95 points and above

Ironheart is of course a later edition to the Marvel Universe, a female character not far off the Iron Man idiom. And this is estate shiraz from Yangarra in McLaren Vale. Lovely wine this. Straight up impressive. Sandy swish of tannins is the lingering thought, but there’s dark berry-cherry perfume, ripe of course, but shy of over done, sniffs of old spice cupboard, succulence writ large. It’s long, fine and elegant in its way, but doesn’t forget the earthy, regional grunt of the region. Just enough of everything, plus an individual personality, and the wine feels gently done. Again, a lovely wine.

Biggest Australian Wine Tasting Ever: 2,700+ Ratings This has a very impressive array of ripe, rich dark plums and black cherries with a very intense and assertive palate that marries powdery, cocoa-infused tannins, as well as density at the finish with an air of precision. Certified organic. Drink or hold. Screw cap.