Winophilia

Why should you care? One of Australia’s iconic wineries and celebrating its 100^th anniversary this year, d’Arenberg produces some of the best red wine values of Australia, at all price points. The d’Arry’s Original, made from a blend of shiraz and grenache, was called “Burgundy” for its elegance as recently as the 1970s and, given the wine’s balance and red fruit character, the name is appropriate. At just over $20 a bottle, this widely available bottling emphatically makes the case for Australia as a source for more than just blockbuster, high-octane wines.

What does it taste like? The 2010 d’Arry’s original is a 53/47 blend of grenache and shiraz , offering an array of spicy berry and floral qualities, with complicating notes of white pepper and bitter chocolate. As always with this wine, suavity takes precedence over power, but there’s no shortage of flavor intensity. The wine’s soft tannins make it approachable now but it also has the depth and balance to age for at least a decade. I’ve had bottles of d’Arenberg’s “Burgundy” that were more than 30 years old and still flat-out lovely, showing bright fruit and little sign of fatigue. At this price, the 2010 should be bought by the case.