Intense, with black fruit flavors, Kalamata olive, toasted rosemary and cigar box nuances that are generous and dense. Drink now. 200 cases imported.??–MW??Region: Australia / McLaren Vale Select to Add

Dense and burly, with concentrated flavors of blackberry and black licorice, showing a healthy dose of cigar box and roasted herb notes. Rustic, chewy tannins add charm on the finish. Drink now through 2029. 120 cases imported.??–MW??Region: Australia / McLaren Vale Select to Add

Deep garnet in color and tinged with purple, the 2010 Twenty Eight Road Mourvedre opens with notes of black plums, mulberries and dark chocolate with nuances of vegemite, licorice, fertile soil and chargrilled meat. Medium to full-bodied, this wine displays a good core of ripe, rich fruit complemented by exotic spice and earth flavors. Both the medium-firm level of grainy tannins and balanced acid lend good balance and length to the finish. Drink it now to 2017+. Importer: Old Bridge Cellars, Napa, CA, www.oldbridgecellars.com

Made from 100% Mourvedre, the 2009 The Twenty-Eight Road Mourvedre has a deep garnet color and notes of dried mulberries, fruit cake, mocha and baking spices with an earthy undercurrent. The palate offers mouth-filling dried berry and plum flavors supported by crisp acid and a medium-firm level of chewy tannins, finishing long and spicy. Drink this one now though 2018. The d’Arenberg winery is 100 years old with a fourth generation Osbourne in charge today of this now considerable operation. Graduated from Roseworthy College in 1983, Chester was expected by his father to change things when he took over the family business. Instead he went back to tradition rather than modernizing. In the d’Arenberg vineyards there is no cultivating, fertilizing or herbicides used – Chester compares these artificial means to growing plants hydroponically. Looking to continually improve the root systems of his vines, he rarely irrigates. Average yields are 1.7 tons per acre. “2011 was actually a great year for us,” Chester informed me. “We didn’t have any problems with rot.”Importer: Old Bridge Cellars, Napa, CA, www.oldbridgecellars.com