THE WINE FRONT

Sometimes you need to be reminded. Just how impressive Australian wine can be. This wine did that for me. At 15 years, it's still plush and rich and knocked up with dark, syrupy fruit, age having softened the show and added leathery, coffeed aromatics, but taken nothing of its power. There were four friends and a pile of food at the table, and all of us suddenly  stopped and went: Hey, wow, isn't that really something! As if someone beautiful had just walked by.  The bottle went in about two seconds flat, and while it lasted it made us feel young and capable and full of promise again. It made us sad when it was gone; the party broke up shortly after. Drink:  2006-2016.  95 points.  (Special thanks to Rob Geddes MW for sending the bottle down - you got any more Rob?).