2024 Mayford Porepunkah Tempranillo, Alpine Valleys

Hand picked over three weeks, 12 micro ferments, all five clones, parcels fermented and matured individually, 12 months' maturation in French barrique (25% new), basket pressed. Eleana Anderson is one freakishly fantastic winegrower and maker, showing the way with, and the exciting future of, tempranillo in Australia. Few come close. A scent alive in rose florals, red licorice, bay leaf, earth and black and red fruits, with a depth of dried herbs, lures you in. You stay for the complexity that unfolds slowly and lingeringly, combining deep layers of flavour with a liveliness of spiciness and cacao wrapped in a savoury edginess and warm vanillin oak. An absolute cracker.

97 points Special Value Jeni Port, Halliday Wine Companion February 2026

Mayford Tempranillo always has flavour and composure but it’s the structure that always seduces me.

It wouldn’t be hard to call this release perfect. Certainly the integration of the various components is elite. It’s pure of fruit, polished, comes awash with dry, fine, sandy tannin and pushes long through the finish. The 2023 release is a belter; this is an excellent follow-up. It tastes of dark berries, minted vanilla, floral and herb notes, chicory and a bright berried note that I couldn’t quite nail. It’s joyously good, basically. It will age magnificently. And the tannin here checks out beautifully.

95+ points Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front Drink 2030–2040+

Mayford is the tiny mountain estate of Eleana Anderson and Bryan Nicholson, tucked into the hills above Porepunkah in Victoria’s Alpine Valleys. Their wines have gathered a devoted following because they feel so closely connected to this distinctive high country site. Tempranillo is a particularly intriguing part of the range, taking a grape associated with the dry landscapes of Spain and giving it a cooler, fresher Australian accent.

The Mayford vineyard sits around 500 metres above sea level, where warm summer days are followed by significantly cooler nights. Granitic soils, elevation and the long ripening season allow Tempranillo to build flavour while keeping its acidity and perfume. The 2024 is less about the dense, oak laden end of the Tempranillo spectrum and more about juicy fruit, spice and savoury structure.

Deep ruby with a crimson edge, the bouquet opens with black cherry, red plum and blackberry before violet and blood orange appear. Fennel seed, smoked paprika, liquorice and black tea add complexity, with a little earthy graphite underneath. The palate is medium bodied and energetic, with cherry and plum wrapped in fine, slightly grainy tannins. Anise, orange peel and savoury spice gather through the middle before a dry, persistent finish.

Spanish style pork skewers with smoked paprika would be excellent, alongside lamb meatballs with romesco, mushroom croquetas, charred octopus with chorizo or smoky eggplant with manchego. Our pick is the octopus. Charred tentacles, salty chorizo and paprika against Tempranillo’s dark cherry and savoury spice should make for a cracking combination.

Cellaring: Drink now to 2034.