One of the ‘dArry “Originals.” And always one of the reliable choices when you’re looking at a bistro list or getting takeaway pizza.

d’Arenberg, The High Trellis, Cabernet Sauvignon, McLaren Vale, 2015

Chock-full of black olive and black forest berries with supporting herbal lift from bay leaf and pouch tobacco. There’s a small sweet fruit heart that, like a flirting lover, brings promise of palate juiciness. Carries itself superbly for the dollars. Black olive tapenade and blackberry assert themselves as yin/yang all the while shadowed by house-style vanilla-edged old d’Arry oak. It grumbles towards the end with rustic, rough, ready tannins and a little heat, but it’s not distracting.

RRP: $18
Alc: 14.8%
Rating: 17/20

Wine sample courtesy of d’Arenberg