2010 Red Blend Wine Under $10

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet is very much a reflection of the Penfolds winemaking style and philosophy. Sourced from premium vineyards across South Australia, the wine is known for its full-flavoured style with excellent Shiraz and Cabernet fruit, firm yet well-rounded structure and balanced oak. Made as a traditional 'Australian blend', the Shiraz component provides fleshy fruit flavour while Cabernet provides a frame of fine grained tannins.

Although winemaker Brigitte Chevalier got her start with Bordeaux dynamo Jean-Luc Thunevin, her real life as a vintner began when she left Bordeaux to make what she describes as the “perfect wine” – one with big, bold fruit, smooth velvety tannins, and elegant complexity. With the 2010 Saint Martin d’Agel, made at her own Domaine de Cébène, located on the sunny hills of Faugères, she believes she has succeeded – at a very fair price. Made from a Rhone-style blend of Grenache, Syrah, Carignane and Mourvèdre, this easy-drinking red offers soft ripe cherry and cassis fruit, heaped over the firm, tannic backbone of the excellent 2010 vintage. Drink now and over the next 2 to 3 years.