Here is a great Aussie take on a classic Bordeaux-style blend. And don’t get put off because it says Greg Norman on the label — he doesn’t make the wine, he just owns the dirt. The wine is made by Wolf Blass, one of Australia’s largest and most respected wineries.

Greg Norman Cabernet-Merlot 2003
Limestone Coast, Australia $16
We Bought a Bunch $13.99
What the Wine Critics Thought: Wine Spectator 91 points - Smart Buy
Lively, juicy and graceful. A smooth red with currant and plum flavors wrapped harmoniously around the the finish, with overtones of toast and cedar. Drink now through 2012. Smart Buy. —H.S.

What We Thought: This blend of 83% Cabernet and 17% Merlot has a big Cabernet nose of cedar and cassis and a typical, weighty Aussie palate of full-bodied blackberry, plum and spice finishing with a tannic edge that should promise improvement in the cellar. This is a great value!

August 8, 2006