Wine by Some Young Punks

A couple of years ago, when I first heard of the Australian wine producers Some Young Punks, I thought it was a great name, but it wasn't until I tried their 'Passion Has Red Lips' that I realised just how serious these guys are about making good wine.

Some Young Punks is made up of Col McBryde, Jen Gardner and Nic Bourke, from South Australia. Col and Jen both have a Phd and Nic is known for doing whatever it takes to produce the best wine, so they definitely deserve to be taken seriously - as punks go, they are a clever lot.

'Fierce Allure' 2009
Cabernet Sauvignon

Their plan when setting out with Some Young Punks was simple - 'to do something that had been done before; to make exceptional wine with small estate charm'. The only difference between them and the next guy with the same ideology is they couldn't care less if you don't like their wine, saying 'If someone doesn’t like the way we do it then they had better put the bottle down because there’s already not enough to go around'. Good on you punks, I like your style.

Each wine they make is unique, every label a one off for each vintage (the labels are always amazing) and each has it's own unique style, year after year. The production is very small, with only a few hundred cases of each wine ever being produced, which is why you might not have seen it before.

Their range is full of brilliant names and several UK stockists manage to get small parcels of their wines sporadically throughout the year - you can currently get several of the Some Young Punks range at N D John,  as well as:

The Squid's Fist Sangiovese at Highbury Vintners (£18), Naked on Rollerskates (as tasty as it is saucy for £13.99) from Cork's Out, and Monsters, Monsters Attack! Riesling from Rannoch Scott wines (£14.19). You should also check Slurp, Swig, and Adnams for various offerings, and any decent local indie merchant will probably sell one or two occasionally.

It had been a while since I came across Some Young Punks but I spotted one of their latest wines on Drinks Finder. It was 'Fierce Allure', a 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon from McLaren Vale.
One thing Some Young Punks have always been good at is their presentation; their bottles always look stunning. If I hadn't heard of Some Young Punks anyway, I would probably have bought the bottle just for the label.

At  £22.99 it's not the cheapest bottle of wine out there but it's not meant to be and I don't think producers could particularly give a shit, so stop moaning about it you tight English bastard.

When it arrived on my desk (the morning after ordering. Incredibly quick delivery), the bottle was every bit as awesome as it looked in the pictures. It's got a massive punt, meaning the bottle can be nice and tall while still being 75cl so it really makes a statement.

The wine itself is a really nice deep tawny colour and it has delicious dark fruit on the nose, along with a chocolatey hint and a good bit of oak. It sure smells like good Cabernet Sauvignon.

When you take a sip, the first thing that hits you is the amazing explosion of flavour; there's black cherry, eucalyptus, chocolate and plum, all held together with a nice bit of oak, which just softens it up and rounds the edges. It's really well balanced on the palate, the mouth-drying tannins aren't too harsh thanks to the amazing acidity that makes your mouth water and makes you ready for the next mouthful. The depth of flavour in Fierce Allure is amazing, you notice something new in it all the time.

There really isn't anything to dislike about this wine, genuinely the only thing that's annoying is that the bottle drips when you pour it, although this can be easily overcome by pouring it straight into your mouth.

One thing is for sure, Some Young Punks is anything but a gimmick, the quality is really fantastic and it's an exclusive brand. The presentation is always amazing, although it may not be to everyone's taste but then if you don't like a bit of fun on a wine label, you're probably a dick anyway.

The Young Punks are here to stay and as they say themselves - Blame the booze.

If you love fuller bodied red wines, then give Fierce Allure a go. This is definitely £22.99 well spent and we really can't recommend the rest of their range enough.

Tell us if you know of anywhere else we can buy their wines! We're desperate for more.