I like the approach here. Rather than obfuscating hot climatic tendencies toward excess, with reductive cooler climate masquerades, this is unashamedly old school. Albeit, crafted with a deft hand. Milk chocolate, chinotto, cocoa nibs, coffee grinds and lots of dark fruits doused with star anise and spice. A little soupy, but fresh enough to reach for another glass. Drink now. Screw cap. Points: 90/100
Fruit-forward with pretty, lifted floral aromas. Cherry pie. A bit of blue fruit and violets. Fresh, juicy and easy to drink. It has everything for a flavourful medium-bodied red wine to succeed. Good mix of sweet, sour, spicy and bitter. Nicely done. Points: 90/100
South Australian Shiraz has a reputation for being big and bold – blockbuster wines. There’s definitely a place for that but wines like this show just how expressive Shiraz can be. There’s spicy, syrupy (but not jammy) blackberries and blood plums offering a lifted freshness. It has minerality akin to the satisfying earthiness that lingers in the air after an afternoon of planting seedlings in the garden. There’s powerful concentration too but also poise. Lashings of fruit and dark soft Darrell Lea licorice, high levels of buoyant ripe tannins and a savoury peppercorn finish. At this price buy some to drink now, some for the cellar and some for your friends. Points: 95/100
This is a “Do I?” or “Don’t I?” kind of wine. Do I drink it now, or do I tuck it away somewhere safe for a while? I am in two minds. The ’21 is such a superb vintage, you know it’s going to age a treat. And with those firm tannins laying such a strong base, it will be an age-worthy wine. But then the fruit is so tempting now. The scent of bramble, black cherry, black berries, briar with a dash of oak-led pencil shavings sets the scene for a palate that showcases Vale Shiraz in a great year. There’s complexity and good concentration as more and more is slowly revealed with a layer of bitter chocolate here, light spices there, tied up tightly by firm tannins finishing with a cherry pip astringency. Super clean. But, yes, with more time so much more will be revealed. Points: 92/100
Red frogs wrap around black cherry and pomegranate with sweet baking spices. Like walking into a Darrell Lea store back in the good old days where soft liquor meets all things chocolatey and childlike fancy. For those seeking the unctuous nature of McLaren Vale’s Shiraz fruit, it’s all here. Bestowing layers of fruit, carrying acidity and finely sieved tannins. Hard wine to go past at that price point. Drink with fatty lamb roast. Points: 92/100
I like the approach here. Rather than obfuscating hot climatic tendencies toward excess, with reductive cooler climate masquerades, this is unashamedly old school. Albeit, crafted with a deft hand. Milk chocolate, chinotto, cocoa nibs, coffee grinds and oodles of dark fruits doused with star anise and spice. A little soupy, to be churlish, but fresh enough to reach for another glass. Points: 90/100
