Less hedonostic than recent releases – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If you have a line of these running in your cellar then this is a really good vintage to include, for its difference as well as for its quality. It’s more savoury than sweet, and has more tannin than flesh. But it does not lack fruit power – nor charm. It tastes of fennel and roasted nuts, blackberries and autumn leaves. There’s some viognier-derived perfume here but my main impression was a savoury one. It feels sure of itself in your mouth. I suspect it has a beautiful future ahead of it. CAMPBELL MATTINSON, www.winefront.com.au
Put this in a blind tasting with top-end Cote-Rotie wines of the Rhone Valley and it would be a bargain, easily outpointing wines costing far more. It is due for release in September, and will sell out immediately. Light, bright crimson-purple; a highly fragrant bouquet of red fruits and subtle spices leads into a medium-bodied palate; here more savoury characters join the fruit, lengthening the finish. Drink: to 2025. JAMES HALLIDAY
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