Shaw and Smith Balhannah Shiraz 2018

A cooler 2014 vintage has sent this into peppery, stony and spicy mode. Indeed, it's really complex and nicely layered, especially in terms of the aromatics where wild red plums meet blackberries, and the oak is nicely integrated too. The palate has impressive finesse and finely detailed tannin texture. There's some spark to it, just as peppery cherries, raspberries and blackberries hold fresh and lively. A wine that speaks of purity and place, and one that's pared back and focused. Drink now to 2025+.

70% whole bunch and matured in 500l French puncheons. Inaugural release from a vineyard planted to 5550 vines per hectare. It's an exotic wine, developing slowly. Truffles, cloves, olives and saltbush on a bed of dark cherry-plum fruit. Tannin: ultra fine. Length: to burn. It's complex already but new worlds of aroma/flavour will open up given time.

Tasted September 2016 - Circumspect nose, but a wonderful purity of fruit on the palate. Compressed and very youthful, and seems to have more to offer in future. Worth keeping. (RH)