Tight! Give this Shiraz a couple more years in bottle and it should be singing.
Will Rikard-Bell tells me this was handled like a Pinot Noir. With 80% whole bunches and a portion seeing carbonic maceration, it saw French oak for 10 months (20% new). There is a Northern Rhone style about its swagger. Red plums, red cherries and earthy nuances are the main players. A suggestion of dark chocolate but it's tense and seems unwillinging to let you in for now. Fine white pepper is scattered across a respectable finish. I only had a quick look at this at the cellar door but I'd be curious to see how it shaped up after a couple of days and some air under its wings. Time will tell.
Drink to five years+
90/100
Region: Orange