Bright red fruits, particularly fresh and vibrant on the bouquet; deeply fruited and long, with fresh acidity on the finish. 15.5º alc. Rating 94 Drink 2020 $40 Date Tasted Jan 08 James Halliday Wine Companion 2009

A text book perfect season with very good sub-soil soaking winter rains followed by a gentle spring with just the right amount of moisture. The summer was mild with timely rain that cooperatively stopped about the time the grapes started to ripen. The weather through ripening was ideal with reasonable daytime temperatures and cool nights and vintage began on the 2nd March, perhaps a week later than average. Thanks to the mild and dry vintage weather the grapes ripened to perfection and the resultant wines are a delight with intense fruit character and showing excellent balance with fine tannins. The wines are settling down very well and we believe 2005 vintage will be one of the great ones.

Deep cherry black. Sweet fruit perfume of black cherries, blackberries, white pepper and spices over subtle toasty oak. A rich, round, soft, voluptuous, fruit driven Shiraz with a hint of confectionery sweetness in the background. A very approachable full bodied combination of blueberries, plum, Ribena, mocha chocolate, spice box, vanilla and pepper fill the palate with pleasurable flavours and the balanced soft tannin finish has both length and persistence. The alcohol is high, the wine inky black/purple and very thick, full-bodied, chewy, with a good ageing potential ahead of it. The wine shows a blackberry liqueur note intermixed with melted asphalt, phenomenal concentration, glycerin, and length. Colin Kay