Barossa Boy Little Tacker Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2018

As I pour the wine it immediately offers up sun-warmed yellow-fleshed plums. There’s Sarsaparilla – if you grew up in a country town in the 90s then you know the quirky soft drink; for everyone else think cola but with a slightly herbal edge. The next reveal is Haighs dark chocolate violet creams (try them, seriously), spicy plum pudding, an earthy ferrous note (think a beautiful cut of aged beef) and fragrant Tasmanian pepper berries.

This wine is a big warm hug and carries its 14% ABV quite elegantly. The tannins are slightly chalky, immediately approachable but with enough oomph to promise at least 5 years in cellar. 

Pair with a dry-aged scotch fillet or a rustically earthy lentil and walnut loaf with a hefty dollop of smoky babaganoush.