Bekkers McLaren Vale Syrah 2019

You know things are going well when a winemaker limits sales of its flagship to 12 bottles per person. My advice – get in quick for this wine which is a beautifully sophisticated McLaren Vale shiraz.

A strong followup after the 2018 vintage and again showcases masterful tannin management. It’s a real trademark of the Bekkers wines with beautiful tannin integration almost hiding the structure away behind a wall of fruit. But it’s there which, with immaculate balance, will allow this wine to sing for many years to come.

Great purple almost opaque colour and immediately showcases powerful yet complex fruit with layers of roasted meat, meat stock, soy sauce, star anise plus more traditional blackberry, mulberry and tight grain French oak. It’s then dry, juicy and bright, some cherry pip flavours before again descending into more savoury, seamless fruits before a long, balanced and fleshy finish. It’s delicious already but also has plenty of aging potential.