Château Tanunda The Everest Shiraz 2018

Nothing subtle here. Why not name your top wine after one of the greatest natural sites on the planet, the world’s highest mountain? What John Geber, daughter Michelle, and the family and team at Château Tanunda have achieved in such a short period of time is nothing short of remarkable and they should be very proud. Not sure any of us saw a wine like this coming so soon. 

The very best grapes from individual blocks are selected – here from vineyards at Nuriootpa and Stonewell with the vines over a century in age, only in the best vintages, and there is no doubt that 2018 more than qualifies as that. Hand harvested, basket pressed, no fining nor filtering, the wine sees the best French oak available to the estate. It will be placed in 1 tonne open fermenters for hand-plunging four times a day. 18 months in oak and then a barrel selection is made. In 2018, it was just two barrels. After bottling, the wine spends another two years ageing in the cellars, before release. 

Inevitably near opaque, the nose here is truly intense, yet perfectly balanced. Oak is still integrating, but doing it so well. Coffee bean notes, dark chocolate, cassis, blackberries, mulberries, cedar and dry herbs, with a flick of tobacco leaf are there to be found. Balance and intensity, with great length – coiled power here. A supple, rather gorgeous texture. Silky, almost melting tannins. As for ageing it, hard to imagine it has an end date. And if it does, not sure it would be relevant to many people currently alive.