Cirillo Black Label Shiraz 2024
- 95
- $120
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Here is a wine that demonstrates why some wines are best enjoyed over time with the quiet of candlelight and crickets for company. I opened this and drank it over 3 days, not quite convinced I’d seen its true beauty in one seating. There are Davidson plum skin, blueberries plucked from the bush and Arbequina olives. Some fresh bay leaf, volcanic rock and kampot peppercorns. What happens over time is the unveiling of some rhubarb and earthy red fruits and a deepening of olive grove and Mediterranean herbs. Tannins are pillowly, you sink into them like a deflating cushion, acidity cradled around your neck keeping things upright and focused. It quite simply is such a well integrated wine that you stop focusing on minute detail and exhale with the enjoyment, this heightened on day 3 to be exact. If you are after ball busting flavours and smack you around oak flavours, this isn’t it. But treat it right and the Black label will reward you with sophistication and charm. This went well with a salami toastie, tacos and a charcuterie plate, don’t judge me it was a big week.
Shanteh cut her teeth at Sydney’s Award-Winning Quay restaurant where she worked for over a decade and was Head Sommelier from 2018 till 2022. She has been nominated for the Good Food Guide Sommelier of the Year award on three occasions and claims that her experience as a Len Evans scholar as one of the highlights of her career. Shanteh hosts her own weekly podcast ‘Over A Glass’ with the Deep in the Weeds Network and spends her time writing for various publications and judging at numerous wine shows across the country.
