Collector Lantern Red 2019

Those who know me well would know that I am a sucker for Tempranillo and this is a good one, blended with Touriga and Grenache, it’s the Iberian wonder trio. The actual blend is 54% Tempranillo, 41% Touriga and 5% Grenache. It’s a bit of a cross regional mix too, with Canberra District Tempranillo and Grenache blended with Touriga from the warmer Hilltops near Young.

It’s pretty plush on the palate with soft, velvety fruit richness and layers of dark mulberry and blueberry all held together by a firm backbone of tannin. There’s definitely potential to age here but equally, there’s still enough ripeness and flavour to carry the tannins. Somehow my default whenever I see Tempranillo is roast lamb, there’s just something about the firm tannins that sits well with cutting through the richness of the lamb.