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Curtis Octavian Shiraz 2020

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The latest release from the Curtis Family certainly looks the goods – semi-squat bottle, which is midnight black, minimalist label and white wax covering the cork. Fortunately, the insides match the package. A richly flavoured, gorgeous McLaren Vale Shiraz from what is proving to be a solid vintage. The wine spent two years maturing in French oak hogsheads, before bottling.

Inky black hue, the aromas weave through chocolate, dark plums, spices, cigar box notes, bay leaves, black fruits and aniseed. There is a hint of mint and some oak still evident at this early stage, though it is all coming together nicely. The wine is powerful, coiled and concentrated. Impressive length with very soft tannins, though lots of them. The wine, that is rich and full of flavour, should easily provide pleasure for the next ten to fifteen years.

Ken Gargett

Contributor at Winepilot

Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.

Wine writer and critic