De Bortoli YV Melba Amphora 2023

A bit of a tangent to the usual Melba Cabernet, this wine was fermented and matured in 1,000L clay amphorae. Even without the oak, there’s a fine structure here and beautiful aromatics of mulberry, blackberry, black olive, herbs, earth and dried black fruits. The tannins are dusty and integrated, with the palate turning silky after a bit of air time. Like its sibling, it looks great now but will improve even more over the next few years.