Gundog Estate M Burton Shiraz 1

You know if Matt Burton releases a super-premium red that plenty of thought has gone into it. This is far from your typical old vines, lots of new oak combination regularly seen in the $100 and up category. Firstly we’ve got Murrumbateman shiraz, sourced not far from Ravensworth and Clonakilla. It’s also a multi-vintage blend from 2018 and 2019, some whole bunch with 80% spending a year or more on skins, almost unheard of anywhere in the world. There are only 600 bottles to go around.

It’s all a bit daunting and challenging at first and I tasted it on three successive days just to see how it evolved over time. There is gorgeously bright cherry and cranberry fruits that are distinctly savoury rather than sweet, and topped by white pepper, cloves and herbs. The palate has an almost Bordeaux structural integrity – juicy Murrumbateman acidity with mouthcoating tannins. Dark berries, tobacco, new leather, even liquorice and tar so highly complex and then drives through to a long and firm finish. It is a fascinating Murrumbateman style and every chance it will score higher when all the pieces come together.