Gundog Estate Rare Game Shiraz 2021

The flagship of the Gundog range and Matt’s tribute to those incredible old ‘Hunter Burgundies’ such as the 1965 Lindeman’s, wines to drink on bended knee. Indeed, the fruit hails from the Tinkler’s ’48 Block’ which was previously part of the old Lindeman’s Ben Ean vineyard. The vines are low-yielding and there is further careful berry selection by the team. Maturation is for 16 months in French oak puncheons, with 25% of them new. This is a red unashamedly designed for the long haul. If your intention is to crack a top Hunter red today, stick with the Gundog Hunter’s Shiraz and leave this in the cellar for another decade, but please make sure you do have some squirreled away. Deep garnet in colour, we have aromas of smoked meats, tobacco leaves, charcuterie, florals, cranberries and handfuls of warm earth. Youthful certainly, but it is already exhibiting some complexity plus good acidity and length, with very fine tannins. A very long future but leaving it for at least three to four years and then drinking over the next ten to fifteen should be the plan. The score will surely rise with time.