Harewood Estate Shiraz Cabernet 2020

Proving that the team at Harewood can do just as well with reds as their famed whites, this classic Aussie blend of Shiraz and Cabernet from the Great Southern region is a cracker. The Shiraz hails from Frankland River and the Cabernet from Porongurup. Individual parcels underwent fermentation in small open fermenters before spending 18 months in French oak barriques to mature. Fining is with egg whites.

A deep crimson in colour, this is a beautifully elegant style of red, yet certainly not lacking flavour, intensity or underlying power. Restrained, poised and balanced, we have notes of leather, animal hides, chocolate, blackberries, tobacco leaves, a tiny touch of raspberries and dry herbs. A hint of a vanillin note from the French oak is evident. The wine is beautifully focused, the texture supple, the tannins silky and the finish long. More elegant than is traditional with this blend, but then this isn’t the Barossa and the wine is a very impressive one. Six to eight years, by which time, it will surely deserve a higher score.