Larnook Blewitt Springs Shiraz 2023

Shiraz from McLaren Vale has come so far, and expressions such as this are so exciting for the region. There’s a brains over brawn sensibility, with expressiveness and complexity at the fore supported by ample and controlled muscle in support. From the Larnook vineyards in Blewitt Springs, this sees 100% whole berry ferment and nine days on skins before a 12 month elevage in French oak, 23% of it new. Soft and elegant aromas of red peppercorn, black tea leaf, sage, seared beef, paperbark, and blackberry. A swirl of the glass props the fruit up while also unlocking earthy liquorice root and cardamom. Time in the glass brings all of this into harmony.  There’s classy restraint to this wine; it’s at once gentle and impactfully complex. The palate holds similar appeal with precision and intensity working hand in hand. Iodine minerality defines the core, with blackberry and black cherry dancing around it and lovely spice complexity in support. The tannins are firm but they melt in the mouth in a masterful display of integration, along with cooling acidity that fans the wine through the back palate to long length. Yes, classy restraint is the phrase. A wonderfully complex, elegant and superbly crafted Shiraz.