Lone Palm Vineyard Selection Barossa Valley Shiraz 2023

This is the icon of the range from this team – I had not realised that when tasting but there is no doubt it stood out as very special. That was immediately evident. The fruit comes from Marananga, Stonewell, Greenock and Seppeltsfield – Barossa names don’t come much bigger! A portion of whole bunches are included and the wine spends twenty months in a mix of French and American hogsheads. The final wine is a barrel selection. A dark maroon hue here, the nose exhibits notes of chocolate, blackcurrants, bay leaves, smoked meats, plums, cloves, mocha and mulberries. There is still plenty of evidence of toasty oak, with integration well underway. A wine which treads the tightrope between power and refinement and does it majestically. After time in the glass, we also see the emergence of rose petals and cassis. This is really good stuff. There are signs of early complexity, which one can reasonably expect to grow over time. Seamless, supple and seductive, there are silky tannins and serious length. Superb. It is the extra refinement which sets it apart. Ten to fifteen years of pleasure ahead of it.