Parker Estate SBW Shiraz Mataro Coonawarra/Barossa 2023

SBW does not refer to a well-known footballer, but rather to Small Batch Winemaking. A blend of Shiraz and Mataro, the Shiraz comes from 60-year-old vines on the Kidman Old Block Vineyard, while the Mataro comes from 110-year-old vines in the Barossa Valley, Kym Schultz’s bush vine vineyard. The team employed 15% whole bunches in the fermentation. Maturation was for fifteen months in the case of the Shiraz, just nine months for the Mataro. 20% of the oak used for the Shiraz was new. The remainder of the wine was in a mix of 300-litre hogsheads and 500-litre puncheons. Just 120 dozen made. Crimson/garnet in colour, on the nose we have spices, cherries, coffee beans, bay leaves, raspberries, licorice and warm earth. There is excellent integration here and we have hints of vanilla and nutmeg from that. A supple texture through to sleek tannins with serious persistence, the wine is well focused and there is no reason that it won’t continue to drink well for at least the next ten to fifteen years. Impressive stuff.