Pepperjack Single Vineyard Series Shiraz 2022

Pepperjack channels its Barossa Valley heritage to produce one big-hearted, cuddly Shiraz with staying power. Few Australian wine regions do super-friendly and approachable reds quite like the Barossa. But, while Pepperjack’s new super luxury limited release easily falls into that category, there is an underlying fine-ness and structural integrity to the wine that will see it through the next decade and more. Dense, dark purple hues. Aromas of star anise, liquorice, blackberry, black plum, leather, baked earth, woodsy clove spice – an attractive cavalcade of Barossan Shiraz scents – lifted and rich. On that set of aromas alone, you might fully expect to taste a bold, hearty wine – and, in part, it is that, but the palate is so much more as well. It boasts structure courtesy of firm, clean tannins which bring freshness, life and integrity. Ripe, sweet fruit is carried along seamlessly by well-integrated oak. The result is both cuddly and warm and capable of long-term ageing. It’s a terrific combination.

Jeni Port

Wine critic at Winepilot

Jeni Port is one of Australia’s top wine communicators. Based in Melbourne, Jeni created the first wine column in the (then) Sun News-Pictorial before moving over to The Age and becoming that paper’s longest-serving wine writer. Over the years she has written for most Australian wine magazines and these days calls WinePilot home. She is also a Tasting Panel member on the Halliday Wine Companion. She was named Wine Communicator of the Year and Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014 and in 2018 Legend of the Vine. She is a founding board member of Australian Women In Wine and is the co-deputy chair of Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards.

Wine writer and critic