Riversdale Estate Syrah 2019

Just a decade or so ago, Tassie Shiraz was all but unheard of. The climate was just too cool to fully ripen grapes. What a difference 10 years and a changing, warming climate brings. Of course, there is reason for concern at seeing grapes not normally suited to regions now flourishing, but it also shows producers adapting to climate change. Riversdale Estate has not only achieved a healthy 14.3% abv in the 2019 vintage, but delivered a Syrah that fits the image of a wine medium in body, fine in structure and with spiciness to the fore. There’s a real touch of class here. Spice-led anise, riffs of pepper, nutmeg, a touch of menthol mix with red berries, cranberry and gentle oak. Oak helps to ground this wine, offering an attractive base of pencil shavings/graphite in league with savoury tannins which contributes complexity while remaining bright and youthful.