Schubert Estate The Gosling Single Vineyard Shiraz 2016

As with all the wines on offer from Schubert Estate, this is impressively packaged, even if they have gone somewhat heavy on the goose imagery. This is a heavily awarded wine, again from the family vineyards in the Marananga sub-region of the Barossa. Handpicked and then destemmed and fermented in 5-tonne open top fermenters with twice daily pumpovers. After fermentation, the wine is basket-pressed. Free-run juice and pressings are combined and transferred to older French oak 225-litre barriques, where it sits for a further 18 months. After barrel selection, the wine is finally bottled. 

Near black in colour. Warm earth notes intertwined with blackberries. There are flavours moving through leather, cloves, chocolate and coffee grinds. A sweet core of mocha which really sets the wine up as something a bit delicious, but there is also a savouriness which provides ideal balance. Good length and excellent focus. An absolute crowd pleaser.