Springs Road Kangaroo Island Shiraz 2022

Darkly toned in both fruit and savouriness, this Shiraz nevertheless carries a surprising levity. It opens with a lick of cedar before layering blackberry, blood plum, old leather, liquorice, bitumen, grilled meat and black pepper. A pressed floral note floats above the darker elements, while the fruit expands with air without losing savoury complexity. The palate mirrors the nose, juicy with blackberry and plum sitting above cedar, black pepper, leather, liquorice and meat. The wine remains lifted and avoids heaviness, finished with a sheath of fine-grained tannins framing an iodine-laced close. With time, it relaxes into a smart, medium-bodied expression that offers excellent value.