The Lane Shiraz 2021

There is so much pleasure in this wine. Whether it’s the plummy, spicy, soft red nature of the wine that moves you, or the sheer exuberance of cool climate Shiraz matched with a degree of savouriness that inspires you to light the barbie, this is a winner. Brilliant purple in colour, it opens in lifted black cherry, plum, baking spices and a lick of pepper. Winemaking notes mention a co-fermentation with a “touch” of Viognier, which makes sense both colour and aroma-wise. A gentle savouriness on the palate brings added interest to the plushness of red and black berried fruits, bitter chocolate and warm spiciness. And I can report that after being open for three days, it did not skip a beat. It was as fresh and alive as day one.

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