Thorn Clarke William Randell Winemaker’s Small Batch Selection Barossa Shiraz 2021

It may sound like the proverbial broken record, but anyone who has not overstocked their cellar with the superb wines from the 2021 vintage in regions like the Barossa will come to regret their inexplicable dithering. The wine is named after a family ancestor who commissioned the first paddle steamer seen on the Murray River (okay, perhaps not quite the search for the source of the Nile, but still very impressive). After fermentation, maturation was in American oak, 40% of which was new, for a year and a half. The final wine is a barrel selection. Under cork. Near black in colour, with a dark maroon rim, the quality of the year shines through. We have aromas weaving through tobacco leaves, chocolate, beef stock, mocha, cocoa powder, cassis and a hint of gum leaf. There is serious concentration here with a supple, sleek and seductive texture, leading to silky tannins. The wine has balance, density and energy. Still refreshing, it offers superb length and will drink magnificently for the next twenty years.