Wolf Blass Grey Label McLaren Vale Shiraz 2018

The twin to our Langhorne Creek Grey, and what a terrific pair they make. The straight Shiraz is from McLaren Vale and, in a fine vintage like 2018, this wine drinks well above its price. It is cracking value. The supple texture and lovely soft plushness here is a joy. Concentrated, sure, but gentle as well and lovely length too. It also offers the usual quality oak treatment one expects with any top of the line Blass wine with flavours of dark chocolate, mulberries, cloves, black cherries and more. Quite how Blass manage to walk the tightrope of full flavours and serious oak yet offer wines which seem so fresh and even elegant remains a mystery. Plenty of tannin but so soft as to be almost invisible. It has a good decade ahead – what is not to love?