When this deep, inky liquid was poured into our glass, it felt like that moment on a roller-coaster when the safety bar is lowered, the train jerks forwards and you feel that mild sense of panic. Australian Shiraz can be a bone-shaking experience that knocks you from pillar to post, so we braced ourselves, but this wasn’t a rattling assault on the senses, they had cushioned the seats and oiled the wheels, so it glided over the rails and we were able to enjoy the ride and appreciate all the twists and turns. I have now run out of rollercoaster analogies, and I’m quite proud of myself for not using any of the obvious ones.

This white-knuckle ride of thrilling loop the loops [You’re fired! - Ed.] is the best value Shiraz we have tasted since Mad Dog Munzberg’s ‘Mad Dog’ Shiraz 2013 and anyone lucky enough to have bought a few bottles of that, before Mad Dog hung up his secateurs, will know that’s a mighty fine compliment. It’s deep and dark, with aromas and flavours evoking blackcurrant cordial, blueberry jam (but it’s not jammy), violet, bergamot, vanilla and chocolate nibs. The texture is glossy and silky, not hefty and tannic, proving that bigger isn’t necessarily better. There’s a reason why tennis rackets aren’t 6 feet wide. There’s a point at which something reaches perfect form and balance and it applies to wine as much as it does to tennis rackets. Now there’s a sentence I never thought I would write. 14.5% alc. All hand-harvested from the family's ‘Blewitt Springs’ vineyard. Drink now-2035.

Press review:

JancisRobinson.com (Tamlyn Currin): “Smells of blackcurrants splatted on hot stones, indigo ink bleeding into wet card, rain on an angry day. Feels like parchment; ink on wet card; smudging kohl eyeliner off a rain-wet, cold, angry cheek. Yours. Tastes like a train station when you're there to say good bye; like sucking Ribena from a tiny box carton through a straw when all you want to do is cry; like hot tarmac after a rainstorm and dusty bitter black olives and that shock of tannin landmine the first time you put a sloe berry in your mouth; and it tastes like the sweet lippy dribbly kiss of your kid who's just been foraging for bramble berries and the blue-black stains go from chin to forehead to fingers to knees. It tastes like those grass-stained, earth-bruised, berry-blue plump knees. Good Value. Drink now-2030.” 17 points

Customer Comments:

“This is quite delicious, but your description is even better...!” - Mr. P.J.

“WOW! Brilliant wine! Like the best of Barossa without the OTT alcohol. Great find!” - Mr. J.G

Winemaking

Fruit selected from the “Square Block” within Patritti’s Blewitt Springs vineyard was fermented in static fermenters on skins for seven days, with a small percentage of whole bunches. Following settling and malolactic fermentation in tank, the wine was matured in 40% new American oak puncheons and 60% used puncheons for 14 months before blending and bottling.