Bekkers Syrah 2023
G 97
The first single vineyard bottling from the precious Clarendon site first planted in the 1840s. This did not come at a simple price tag, with the couple pouring their time, labour, blood, sweat and tears into restoring it. Steep, cool, and roots buried in clay and schist soils. Luckily, after all the effort, the site seems very willing to tell its tale in the glass. Illawarra plum skin, black cherries and torn banksia leaf. There are carob and coffee grinds, turned grey earth and blueberries. A sandy, wet-stone- like minerality, followed by the echo of concentrated black fruit. The coolness of the site shows in its aerial arcs of acidity, making for a medium-bodied drink full of freshness and wonder. Not only is it impossible to put down, but the flexible shape of the wine keeps you guessing and completely enamoured. Tannins slowly attach, like magnets, making for quite a solid fabric of texture. This will age slowly over the next 12–15 years. A really special wine and spectacular for its inaugural release. Drink now–2040 Hickinbotham The Peake Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz 2022 G 97 The ‘great Australian red’ in the hands of a Californian might have you making some assumptions, but you only need to put the wine to your nose to understand that Chris Carpenter understands what Australian wine culture is all about. No doubt his mate Pete Fraser has had something to do with that. Long before you poured the Peake into your glass, the best fruit has been arduously selected exactly for this iconic coupling. Plump shiraz bunches and taut cabernet clusters work in a swirl of boysenberry, plum and pepperberry. It is quite hard to separate the varieties, identifying where one begins and the other starts; instead, as intended, you are left with something entirely new. So is the beauty of a claret. Carob, nigella seed, underpinned by maple and cedar oak. Ultimately, it’s a dry wine, an important factor when it comes to the enjoyment of these wines, a medium-full bodied wine with lasting notes of bush thicket and gravelly soils. A wine for every lover of red wine and a celebration of McLaren Vale, South Australia and Australia in context with the world’s great wines. Drink now–2038 Mr Riggs The Chap Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 G 97 The classic Shiraz Cabernet blend from McLaren Vale and Coonawarra has the hearts of many; this is an iconic wine by name and nature. You’ll need a sturdy wine knife to get through the heavy wax seal, probably designed with late nights in mind and questionable choices. This is something you want to open and remember. Red berries invite you in, pomegranate and hints of quince, quickly followed by a crowd of blackberries huddled together. There are the cupboard aromas of a baker’s spices drawer and some burdock root, Assam tea and dark chocolate. An effort has been made to make this insatiably drinkable, with tannins just licking the side of your palate, but acidity encouraging you to lift the glass again. This really does bring the light and dark of the two varieties and demonstrates their befitting complementary union. Not only do the blends represent wine culture, they encourage conversation and respect across regions. A real beauty. Drink now–2038
South Australia Wine Guide 2026 | McLaren Vale
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