Coriole Sandalwood Sangiovese 2023
G 95
A wine as detailed and artistic as its label. This invokes the rustic nature of Sangiovese with a brilliant perfume of raspberries, wild hawthorn and morello cherries. There is fresh bay leaf and the underbrush of leaf litter and black sand. Acidity leads the charge and takes the fine-grained tannins right to the edges of the palate. Cumin and white pepper spice too. A labour of love that translates the special site right into the glass. Drink now–2038 Coriole Willunga 1920 Reserve Shiraz 2022 G 95 Shiraz has been grown at Coriole in the Willunga vineyard since the 1920s, and so their affinity for its dimension and details is not lost here in the 2022 Reserve, that much you can count on. Immediately you’ll find a halo of blackberries, cassis and cherries; look further into a pool of cola, cassia bark and black peppercorns. This is moderately weighted with the body of the wine based on freshness and fruit. A modern interpretation of the grape we know and love, this moves with the times, drinking well now, and will reward with medium-term cellaring, say, 8–10 years on.
Drink now–2035 Curtis Gladiator Shiraz 2021
G 95
The fruit comes from 80-year-old vines, hand harvested and fermented over 28 days with wild yeasts. Matured in French and American oak for 36 months. There is plenty of density here for your dollars, with aromas of black cherry, rhubarb and dark plums. A grungy red gum bark that leads to more earthy things, some potting soil and black charcoal dust. The wine is decidedly dry on the palate with more of that immoveable black rock, some coffee grinds, and poppyseed. This feels born in the earth, those old vines telling a tale of decades buried deep underground. Tannins are gritty and placed in order for this wine to mature gracefully a further 10–15 years. This isn’t full of muscle and grit, as a gladiator might invoke; it is more a story of a vine that has endured and stands tall of its own merit and ability. A power move in your cellar, but if it’s on the table, do it justice with a bone-in shoulder roast.
Drink now–2040 Curtis Tiberius Shiraz 2021
G 95
The emperor of Curtis Winery, Tiberius comes from 60-year-old vines off their most treasured blocks. Here fruit quality is second to none with the halo of blackberries, cassis and pomegranate seeds leaping from the glass. Gathered scoops of rich brown soil, twigs of rosemary and freshly poured espresso. There is an added sparkle of raspberry on the palate with a slippery mouthfeel, that is lively as it is impressionable. Some Christmas cherries and black cardamom spice round out the full but elegant mouthfeel. There is plenty to discover over time here, so decant and settle in. A simple but very good quality Cheddar would highlight its personality nicely. Drink now or cellar for another 6–8 years. Drink now–2033
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The Vintage Journal
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