Ox Hardy Grenache Grenache 2023
G 92
10% whole bunch and matured for six months in French oak. Rosella, strawberry gum and wild cherries. Splashes of fine-boned acidity and powdery tannins. The wine manages to be light on its feet with a web of artful construction. Like most of Ox’s wines, it feels fairly effortless whilst knowing there is care and attention to detail, effortful no doubt. Slinky and moreish, this is great stuff for its price point. More, please. Drink now–2028 Ponting 366 Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 G 92 An arm wrestle of a bottle with wax cap and weighted like a sandbag. Inside, you’ll find the core of black cassis and blackcurrant Cabernet Sauvignon is swathed by some red cherry notes. Equal in its heft is sweet oak spices vanilla and black pepper, cinnamon and clove. Everything is dialled up and yet the wine finds harmony in its classic Aussie blend, you just don’t need to go looking for it. A bold wine that is very much in demand. Drink now–2028 Richard Hamilton Ghost Hill Shiraz 2022 G 92 From a single vineyard on McMurtrie Road, McLaren Vale. Picked blackberries, cocoa powder and tar. Dried bay leaf and oregano. This is dense and deeply flavoured, with sweet mulberry underpinned by a savoury heart. Voluptuous but fresh, thanks to tangy acidity, with oak sitting in the background. Enjoyable now but with potential to age further with careful cellaring. Drink now–2030 Silent Noise SGZ Shiraz Grenache Zinfandel 2022 G 92 40% Shiraz, 20% Grenache and 40% Zinfandel opens with baked raspberry pie, prune plums and bilberries. There is a soft raspberry liquorice with a sarsaparilla spice note. Fruit feels tucked in at the sides here, allowing for more of a linear palate and fine sandy tannins to shimmer amongst the line of lengthy acidity. It’s a lifted wine with plenty of energy and style. Some amaro bitterness and bay leaf to finish. At 13.5 % abv, this is a handy wine indeed. Drink now–2026 Silent Noise FO Shiraz 2022 G 92 Davidson plums, pomegranate molasses and wild strawberries. A hint of black olive, rosemary and nigella seed. There is a waft of fresh lavender too. Dusty dry tannins, and crunchy acid that darts across the palate. Flavours continue with ripe wine gums, mulberry and woodsy herbal nuances. This walks a fine line of jubey ripeness on the nose and then, once again, the palate is pared back with savoury and Italian herbs. It’s intriguing and a serious wine with the power to age gracefully. The sheer confidence to unoak this seductive style of wine is compelling. Drink now–2030
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The Vintage Journal – Regional Focus
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