“Top class.” - The Australian Wine Companion, 94 points

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), vanilla and chocolate nibs. The texture is glossy and silky, not dark or tannic, proving that bigger isn’t always better. Patritti’s JPB ‘Limited Release’ Shiraz is a much more ‘impressive’ wine with a higher score (96 points), but it’s cumbersome and unwieldy and weighs in at over 15% alc. 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. Drink now-2035.

Press review:

The Australian Wine Companion: “From a single block on the estate Blewitt Springs vineyard, crushed and destemmed, 7 days on skins, matured for 14 months in hogsheads (40% new). Top class.” 92 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.