Shiraz 2019 – Black Market Deal #45260

This is an old vine Barossa Shiraz that's been unfined and unfiltered, preserving maximum flavour and texture. The grapes come from three different vineyards on the valley floor, creating complexity through terroir diversity. The basket pressing technique ensures gentle extraction, while two years in French oak adds structure without overwhelming the fruit's natural power.

The wine scored 96 points from Wine Orbit and 95 points from both Andrew Caillard MW and Ken Gargett, indicating exceptional quality recognition across the industry. These consistently high scores reflect the wine's complex aromatics of blackberry, mulberry, aniseed and mint, plus its full-bodied palate with chocolate notes and fine tannin structure. The Gold Medal at Global Syrah Masters 2022 further validates its international standing.

Unfined and unfiltered wines retain more of their natural texture, colour compounds, and flavour precursors that would otherwise be stripped away during processing. This approach preserves the wine's full-bodied character and allows the complex aromatics to shine through more intensely. You might notice slightly more sediment in the bottle, but this indicates the wine's authentic, minimally processed nature.

As a full-bodied Barossa Shiraz with fine tannin structure, serve this wine at 16-18°C to allow the complex flavours of chocolate, blackberry and spice to fully express themselves. Decanting for 30-60 minutes will help soften the tannins and open up the aromatics. The wine's power and structure make it perfect for rich dishes like grilled lamb, aged beef, or strong cheeses.

With its old vine fruit concentration, French oak structure, and full-bodied profile, this 2019 Shiraz has excellent cellaring potential of 10-15 years from vintage. The fine tannin structure and high critic scores suggest the wine will develop greater complexity over time, with the chocolate and spice notes integrating further. The unfined and unfiltered approach also means it has the natural compounds needed for graceful ageing.