Mayford 2022 Porepunkah Tempranillo

"A deep, nearly fully opaque ruby with hints of violet trimming. Unfurls slowly in the glass with great reserve. Initially: cigar humidor, wet stone, and black cherry preserve. There is a thin veneer of oak here that like a black hole is pulling the oxygen beyond the event horizon, rewarding us on the other side with integration. Cocoa nibs, bitter dark chocolate, graphite, maduro cigar wrapper, warm embers, camphor, cured leather all gain in delineation. The palate is medium bodied, fresh with bright acidity; firm tannins rise in the late palate and provide ample grip. These tannins posses a beautiful, old-world layered quality. There is again an interplay of freshness and brightness, a light at the end of the tunnel, at the conclusion almost 15 seconds after a sip. Red cherries abound; there is great succulence here before river stone minerality, bitter chocolate, and orange zest. Dried herbs, especially marjoram and bay, emerge slowly. There is a fascinating cotillon danced between these elements on the close. Assuredly Australia’s finest Tempranillo." — David