Stonegarden 2021 Eden Valley Shiraz

"The perfume on this wine is absolutely fantastic; it jumps out of the glass. Toasted curry leaves, cassis; I always get liquorice. There is a tiny bit of woodsy spice (nice wood!) but the fruit overpowers it. Jeez, the tannins are very … well, very whole bunch. Very serious and present in the glass. Yet integrated and fully ripe. Softened, surely, by two years in bottle before release. Unicorn vintage, unicorn vineyard, unicorn wine. In quotation marks." - Will

"Ruby and garnet with slight violet streaks, yet never flamboyant. Indeed this is the byword here, this wine never shouts. A completely terroir driven wine, for me, with baked cherry and some dark stone fruit forming the backdrop to earthen flavours. Terracotta, ore, and blacker soils; Cuban light cigar leaf (maybe Vegas Robaina) and some pantry spices; bitter and savoury dark chocolate. There is a freshness that comes from a marjoram-like herbal lift along with toasted coriander seeds. The palate stays very firmly medium-bodied, with beams of structuring tannin and a silken finish. There is a sense of line and length that is ‘very Rockford.’ Dark cherry with a sense of phenolic freshness akin to blood plum skins, dark baking chocolate and spices, and cigar box. Serious and never showy. Exceptional. " - David