Hardys Eileen Hardy Shiraz 2018 [JH 96]

Deep crimson. Intense blackberry, elderberry, graphite, praline aromas with herb garden notes. Richly flavoured, buoyant and minerally with dark chocolate, dark berry fruits, persistent fine gravelly textures, lovely mid-palate volume and plentiful mocha, roasted chestnut oak complexity. Finishes chocolaty firm with plentiful sweet fruit/ graphite notes. Superb density, texture and balance. Should develop well over the long haul. Drink to: 2023 - 2038; Rating: 97 Points; Andrew Caillard MW. Gold - The Great Australian Shiraz Challenge 2022 Gold - Perth Royal Wine Show Hand picked. Fermented in open tops, largely ambient. Aged in French barriques (25% new) for 17 months. An iconic Australian wine and possibly the best young example tasted. The tannin management, increasingly more refined. Explosive aromas of raspberry bon-bon, bitter chocolate, violet, clove and licorice. Thankfully, though, more than the fruit (guaranteed in these parts), it is the tannic burr that is most provocative. Drink to: 2038; Price: $153.00; Date Tasted: Feb 2021; Alcohol: 14.3%; Rating: 96 Points; Ned Goodwin MW; James Halliday Wine Companion.