Tahbilk 1860 Vines Shiraz 2016

This 2016 Shiraz 1860 Vines is a style unto itself. The fruit tastes like it comes from old vines – powerful yet restrained, savory but not dried out – it’s a bit of a marvel. It is distinct. There are notes of hot red earth, leather, autumnal leaves, roast meat crust, pink peppercorns, oolong tea, bush smoke (in a good way) and embers, and it also has rosemary and black cherries. It’s classic, in a way, although you may not viscerally understand that if you’re not from Australia. It’s an evocative wine, a wine of place. And it’s still on the ascent. The drinking window listed is conservative. Drink date: 2022-2037. Score – 96+. (Erin Larkin, robertparker.com, Dec. 8, 2022)