Will Stanley

9.4

Over my birthday at the beginning of July I had Covid, by far the worst consequence of which was losing my senses of smell and taste. I’ve heard some horror stories from people in the wine trade experiencing this and not fully recovering, which for the past two years has terrified me (I had avoided Covid until now). I’ve had Chablis and Bordeaux (in a restaurant) in the past week, both of which didn’t smell of much and had oddly metallic tastes. Other things I love - such as coffee - have started to taste and smell better in the past week, so I was anxious whether my enjoyment of wine might have been restored. I also felt that only at home, in a controlled and familiar environment, would I be able to fully attest one way or the other.

I’d been wanting to try Duncan Savage’s flagship red since buying a case of the 2018 over a year ago, a 100% Stellenbosch Syrah from one of the Cape’s most exciting winemakers that received glowing reviews from prominent South Africa critics Tim Atkin and Greg Sherwood. A quick note: no, after more than a fortnight, my sense of smell is still pretty poor, but this wine was v enjoyable nevertheless!

From the nose, I was still able to appreciate subtle aromas of fresh blueberry, lavender, bacon fat, ground pepper and warm earth; really textbook Syrah, an utterly intoxicating smell that whets one’s appetite for grilled meat.

The palate is complex, with saturated cranberry & blueberry, dense with high acidity at this youthful stage, and plucky but very fine tannins, and a lasting finish.

What this wine must really taste like, when one’s senses are firing at 100%, I can only imagine! Really, really impressive stuff. I’m delighted I have a case and can’t wait to try it again - maybe in a few weeks’ time 😅🤞 94+ — 2 years ago

Al Doyle

9.0

Grippy, tea-like orange, kinda like a flat Arnold Palmer or something. “Forty year old vines planted over sandy, alluvial soils in Ammerschwihr. The fruit was fermented as whole bunches for a fortnight before being pressed off to vats for a short élevage.” — 2 years ago

Loren Semones

9.1

Nice Cab for the price — 5 years ago

Colin McCartney

9.4

Bramble and white pepper on the nose with a slight hint of menthol. Smokey meat and dark cherries hit the palate with gripping tannins that help the flavors linger for a fortnight...
— 10 years ago

David Shaw

9.0

Now made by Dusted Valley, Prosser WA. Pale white, excellent clarity. Floral and pineapple in nose, dry, mineral, fairly high acidity, floral, pineapple, tropical and orchard fruit flavors. On point varietally, good value from a good vintage in a terrible year. — 2 years ago

Helen McMurdo

9.7

Been wine tasting all day 'errday for the last fortnight in Margaret River and Great Southern wine regions, and this is my absolute fave red of the trip. The perfect temperate-climate Shiraz/ Syrah. I get cherries on the nose and all sorts of exquisite berries on the palette. The perfect hint of savoury at the end, but definitely favours fruit over spice. A hit accompanied with dark chocolate. — 8 years ago