2012 Greenock Creek Cornerstone Grenache, Barossa Valley

...Then there might be a trace of satsuma, blueberry, and fresh juniper, but as far as fruits go this is more like solid dried fig and prune, fruitcake and panforte. 85% cooking chocolate. It’s so intense it has as an Amarone della Valpolicella nature, as if it was made partly from dried Corvina. Then, once the hooter’s got through all that, the more sinister characters ooze from the wings. Gunblue. Blackpowder. Fireworks. The forge. Blackwood heart, fresh-chopped. It has star anise. The ghost train of dark, sparky perfumes. Like an aromatic Blade Runner, it bounces around the sensories in a sinister, daring manner. Sometimes it could be the Devil – I smell pitch and his scratchy, leathery wings. It’s sinuous, intense, velvety, and incredibly looooong. It’s strapping – it draws all the saliva through your cheeks. After nearly a week, it’s not giving up. A wicked slither of blackness. Check it in eight years.

94+++ points Philip White