2017 The Wilson Vineyard Shiraz Cabernet Mataro, Clare Valley

A blend of 50/37.5/12.5% shiraz/cabernet sauvignon/mataro. Matured in American and French oak. Strong and evocative scents of rich stewed plum, mahogany, old leather, cola, dried violets and espresso. The palate has some gloss and then finishes powdery dry, feels full-weighted and in the early days of benign decay. Flavours of stewed plum, roast beetroot, garam masala and a gentle, ferrous-iron earthiness to finish. It's in a pleasant place. Drink to 2027.

90 points Mike Bennie for Halliday Wine Companion, March 2023

The first vines on the Wilson Vineyard were planted in 1973 by John and Pat Wilson. Their son Daniel has been the winemaker for the estate since 2009 and has taken over the daily operations with his sister Tamara.

The 12-hectare vineyard in the Polish Hill River subregion of Clare Valley, with vines planted in a combination of slate and grey clay soils typical of the areas ridge lines. Riesling is by far the most important variety for the Wilsons, with small amounts of red varieties, mainly Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. The low-intervention, small-batch wines are made only from handpicked, estate grown fruit. The red wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered, with minimal preservatives added at bottling.