2019 Two Hands Ares Shiraz, Barossa Valley

The heavyweight bottles are screen printed, and you need both hands to lift them to ensure no disaster befalls the wine when poured into fragile crystal glasses. The fruit weight has been massaged to soften the tannins, leaving black cherry, blackberry and chocolate to fill the palate.

92 points James Halliday winecompanion.com.au

Two Hands Wines, founded in 1999 by Michael Twelftree and Richard Mintz, was built on a simple but ambitious vision: to showcase the diversity and quality of Australia’s Shiraz from the country’s best regions. The Ares Shiraz is the pinnacle of the winery’s portfolio, sourced from exceptional old-vine parcels across the Barossa Valley and occasionally the Eden Valley, chosen for their depth, power, and complexity. Each block is handled separately with painstaking attention to detail, including small-batch fermentation, gentle extraction, and maturation in high-quality French oak hogsheads. Only the finest barrels are selected for the final blend, ensuring that Ares is produced in tiny quantities and only in outstanding vintages.

In the glass, Two Hands Ares Shiraz is almost opaque, with deep purple-black hues. The nose is rich and layered, offering black plum, mulberry, and blackberry compote alongside notes of dark chocolate, espresso, anise, and exotic spice, with hints of dried herbs and smoked meat. The palate is full-bodied and powerful, yet remarkably polished, delivering waves of dark fruit wrapped in velvety tannins and framed by integrated French oak. There is an impressive interplay of concentration and finesse, with vibrant acidity carrying the finish long and savoury.

This is a wine built for the table and the cellar. Pair it with slow-braised beef short ribs, chargrilled wagyu steak, roast venison with juniper, or eggplant and mushroom moussaka for a rich vegetarian option. With careful cellaring over 15 years or more, it will develop layers of leather, cedar, and earthy complexity while retaining its core of dark fruit.