2020 Hay Shed Hill Shiraz Tempranillo, Margaret River

Now aren’t these two varieties good friends. Each brings their best to this savoury, juicy wine. Lovely plump and ripe fruit comes infused with red licorice, sarsaparilla and dried herbs. Fine grit to the tannins and succulence throughout the mid-weighted palate. A little ripper.

92 points Special Value ✪ Jane Faulkner winecompanion.com.au

Mike Kerrigan, former winemaker at Howard Park, acquired the business in late 2006 (with co-ownership by the West Cape Howe syndicate) and is now the full-time winemaker. He had every confidence that he could dramatically lift the quality of the wines, and has done precisely that.

Vibrant red/black colour with a deep opaque centre. The nose displays a complex blend of violets and spicy black pepper notes of the Shiraz with the more savoury licorice aromas from the Tempranillo. Shiraz and Tempranillo are wonderful partners; two old varieties coming together to make a new vibrant blend. The Shiraz brings all the Australian fruit power, deep plum flavours with a peppery edge in a fleshy fruit sweet palate. The Tempranillo adds savoury elements and complex tannin structure to the wine resulting in a more complete wine that either of the two components could make on their own. This wine has all the sweet fleshiness that we expect in Shiraz with the added benefit of textural complexity.