2020 Tim Adams Schaefer Shiraz, Clare Valley

Tim Adams established his Clare Valley winery with his wife Pam in 1987 and has been making consistent estate grown wines ever since.

The Schaefer family farmed their 38-hectare property for over 20 years before Tim and Pam took over the custodianship. The site consistently produces some of the finest fruit in the Clare Valley, resulting in wines of elegance, richness and structural depth. Superior rows within the vineyard are hand-selected, and the Schaefer Shiraz is only released from vintages where the team believe the fruit warrants it.

The 2020 growing season was cool and dry following good winter rainfall — ideal conditions that produced fruit of excellent varietal definition, concentration and natural acidity. Fruit was destemmed, fermented to dryness over 12 days on skins with a further five days post-fermentation soaking, all pressings returned to build structure. Twenty-four months in new French oak was followed by additional tank maturation before bottling.

Deep red with a crimson rim, the nose is generous and detailed with aromas of dark plum, dark cherry, hints of dark chocolate, vanilla and tobacco leaf and spicy fine cedar. The palate is full-bodied and supple with silky tannins, excellent length and notes of leather and clove on the finish.

Schaefer Shiraz has shown itself to be capable of extended cellaring. The 2020 is starting to show integration of oak and savoury complexity, but it is still youthful and developing. Give the wine a fair bit of air before opening for slow-roasted beef, Korean galbi jjim or a well-aged hard cheese.

Drink now through 2035.