2022 Campbells Durif, Rutherglen

Campbells has been making wine on the same patch of dirt in Rutherglen since 1870. Sisters Jane and Jules Campbell are its current fifth generation custodians. Durif has been part of their offer for over a century, made from what the winery calls the original Durif of Rutherglen clone. It is the variety most closely associated with the region and the one that consistently demonstrates what Rutherglen's warm continental climate can produce when the variety is handled with care.

The 2022 La Niña vintage brought cooler temperatures and higher rainfall than recent seasons, giving the wine a fresher and more vibrant character than the concentrated warmth of the 2019. Harvested across March and April and fermented on skins for 10 days to extract colour and tannin before pressing to French and American oak puncheons for 18 months. The approach in winemaking is a Durif approachable on release without losing the structure that rewards cellaring.

Deep purple, the nose shows ripe black plum, dark cherry and spice with chocolate and mocha oak underneath. The palate is full and smooth with ironstone minerality, fine grippy tannins and a long, well-structured finish. Ready now with a good decant and will continue to develop.

Enjoy with deeply flavoured vegetable dishes, slow-roasted beef, Korean braised short ribs or aged hard cheese.

Drink now through 2030.