2022 Dune Empty Quarter Shiraz Grenache Mataro, McLaren Vale

Gold Medal 95 points and Trophy for Best Shiraz Blend 2023 Sydney Royal Wine Show
Gold Medal 95 points 2023 Royal Adelaide Wine Show

A blend of shiraz, mataro and grenache, plus a touch of touriga nacional. A beautifully detailed and handled wine that is a super-elegant version of standard GSM. The beauty of this wine and its blue/red fruits and berries demands that it be consumed forthwith.

96 points Special Value James Halliday Wine Companion

Plum, blueberry, sage and aniseed, spice and dried flowers. It’s medium-bodied, something of a Dutch liquorice character, also ferrous, inky and earthy, fine silty cocoa tannin, and a satisfying finish of excellent length. I love the grip and savoury complexity. Very good.

94 points Gary Walsh The Winefront

From the sandy, windswept Blewitt Springs and greater McLaren Vale, Dune Empty Quarter Shiraz Grenache Mataro captures a more savoury, site driven take on the classic GSM blend. Dune Wines focuses on minimal intervention and vineyard expression, working with old vine material and gentle extraction to highlight perfume, texture and regional character rather than sheer power. The trio of Shiraz, Grenache and Mataro brings together spice, brightness and structure in a way that feels both modern and grounded.

A deep ruby crimson with purple flashes sits in the glass. Aromas unfold with dark cherry, blackberry and plum layered with dried herbs, cracked pepper, olive tapenade and a subtle earthy note. There is an immediate sense of savoury complexity, inviting and layered.

The palate is medium to full bodied and beautifully integrated, delivering juicy red and dark berry fruit framed by fine tannins and balanced acidity. Notes of liquorice, spice and a gentle ferrous edge build through the mid palate, leading to a long, flowing finish that feels both expressive and composed. Drinking well now for its energy and detail, it will continue to evolve over eight to twelve years into deeper, more savoury territory.

Charred lamb ribs with cumin and coriander, smoky eggplant folded into flatbreads, or slow cooked beef with spices shared generously across the table. A spin of Massive Attack Mezzanine or something brooding from Nick Cave, even a touch of Arvo Pärt drifting in later, the wine carrying that same sense of depth, texture and quiet intensity.