2023 Adelina Estate Shiraz, Clare Valley

It's rare to see such modest shiraz from Clare Valley; even and balanced at medium weight with soft, satiny tannin profile, gentle influence of sweet-creamy oak and general litheness to personality. Raspberry, white strawberry, a touch of ginger biscuit and cardamom with sage leaf, salt bush and green olive elements threaded through. It's a beautiful and subtle rendering of the variety from the region, with vitality and poise as calling cards.

95 points Mike Bennie winecompanion.com.au

Adelina Estate Shiraz from Clare Valley is a wine of depth and quiet intensity, crafted from vines that date back to the 1910s. Nestled right next door to the legendary Wendouree vineyard in Spring Farm, this tiny estate punches well above its weight, with winemakers Col McBryde and Jennie Gardner producing wines that are as thoughtful as they are expressive.

The old vines sit in classic Clare terra rossa over limestone soils, giving naturally low yields and intensely flavoured berries. Col and Jennie take a minimal intervention approach in both vineyard and winery, using wild yeast, gentle extraction, and old oak maturation to capture the site’s character without overt makeup.

In the glass, the Shiraz is deeply aromatic with blackberry, dark cherry, fresh cracked pepper and violet, along with earthy tones of ironstone, dried herbs and graphite. The palate is structured and elegant, with fine tannins and lively acidity balancing the richness of the fruit. It’s a style that feels more Northern Rhône than Barossa, with restraint, perfume and stony minerality.

Drink now with a decant alongside roast duck, grilled lamb backstrap or eggplant with tahini and sumac. It has the bones to cellar gracefully for 10 to 15 years, evolving with savoury complexity over time.