2023 Greenock Creek Apricot Black Shiraz, Barossa Valley

Sourced from seven rows of rock and shale with seams of red clay; yields restricted to 1T/acre. Gloriously plummy fruits with blueberry and boysenberry along for the ride. Baking spices, pan juices, olive tapenade, dark chocolate, citrus blossom, cocoa nibs and plum conserve. Beautifully pure and balanced on the palate with toothsome, fine-grained tannins and a freshness that belies its fruit depth.

96 points Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion

Greenock Creek has been a Barossa cult name since Michael and Annabelle Waugh established the estate in the 1980s. Tiny vineyards, low yields and unapologetically individual wines built its reputation, with Apricot Block becoming one of the most recognisable Shiraz bottlings in the collection. The vineyard sits in the western Barossa near Marananga, an area renowned for Shiraz of extraordinary concentration and dark, savoury character.

The 2023 season was considerably cooler and later than many recent Barossa vintages, giving Shiraz a long ripening period and helping retain freshness alongside the natural intensity of the site. Apricot Block is never going to be a shy wine, but this vintage has an appealing tension between ripe dark fruit, spice and structure rather than relying simply on weight and alcohol.

Deep, almost opaque crimson purple, the bouquet is loaded with blackberry, black plum and blueberry, followed by violet, liquorice and cracked pepper. Black olive, espresso, dark chocolate and smoked meat emerge with air, together with a little dried rosemary. The palate is dense and mouth filling, with blackberry and plum wrapped in powerful but ripe tannins. Cocoa, olive and pepper provide savoury relief through the middle before a long, warming finish of black fruit, liquorice and bitter chocolate.

Beef short ribs glazed with soy and black pepper would be superb, alongside lamb shoulder with rosemary and garlic, Korean barbecue beef, smoky eggplant with harissa or slow cooked beef cheek with polenta. Our pick is the short ribs. Sticky, salty, charred beef has enough swagger to stand up to all that dark Barossa fruit.

Cellaring: Drink from 2027 to 2042.