2024 Collector Rose Red City Sangiovese, Canberra District

Easy to gauge a wine’s quality and deliciousness by the fact I kept sipping this thinking, 'gosh I like it'. The glass kept emptying before sentences were written here! Point is, this is drinking brilliantly now. A vibrant red hue with heady aromas of wood smoke (peaty almost), new leather and warm earth. There’s a core of tangy, juicy cherry flavour infused with woodsy spices and fleshy ripe plums with a dusting of cocoa. The raw-silk tannins add texture across the mid-weighted palate. The juicy acidity (and there's plenty of it) holds all the parts together, leaving an excellent refreshment factor. Drink 2026 to 2032.

95 points Special Value Jane Faulkner for Halliday Wine Companion, February 2026

Collector Wines launched in 2005 with the inaugural release of the Marked Tree Red Shiraz. A NSW Wine of the Year, it articulated what quintessential Canberra District Shiraz could be.

Alex McKay is the winemaker behind the label. His path to that moment ran through an early mentorship with Canberra District pioneer Edgar Riek, followed by years working within Hardy's significant investment in the region — a venture that proved to be short-lived but left a lasting mark on a generation of local winemakers who developed their craft during that period. That immersion gave Alex a deep and detailed understanding of the Canberra District and its surroundings.

For Alex, every wine begins with the vineyard — listening carefully to what a site might be capable of, shaping its management long before any winemaking decisions are made. The wines, named after artworks rather than vineyards, are a quiet reflection of that philosophy: elegant, considered and never trying to be anything other than what the site allows.

The Rose Red City is predominantly Sangiovese with a small addition of Malvasia Nera, grown across a range of vineyards on granite and shale soils near Murrumbateman. The emphasis is on structure and savoury character rather than overt fruit — closer in spirit to Chianti than to new world Sangiovese. Grapes are hand-harvested, fermented with natural yeast in open fermenters, and matured in predominantly seasoned French oak with just 10% new, preserving the variety's natural acidity and firm tannin profile.

The 2024 is vibrant and immediately appealing — wood smoke, new leather and warm earth on the nose, with tangy cherry, spiced redcurrant, mulberry and a tobacco thread. The palate is mid-weighted with firm, savoury tannins, juicy acidity keeping everything fresh and lively, and a long, refreshing finish. Styled for early drinking, this is Sangiovese doing exactly what it does best.

Pour alongside pasta with a simple tomato sauce, pizza, grilled lamb or a well-seasoned charcuterie board.

Drink now through 2032.