2019 Collector Reserve Shiraz, Canberra District

This is a wine that reflects place as much as the winemaker, the thoughtful, quietly spoken Alex McKay. There’s a lot in this wine but it starts gently with heady aromas all floral and spicy, the dark fruit comes in next, the spice notes and cedary oak. Fuller bodied with plush tannins and ribbons of acidity moving through the palate. It’s gorgeous now but will reward even more in time.

96 points Jane Faulkner for Halliday Wine Companion

Collector has become one of the quiet success stories of the Canberra District, with Alex McKay crafting wines that capture the region’s cooler climate energy and spice rather than chasing heavy, overripe styles. The Reserve Shiraz sits at the top of the range, drawing from carefully selected parcels to create a wine with depth, structure and remarkable finesse.

The 2019 feels beautifully composed and already starting to settle into itself. Dark cherry, blackberry and plum unfold alongside cracked pepper, star anise and violet, with a deeper layer of smoked meat, earth and graphite slowly emerging with air. There’s a savoury edge here that keeps pulling you back in.

It carries plenty of intensity, but everything feels tightly woven rather than broad. Fine tannins frame the fruit, while bright acidity keeps the wine moving with real energy. Spice builds steadily through the middle, black pepper, clove and a little dark chocolate, before the finish stretches out long and savoury with hints of iron and herbs.

This is exactly the sort of Shiraz that shines with thoughtful food. Charcoal grilled lamb with rosemary would be superb, but it’s equally compelling with black lentils and roasted mushrooms, smoky eggplant with yoghurt and sumac, or a slow cooked onion and thyme tart where the savoury layers of the wine really come alive.

Drinking beautifully now with a decant, though it has the structure and balance to evolve confidently over the next ten to fifteen years.

There’s a quiet confidence here, a cooler climate Shiraz built on detail, spice and persistence rather than sheer size.