Rayner Vineyard Shiraz 2021

This cuvée comes from the Rayner Vineyard, in the hills of the McLaren Vale GI, in South Australia, on the edge of the Blewitt Springs and Seaview sub-regions. The estate's two oldest Shiraz plots combine deep, iron-flecked sands and shallow clays over limestone. Dry-farmed, these old vines give the wine a character that is fragrant, structured and resolutely savoury.

The grapes are harvested by hand and fermented with native yeasts, including around 20% whole bunches. Extended maceration of about two weeks enhances depth and tannin finesse. Ageing lasts 18 months in French oak hogsheads, mostly old, with 5% new oak.

This wine reveals notes of blackberry, blueberry, black cherry, violet, liquorice, dark chocolate, black pepper, sweet spices, iodine, nori seaweed and iron. The palate, velvety and broad without excess, unfolds deep, fresh fruit lifted by a distinctive salinity. The polished yet very present tannins give length to a long, savoury, finely spiced finish.

Australia began making wine more than two centuries ago. The result is a country rich in old vines, multi-generational winemaking families and deep-rooted knowledge of and respect for the craft. Add to that a thirst for exploration and innovation, a fearless attitude and a varied portfolio of 65 wine regions across many climates, and you have the makings of an extraordinary wine country like few others. Australia burst onto export markets in the 1980s and has since been offering the whole world dynamic, fruity wines of exceptional value. Until the late 1990s and early 2000s, the story of Australian wine was dominated by overly concentrated examples of Shiraz, Grenache and red blends. Between these two extremes lies the diversity of Australia's high-quality and regional wines, which has always existed. Australian viticulture is mainly concentrated along the southern ocean fringe, where conditions are cooler. There are four main wine regions, located around the major cities: Western Australia around Perth, South Australia around Adelaide, Victoria around Melbourne and New South Wales around Sydney. The country is one of the world's largest wine producers and was the 4th-largest exporter in the world in 2011. This recent development has made Australia one of the most prominent countries for the quality of its wines. You can taste Australian wines all over the country. Each Australian region has its own grape varieties. Australian wines are defined by their grape variety, unlike French wines, which are defined by their terroir.