Curator Marananga Shiraz 2022

From the best plots of the estate’s own vineyard, this is a glorious Marananga expression. 10% whole bunches, unhurried wild ferment and aged for 18 months in French oak, 20% new. Incredible wine, showcasing that detail, tension and freshness can live alongside rich, full bodied hedonism. Lavender, violet, sweet and savoury spice, blackcurrant, mulberry, dark cherry, plum and blackberry. All the elements are here, heightened tones, stiffened by fleshy stuffing. Great wines have tension, and tension is here in spades. It’s big, but elegant, fruity and savoury, tannic, yet fine. Total bargain.

The more elegant counterpart to its Seppeltsfield sibling, with scents of lilacs, dried lavender, kelp and blue fruit. This is a gorgeous expression, showcasing how Barossa and elegance are not mutually exclusive. Despite the full body, the exquisitely rendered tannins show authority and tension, giving one the impression of floral grace. A long, sumptuous finish. Not a thing out of place. Gorgeous wine. 96 Points, James Suckling

Bright crimson in the glass and smelling like it could come from nowhere else but the Barossa Valley … the western Barossa sub-region of Marananga to be exact. Bright satsuma plum, blueberry and boysenberry fruits dusted with underlying hints of crushed ironstone, violets, pan juices, baking spices, chocolate, liminal amaro suggestions (10% whole bunch), tapenade and earth. Jeez, it’s lovely, with its pure fruit display, ferrous-edged, melt-in-the-mouth tannins and spicy plum and blueberry fan on the exit. Great drinking. 95 Points, James Halliday

The colour is a black maroon, while the nose reveals appealing aromas through notes of blueberries, leather, a touch of charry oak, warm earth, chocolate and blackberries. The palate sees a sweet core of those gorgeous blueberries with coffee beans also in attendance. Excellent length, a fine structure and sleek tannins all combine to add to the appeal. This is a delicious drink and an elegant one, though elegance in the Barossa is a relative thing. It should remain so, and develop even more, over the next ten to fifteen years. 95 Points, Wine Pilot