Bondar Rayner Vineyard Shiraz 2022

A very classic style, finessed. Rich and plush, almost full bodied with blueberry, mulberry, blackcurrant, blackberry, Vietnamese mint, black olive, seaweed, soy and five spice. Terrific weave and tension of sweet fruit and savoury elements. Very long, with a mineral, inky close. Also a terrific bargain. Waters Wine Co

From the two oldest blocks (1950 and ’60); two weeks on skins with about 20% whole bunches; 18 months in French hogsheads (5% new). The home vineyard shiraz trio are neatly differentiated. Here, there’s a denser, more ‘classic’ feel, though the house style of restraint is still writ large. In part, this is defined by the iron, iodine and nori mineral notes sitting so forward in the wine, blue florals perfuming. Blackberry pastille, dark cherry, bitter chocolate, tar and master stock spice feature across a plumpness of fruit, but sans sweetness, rather suffused with the silky, supple gravitas of old-vine fruit guided by assertively fine tannins. 96 Points – Halliday Wine Companion

95 Points The Wine Front