2016 Ares Barossa Valley/McLaren Vale Shiraz Two Hands

A modern take on full throttle shiraz with a blistering attack of bitter cherry, amaro and bitter coffee grind to chocolate-soused tannins. A smudge of olive, violet scents and an undercarriage of smoked meat, too. The elevage comprised 25 months maturation (20% new French wood; the remainder 1- 4yo vessels). One for the hedonists, perhaps. But a wine, too, that suggests just how far we have come when considering a flamboyant style such as this.

The 2016 Ares Shiraz shows a glossy sheen of cedar and vanilla, but underneath that lies some impressively concentrated raspberry and blueberry fruit. There's also a distracting lifted note. If that resolves in time or integrates with the rest of the wine, my rating could be conservative, as this firmly built wine should have the ability to age up to two decades. Right now, once past the initial burst of mixed berries, this full- bodied wine shows hints of leather and spice on the tannic finish, but it's dramatically primary and tight, in need of decanting to show its best.