Stonegarden Shiraz 2021

100% Shiraz from Stonegarden, an Eden Valley vineyard first planted in 1858 whose fruit was sold to other Barossa producers for over 160 years before the site got its own label in 2015. The 2021 wine comes off two blocks — the original 1858 planting and a second from the 1940s — hand-picked in two passes 15 days apart: an early pick for freshness and white pepper, a later one for plush tannin, allspice and dark red fruit, with 20% whole bunches added for structure. Matured in 500-litre French oak, a quarter of it new. Winemaker Ben Radford and the site itself call 2021 a rare 'Goldilocks' vintage for Eden Valley, and the wine is built to age.

The vineyard sits in the south-eastern corner of Eden Valley near Springton, 20 hectares in a rain shadow that sees little rain. The soil is thin loam over reddish-brown clay, shot through with micaceous schist and gold-bearing quartz. Cool nights hold the acid in the ripening fruit.

The paper trail runs long. In the 1870s the fruit went to Seppeltsfield for fortifieds, and from the 1930s into Hamilton's Ewell table wines. Since 2015 Glen Monaghan has dropped herbicides in favour of undervine knifing, native grasses and a compost mulch trial. DNA testing even turned up two rare varieties, canacazo and trincadeira.

Expect blackcurrant and flowers on the nose with a touch of smoke, then plush dark fruit, herbs and chocolate. Annandale Cellars reckons it is only just unfurling after two years in bottle. Decant it now, or put it away.