Tonic Wines Barossa Valley Shiraz 2021

Straight Shiraz from Glenn Barry's small-batch label Tonic Wines, sourced from a vineyard on the Barossa Valley's western ridge (the 'Great West Barossa'). Whole berries macerate for around three weeks before being pressed straight to stainless steel, left on full lees, then simply racked to bottle with no oak anywhere in the process. The result is pure and fruit-driven with a savoury, almost umami edge — red and black berries over a peaty, earthy note — firmly structured with chunky, chewy tannin through a focused finish.

Glenn Barry works from Adelaide and buys fruit from sustainably farmed vineyards across South Australia. The Dard and Ribo bottle that started this wine was one he drank in 2017. He describes the aim as pure, unadulterated fermented Shiraz grapes in a bottle, with nothing added for vanilla or oak.

For the 2021 he picked with ripeness and brightness both in mind, leaning to red fruits over dark. That shows in a wine that is medium to full in weight but still light on its feet. Barry's own note calls the savoury edge a vegemite kind of umaminess, which is odd and accurate.

Air is this wine's friend. Give it a decanter and it starts to unfurl over the first hour. It is sealed under cork, so stand the bottle up for a day before opening.