2019 Tyrrell's Old Hut Shiraz

The Hunter Valley sees a combination of extreme heat and summer rainfall during the growing season, meaning that harvest in this region is consistently earlier than the rest of Australia. Stylistically, this results in a lighter, more delicate Shiraz, which was affectionately called Hunter River Burgundy back in the day.

If you've never tried one, the Old Hut is a great place to start. The vineyard was planted in 2003 using cuttings from Tyrrell's iconic 4 Acres block, giving Old Hut some amazing pedigree. It over-delivers on flavour, with a burst of dusty spice, raspberries, savoury herbs, cocoa and leather, but somehow manages to pack it all into a delicate and elegant wine. It will age beautifully but, damn, it's delicious now.