Maverick Ahrens’ Creek Ancestor Vine Shiraz 2021

Maverick Ahrens’ Creek Ancestor Vine Shiraz 2021
$320, Barossa Valley.

Maverick Ahrens’ Creek Ancestor Vine Shiraz 2021 was grown on a vineyard that was planted in the Barossa Valley in 1870, which is pretty remarkable history, not to mention vine age. There aren’t a lot of 150-year-old vineyards around. I tasted this wine immediately after going toe-to-toe with the Maverick The Maverick Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, and while I was impressed by the fruit of the latter wine I wasn’t so impressed by the finish, and couldn’t see $320 in that wine, by a stretch. Both these wines have an asking price of $320 (each), I should add. Given that The Maverick Shiraz Cabernet didn’t blow me away, I didn’t hold out a lot of hope for this Ahrens’ Creek release. Not that the impression of one wine should influence that of another.

And yet this Ahrens’ Creek Ancestor Vine Shiraz is a beauty. Bold, floral, very ripe, maybe even a touch cooked in its fruit profile. There are certainly some bitumen notes here. But the floral notes keep it lively, and there’s plenty of spread to the palate, and then the finish is emphatic, and it’s the finish that wins the day. This has real kick to the aftertaste; it grabs hold of you and won’t let go. It’s pretty damn good. 95 points.