Aramis The Bastian Shiraz 2022
$45, 14.5% alcohol, screwcap, McLaren Vale.
This is a firm shiraz with resin, redcurrant, bitumen and mint notes pushing throughout. There’s a creaminess to the palate here and indeed a high level of oak in general, the aftertaste splashing twiggy herb notes into the mix. It needs an extra year or two in the bottle to build harmony. For now it feels warm, rugged and brooding. 90 points.
Campbell Mattinson has been an independent journalist, wine critic and photographer for forty years. He founded The Winefront, is a former chief editor of the Halliday Wine Companion (and former editor of Halliday magazine), and is the only Australian to have won the Australian Wine Communicator of the Year Award more than once. He is 100% independent, and tastes between 5,000 and 10,000 wines each year, blind and in comparative brackets as often as is practicable.
Mattinson is also the founder of the Mattinson Photography business.
