Meta: An abstraction from a well-known concept

It’s easy to get jaded about Shiraz, and particularly Barossa Shiraz, when you’re exposed to a lot of it. The singularity of ‘plums, alcohol, sweet oak, soft tannins’ gets a bit boring after a while, even with the better wines.

So here’s an antidote – the Schwarz Wine Co. Meta Shiraz 2018. As the Meta name suggests, this is a less mainstream take on Barossan Shiraz and it works. Again.

Handpicked and wild fermented, the first divergence is the 24% whole bunch inclusion. Even in the modern Barossa, stems are still on the outer with Shiraz (although much more accepted with Grenache). But they give this red spice, the exuberant and plain juicy (some tank matured portions?) palate give an extra layer of tannins too. There’s still plummy dark fruit, but pan juices, licorice and clove too.

It’s so exuberant, so atypical Barossa, oak not a part of the mix, the palate mid weight, finely textured and silky. Not punchy, nor weighty, but what I’m so convinced by this new wave Barossan red mode. Big yes.

Best drinking: now to ten years. 18.5/20, 94/100. 14.3%, $35. Would I buy it? Definitely.