Torbreck Vintners The Struie 2018

Shimmering violet. Smoke- and spice-accented dark berries, cherry liqueur and vanilla on the highly perfumed nose. Juicy and seamless in texture, offering appealingly sweet, penetrating black raspberry, cherry-cola and floral pastille flavors that are underscored by a smoky mineral quality. Fine-grained tannins build steadily on a long, floral-driven finish that leaves spicy white pepper and violet notes behind.

This wine is from a selection of fruit from across the Barossa and so has less site character than some of the single-vineyard wines, but that distinctive Torbreck signature of plush fruit, polished oak, plenty of alcohol and oodles of charm. Fistfuls of dried mint, oregano, bay leaf and crushed violets partner with blackberry, blueberry, baked clay and the toasty, chocolatey notes of high end barrels. On the tongue, it's rich and satiny, with a touch of alcohol heat and oak influence but it still shows lovely fruit that's all soft corners. Drink now-2028.