2020 Brash Higgins 'SHZ' Shiraz

Aromas of black plum, blood orange zest, spicy paprika, and cured meat lead into a rich, full-bodied palate. Deep flavors of blackberry, dark chocolate, and five-spice mesh with savory notes of dried lavender and black olive. The texture is dense and mouth-filling, anchored by fine-grained tannins, balanced acidity, and a long, cocoa-dusted finish.

Hand-harvested Shiraz fermented with 25% whole clusters in open-top vats. Wild yeasts carry out the three-week fermentation with twice-daily hand plunging. The wine is basket pressed and aged for 20 months in French oak hogsheads (15% new, with the remainder neutral) before undergoing a light filtration at bottling.

Grapes are sourced entirely from the organically farmed, estate Omensetter Vineyard in South Australia's McLaren Vale. The vines, planted in 1997, grow in red clay loam over a bed of terra rossa and limestone. Cooling maritime breezes from the nearby Gulf St Vincent moderate the warm climate, allowing the fruit to achieve deep concentration while maintaining fresh acidity.