One of the many from the Yalumba stable. I don’t know how they manage to keep the quality up across the range, considering the quantity of wine produced. Anyways, this one named after the patchwork of vineyards that make the Barossa. The fruit sourced from north to south and east to west, celebrating the diversity and making a wine that is a sum of its parts.

Yalumba, Patchwork, Shiraz, Barossa Valley 2014

A move back to traditional oak usage from the 2013 (which read more patchwork than the vineyards), this one 11% new American Hogsheads & Octaves, 6% new French Hogsheads and Barriques. A step up in riper fruit from the 2013 too. Friendly smells of pine cones, coconut slice, baked blood plums, spiced toast. Plumb and plum Barossa. So Barossa, tis almost a caricature of itself. Without being too overt, it sidles neatly and slides silky along with choco/cherry ripe/plum before silty tannins grip. A smack of baked blackberry remind you it’s not all fun, there’s some darker tones in the undergrowth. It’d work in the cellar, but you can see this is made for enjoyment right here and now.

RRP: $22

Alc: 13.5%

Wine sample courtesy of Yalumba