Shaw Wines usually manage to pull in a good haul of medals with their wines and this one is no different, Gold Medals at the 2019 International Cool Climate Wine Show, Australian Small Winemakers Wine Show and the Vienna International Wine Challenge with a handful of silvers and bronzes.

Shaw Wines, Merlot, Canberra, 2017

Aromatic and charismatic with blueberry, fruit cake spice, liquorice/molasses, raw-ish oak and a sun dried tomato herbaceous quality. The palate is tight, almost mean with its restriction. The tannins draw every corner in and tucks them in. Flavours run through the blueberry fruit and the bittersweet liquorice. There’s promise on the precipice, but the austerity holds back bigger points for mine.

RRP: $28
Alc: 14%
Rating: 17.75/20

Wine sample courtesy of Shaw Vineyard Estate and PalatePR