The lighthearted Fat ‘n Skinny range from Hastwell & Lightfoot. The wine matured for 12 months in French and American oak. A splash of the H&L rosé has been tossed in to the blend to “add softness.”

Hastwell & Lightfoot, Fat n’ Skinny, Picker’s Choice, Shiraz, Tempranillo, Barbera, McLaren Vale, 2017

Darkly fruited and spiced with sweaty meaty elements, liquorice, rose petals, tarry, inky, briny mussel shell (cooked), tobacco and vanilla bean paste oak.  Full bodied. The fruit darkly drawn on the palate with sweet oak influence. The tannins feel tacky and chewy (Barbera influence?) as they give way to chocolately oak.  Have no hesitation serving this alongside a big charred t-bone. This feels like the dark side of the coin to the other in the range, The Red Fury.

RRP: $22
Alc: 14%
Rating: 16.75/20

Wine sample courtesy of Hastwell & Lightfoot and Define Wine