DJV means Deja Vu, as in a feeling you’ve seen/felt something before. This is Andrew Thomas’s return to the ways of making wines from the great Hunter winemakers of yesteryear. Co-fermented with a small portion (4%) of green Semillon ‘verjus’ and only 10 months maturation in 5 and 6 year old French oak.

Thomas Wines, DJV, Shiraz, Hunter Valley, 2018

Aromatic and perfumed with pure fruit offering plum compote, a hint of mulberry and floral lift from the Semillon. There’s a green peppercorn steak sauce spice element which is not unattractive.  Medium bodied. Bright and silky with supple tannins. The absence of oak allows juicy fruit, (with an almost carbonic maceration edge), to take centre stage while the acidity veritably pulses through to a deliciously dark finish. Could handle cellaring yet hard to resist right now.

RRP: $35
Alc: 13.7%
Rating: 18.25/20 (92/100)

Wine sample courtesy of Thomas Wines