The back label reads as a succinct story of the wine: LOVE . COURAGE . INTEGRITY. Sits at the top tier of Gundog Estate wines. “Sourced from Murrumbateman vineyards across four harvests.

Each parcel underwent wild fermentation in open tanks, with combinations of destemmed fruit, whole berries, and whole bunches. Some were pressed directly to barrel, while others spent over 12 months on skins before draining. The final blend was assembled and bottled in December 2024.

For maturation, a 500-litre seasoned French oak puncheon is racked annually onto a volume of a younger vintage to maintain freshness and stability.

The blending goal is to deliver maximum complexity while also ensuring the wine possesses an attractive youthful fruit drive and enough form on the palate to carry the array of textures and flavours on offer. The composition of the Shiraz II is as follows: • 2023 – 39% • 2022 – 18% • 2019 – 39% • 2018 – 4%

Gundog Estate, M BURTON , Shiraz II, Canberra District, MV

Beautifully dark and shiny colour thanks to the extended time on skin. Floral, delicate, understated and complex. Milk coffee, grated milk choc, shiny black jellybean, black olive, woody clove, hibiscus and rose petal floral, blood plum, white and pink pepper, silty fresh soil,. Delicate and assured. Pops with bright juice like those silly lollies. The palate is seamless, a flowing and silken thing that feels effortless. Tannins hyperfine and tight, with a sudden grip that it leaves you breathless, wondering whatb you’ve just experienced, while the diminuendo lasts so, so long. The finish is razor sharp and leaves every sliced and clean.

RRP: $150
Alc: 13.4%
Rating: 96/100

Wine sample courtesy of Gundog Estate