2016 Ares

The 2016 Ares Shiraz shows a glossy sheen of cedar and vanilla, but underneath that lies some impressively concentrated raspberry and blueberry fruit. There's also a distracting lifted note. If that resolves in time or integrates with the rest of the wine, my rating could be conservative, as this firmly built wine should have the ability to age up to two decades. Right now, once past the initial burst of mixed berries, this full-bodied wine shows hints of leather and spice on the tannic finish, but it's dramatically primary and tight, in need of decanting to show its best.