2020 Ares

The 2020 Ares Shiraz is matured in French oak (25% new, larger format) and is a blend of vineyards from the western ranges—Holy Grail, Coach House (both Seppeltsfield), Stonewall and Ebenezer. The wine spends 15-20 days on the skins and is blended in July the year following the vintage. This is a powerful wine, but it is restrained, too. At this stage, it is coiled and compressed, and I believe it will open beautifully over the following 24 hours or, of course, time in the cellar, if you can manage that. The tannins are open-weave and savory, and the fruit that resides within their confines speaks of blood plums, mulberry, blackberry, star anise and dark chocolate. It has a pure core of fruit that is attractive. It's interesting to me that Two Hands focuses on single-vineyard, regional expressions of Shiraz. Here, we have a wine sourced from many different places, and what it gains here in its polish, it loses in "character." It is a clear expression of Barossa Shiraz, no question, but it doesn't have the definition of the Yacca Block (Mangler's Hill, Eden Valley), for example. Six of one, and half a dozen of the other, as they say. This Ares champions the variety, while the Yacca champions the vineyard. Your call. This is a lovely wine, powerful and long. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under Diam.