Common Ground by Utopos Shiraz 2021

Stuart McCloskey "I could sniff for a living and often find as much (sometimes more) pleasure in a wines bouquet than I do by tasting the liquid. I would love to see this in a blind tasting. Better still, presented with an RRP of circa £35+ per bottle and watch the professional nods of approval. The aromatics are bottomless and super sophisticated – it’s like diving into a blackhole of sea kelp, saline, wonderfully ‘marine’ which gets me very excited. Equally, I love the charcoal, the spice, the black and blue fruits, the lift from dried orange zest, the spice and rosehip syrup. The palate is flooded with ripe black and blue fruits – there’s sweetness, but that’s down to the quality of the fruit rather than being overdone / forced. This is very dense, chewable, bloody and alive with freshness. I love the grip, too… And who doesn’t love blood orange effervescence – this really gets my juices flowing. We live in a world of inflation versus a dip in quality. Here, Kym presents a wine that (at this price level) has no equal (again!). I am left astounded… Served using Zalto Bordeaux glassware. Decant for 1-2 hours. Drink now to 2030+ but I suggest you enjoy the youth and exuberance sooner rather than later. A killer of a wine!"

Kym Teusner “An exceptionally bright and truly pretty wine on the nose with lovely bright creamy sweet red fruits framed with long tannin lines on the palate. Matured for 18 months in seasoned French oak hogsheads. Flavour intensity is a given when you’re making wine from these grounds. To attempt to restrain what nature delivers effortlessly is ultimately a futile exercise. I want to celebrate what makes Barossa Valley Shiraz truly remarkable, but I want to do so in a manner that promotes purity of fruit expression rather than simply dialling up the palate volume to 11. Nary a hint or suggestion of being overripe, this is truly an uplifting wine of exceptional deliciousness as you’d expect from the region and the variety.”