IT'S ALL IN THE DETAILS

A lot to like about Tim Smith and his wines. More so that he sometimes sends up a baton-sized stick of Linkes mettwurst. The famed Barossa smallgood is worth plus two points per wine.

Smooth ride here. Rich scents of warm earth, clove spice, liquorice, dark berries. It’s supple, sumptuous but not overly heavy in the palate. Liquid choc-berry, spice and lathed oak rides long and stains the palate. It’s warm without heat, luxurious and pitch perfect as Barossa Shiraz can be. This should be on your 2014 Barossa Shiraz hit list, no doubt.

It’s pretty much business as usual for Tim Smith Shiraz here, so if you’ve liked the past few vintages, then no surprises here. Blackberry, chocolate, vanilla nougat, spicy biscuits etc. Medium to full bodied, deep flavour, firm grainy tannin and well balanced acidity, then mixed dark berries, vanilla and Barossa coal run through to a long and tannic finish. Textbook. Likely a little more to come over the next few years.