Muse Syrah 2018

The aim with our Syrah is to show the finesse and richness that’s possible in a cool-climate Shiraz, and this is a real humdinger: a refined, ripe nose of gentle fruit (jostaberry, fresh cherry) and spice (black and white pepper, cloves) presages a sublime, velvety palate with soft, fine tannin and a sustained finish. The luscious, juicy vintage and well-integrated (but not absent) oak combine for a wonderfully measured, generous wine. A delight now, but looking like it’ll age gorgeously. Pair with something gamey.

I have to say, since I've started covering Tasmania for this fine publication, the Syrah of Tasmania has been a revelation for me. Mid-weighted, pepper-flecked, graceful wines that lean more towards the Rhône Valley than the wines we normally associate with Australia. Poised plum and dark cherry fruits, layers of fine spice, black pepper, roasting meats, wood spice, violets, distant notes of leather and tobacco and earth. Graceful, leaning toward savoury yet possessing excellent black-fruited weight – just damn good drinking.

-Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion (95 points)