The evidence is in. The unusual quality of South Australian reds from 2021 makes this a 10/10 vintage. Some vintages are better than others because the weather is of course variable. However, in warm climates, ripening the fruit is seldom the problem. So, I tend to view each vintage as a bit above or below the average quality for each district.
Perhaps once a decade the weather is simply perfect for ripening the grapes and these are the vintages of which winemakers say ‘the wines just made themselves’. We now know the reds of 2021 are substantially better, well above the mean, and you should buy them in preference to other vintages.
This mixed dozen contains one bottle each of the following twelve reds:
Goat Square Barossa Valley Cabernet 2021
Village Belle Eden Valley Tempranillo 2021
‘The Regions’ Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
WIBS Winemakers Individual Barrel Selection GH33 Barossa Valley Shiraz 2021
Karrawirra Barossa Valley Shiraz Cabernet 2021
Princeland Watch Limestone Coast Shiraz 2021
Glug ‘The Escapee’ Barossa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
‘Square Mile’ Barossa Valley Shiraz 2021
Barbarossa Barossa Valley Shiraz Cabernet Durif Mataro 2021
P.B. Burgoyne Padthaway Shiraz 2021
Restless Farm Langhorne Creek Shiraz 2021
Mount Eagle Eden Valley Shiraz 2021
