If you’re looking for high-elevation, cool-climate Australian Syrah with serious Northern Rhône soul, good luck finding it in the US right now. You simply won't—this exclusive SommSelect drop is the only allocation in the country. While 2024 has been released at the winery, this 2022 has spent two extra years resting quietly, and the patience has paid off tremendously. Tucked into the foothills of a 400-million-year-old granite massif in Victoria’s remote Grampians region, mature 35- to 50-year-old vines struggle through granitic scree (talus) to produce something magnificent. It echoes the wild, savage intensity of top-tier Cornas or Côte-Rôtie—unwinding with hot-granite minerality, raw peppery grip, and incredible cool-climate concentration.

The Grampians microclimate is an Australian treasure, where icy mountain air stretches the ripening season to a crawl and locks in vibrant acidity. It’s why legend James Halliday routinely awards Mount Langi Ghiran a 5-Star winery rating, cementing them as an undisputed benchmark for cool-climate Shiraz. While their ultra-rare flagship "Langi" allocation commands top-tier pricing, the single-vineyard "Talus" delivers that exact same mountain muscle and site Purity at a fraction of the cost. Scoring a sweep of critical praise—including 96 Points (Tasting Panel), 95 Points (James Suckling), and 93 Points (Vinous)—it is a stunning quality-to-price triumph that punches far above its weight class.

In the glass, an inky purple core gives way to explosive aromas of black pepper, crushed violet petals, and warm dark chocolate. The palate glides in with concentrated blueberry and blackberry fruit, backed by savory notes of bacon fat, soy sauce, sage, and dried rosemary over a firm bed of granite-inflected tannins. Decant for 45 minutes to let those Northern Rhône-style aromatics bloom, then serve cellar-cool in large Syrah stemware alongside a pepper-crusted ribeye or roasted rack of lamb. Cheers Mate!

Critical Acclaim:

96 Points, Tasting Panel:

“The perfume and taste profile of this magnificent red resemble dark chocolate emerged from the earth and surrounded by a garden of violets. Luscious and creamy, with white-peppered blue fruit and flowers burnished with bacon fat and simmered in soy sauce. Glorious.”

95 Points, James Suckling:

"Vividly fragrant, featuring notes of black pepper and crushed dark fruit. It has a more pronounced tannin structure than is characteristic of Langi's single vineyards. Tightly wound, it displays subtle blue fruit character and an austere, compact finish. While drinkable now, it will become significantly more expressive with some bottle age."

93 Points, Vinous Media:

“The 2022 Shiraz Talus is multi-layered, with focused aromas of violets, blackberry essence, white pepper and sage supported by well-balanced French oak. It's quite textural, with an admirable mix of powerful, hot granite nuances and integrated yet firm drying tannins. It is complete and will build handsomely in bottle.”

Why You’ll Love it

• It is a benchmark example of cool-climate Victorian Shiraz, leaning closer to an elite, savory Northern Rhône Syrah than a warm-climate, high-alcohol Barossa style.

• Fine-grained, chalky tannins and a vibrant line of natural acidity give this wine a long, chiseled finish dominated by graphite and savory wood spice.

• While extremely compelling and complex in its youth, this single-block bottling is built with the cellaring capacity to evolve gracefully over decades.

How To Serve It

• Serve this wine at a cool room temperature between 60°F and 64°F to keep the delicate floral and black pepper aromas tightly focused.

• We recommend a generous 1 to 1.5-hour decant to allow the youthful, tightly wound mountain structure to relax and let the aromatics unfurl.

• Pour into appropriate stemware to provide the broad, expressive bouquet ample space to open up.

• This savory, pepper-accented Shiraz pairs magnificently with rich meats, including roasted venison loin, grilled lamb chops with rosemary, or a slow-cooked beef daube.