St Hallett, Faith Barossa Shiraz, South Australia, 2018

Among the founding wineries of the Barossa region, St Hallett is a reliable source of quality and value. The winemaking philosophy is described as ‘minimum intervention, maximum attention’, and all their Shiraz vineyards are crushed and fermented separately. This wine sees nine months in a mix of American and French oak, before being blended (with 2% Durif) and bottled. It’s a lovely balance of spicy, toasty oak and rich, sweet, dark berry fruit. Velvety tannins, densely flavoured, but has freshness and finesse too. Deftly crafted.