Ventisquero Wine Estates, Obliqua, Apalta, 2017

Inaugural vintage of this limited production wine which comes from a small, 1.5ha block of 18-year-old Carmenere in Apalta and is made by Felipe Tosso and former Penfolds winemaker John Duval. Cassis, raspberry, blackcurrant leaf, peppery spice and chocolate aromas. Spicy black and red fruit on the palate, which has fine chalky tannins, with structure from careful oak ageing; at this stage there's a coiled firmness to texture, which will soften with time. Aged for 22 months: 70% in second-use 300-litre French oak and 30% in a French oak foudre, with a further year in bottle. Will benefit from decanting.