The 2014 Shiraz The Beast spent 22 months in oak (65% new French), so it has a toasty, cedary veneer to it right now. There's plenty of cherry fruit, so just give it some time in the cellar before popping a cork. By then the oak will have morphed into lovely dried-spice elements adorning ripe cherries, and the full-bodied wine will show more elegance on the lingering finish.

Generous and plump, with a mouthful of chocolate-covered coffee bean, dried cherry, blueberry and toasted rye bread details. There's plenty of persistence on the finish, where a dried sage detail emerges and the tannins firm up. Better than previously reviewed. Drink now through 2030. 1,500 cases made, 150 cases imported.??–MW??Region: Australia / Barossa / Barossa Valley Select to Add