Deep in color, the wine is almost black yet is also youthful, vibrant and bright. The nose is perfumed with spice, red berries and liquorice; a pretty fragrant wine that dances on the palate. With emery paper, waxy, walnut tannins the finish is elegant with savory spice and a fine tannin length and persistence. The Shiraz is co-fermented with Viognier skins to enhance aromatic variety. Viognier holds a phenolic (tannic) character that enables increased stabilization of color in the wine – hence the bottomless pit-like blackness of color, plus the savory tannins which enable the wine with such an elegant flourish. A UK buyer once described a Shiraz Viognier blend thus: ‘smells like a lady’s handbag, tastes like a man’s wallet’. Exactly what Ben was aiming for, and a more apt description of this style is hard to find!