De Bortoli, Deen Bortoli Vat 1 Durif 2019 Riverina

Tasted from a 3-cl mini sample bottle. Presented by winemaker Julia Mortlock. 100% Durif, 90% from their own vineyards. 30- to 40-year-old vines on sandy loam at 129 m. Destemmed, pressed and settled. 10% stays in stainless steel. The rest is matured in new and old American and French oak barrels for 12 months. TA 7.3 g/l, pH 3.45, RS <1 g/l. Screwcap.
Ripe fruit-forward nose but quite oaky, especially to begin with, on the palate. Dark and inky, but the juice of black plums floods the mouth, followed by an underwash of cold-press black coffee. Chocolate, vanilla pod and a cool thyme-lifted, mint-leaf freshness that weaves tightly into the finish. The tannins are supple; wide but bendy, giving the fruit plenty of room to breathe and fill the mouth. This also seems ridiculously cheap for the amount of pleasure it delivers. VGV (TC)