The 2017 Big Easy is arguably the most serious and riveting vintage yet. The dry vintage was conducive to producing a superbly concentrated, beguiling wines that dazzle the senses. It is a shade darker with a black core, offering a brooding nose that takes time to unfold. Complexity is revealed with elegantly ripe blackberry, liquorice, fine Chinese spice and smoked herbs. A majority of Shiraz cloaks the palate with fruit-laden tannins, covered in melted milk chocolate and Morello cherries. 20% Cabernet Sauvignon adds a backbone of minerality and definition, while equal parts of Cinsault, Mouvdre, Grenache and Viognier add a Mediterranean feel. It shows solid grip and power in its youth, suggesting up to a decade of maturation.