Torbreck The Struie 2023

19.5+/20 Points - Matthew Jukes "The 43% Eden fruit in this wine is blacker than a century-old inkwell, and while it is not the dominant portion of this Eden/Barossa amalgam, but by God it makes itself heard in this wine. I love the way that as every year passes, individual wines, presumably because of an infinite number of decisions going their way, end up playing themselves into legendary contention. It is impossible to predict which label will take the top spot on the podium, and it is not always the rock star wine with the fattest prices that comes away with the biggest praise. In the challenging 2023 vintage, The Struie has, and I have whispered His name in this piece before, the presence of a deity in the glass! It is clearly one of the greatest Torbreck wines of all time, and it is most definitely my favourite Struie. Bring value for money into the equation, and this wine is in contention for finest value, bang for the buck, and flavour for moolah Shiraz on Earth. The nose is a great big signpost saying, ‘this way’, and the palate is a hint lighter and gentler but altogether genial and balanced, like a philosopher with a good back catalogue of side-splitting one-liners. Experts will fall off their chairs while tasting this wine, while newcomers will feel spectacularly welcome. It’s a slice of eminently affordable luxury, and you’d be mad not to take advantage of it today."