like a normal wine blog, only deadly

I took a good sniff of this one as I poured it into a decanter and it was a pretty intense blackberry jam experience I received. That and the deep purple-y, crimson-y colour led me to believe I was going to get a good smack of sweet berries when I took a sip of it. Now this, I thought, has got Heathcote Shiraz written all over it.

I then gave it a bit of time and it really settles down. At first I might have been a bit disappointed in the change but giving it a taste assured me that this drop hadn’t lost its bags of character, it had simply layered it into a well-balanced drop.

Bowman Wines say they are inspired by old world techniques and it shows. There’s a warmth to it that belies the warm climate it came from and there’s also a fair amount of woodland in there and a hint of eucalyptus. But the tannins are super silky and fine and the berry flavour is kept just this side of sour.

What this reminded me of, which is rather remarkable for a wine made from 100% Heathcote Shiraz grapes, is that old Italian favourite: Chianti. While there is a good length, this one still finishes up pretty clean on the palette, and the lighter style sheds the shackles of the full-bodied Heathcote standard.

Chianti similarities aside, I would say that this Shiraz still expresses the characteristics of the soil it’s from, but shines a different light on it. It’s a bit like listening to an acoustic version of a song you really like: it might seem odd at first, but you come to appreciate it for the way it allows you to pick up on those nuances and notes that get drowned out by the original. And what happens from here for the newly established Bowman Wines? Surely it’s only a matter of time before we get treated to more acoustic versions of Heathcote’s greatest hits.