Philip Shiraz, Mount Pleasant

Most of us can only dream of drinking wine like the Maurice O’Shea Shiraz. Not to worry, because Philip is cut from the same cloth and shows the same elegance and freshness of style. You would think that a hot region like Hunter Valley would produce massively heady, alcoholic reds. Not so – through careful viticulture, this weighs in at a restrained 13.5%, and it’s made in a much more delicate, restrained, savoury style than its Barossa cousins. It shows pretty red fruit aromas – strawberry, raspberry and red cherry; and a lithe, silky texture. On first opening it comes across slightly lean, but this is easily rectified with a bit of air, so I highly recommend decanting it 30 minutes before you start to enjoy it. Drink 2018-2020.