I have been drinking this young Margaret River Shiraz for the last couple of evenings, and it’s impressive. Normally, you’d associate this rather beautiful part of Western Australia with Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux varieties, but it can also do good things with Syrah/Shiraz. It’s ripe and sweetly fruited, but there’s also freshness, definition and restraint. It needs time to show its best, I reckon.

The splash of Viognier is evident, once you know it is there, lifting the aromatics a bit and adding some pretty, sweet fruit notes to the palate.

Voyager Estate Shiraz 2009 Margaret River, Australia
13.9% alcohol. Deep coloured. Sweet blackberry and black cherry fruit nose with a floral lift, and hints of clove and spice. The palate is dense and quite fresh with bright, pure fruit and fine, gravelly tannins. Seductive but well defined, straddling the new and old worlds in style. Sweet, ripe, approachable but fresh and with good potential for further development. 91/100 (£21.17 Justerini & Brooks;  the 2008 is £15.95 from Wine Direct)