Hugh Hamilton

The Oddball Saperavi

There are wines that follow the rules. Then there is The Oddball. Saperavi is the world's oldest cultivated grape variety, born in Georgia over 8,000 years ago. Its name translates to 'dye' - skins so dark they're almost black, flesh so deeply coloured it bleeds red all the way through. Hugh Hamilton was among Australia's first to plant it, and vintage after vintage has proven it loves McLaren Vale terroir. "The text book would no doubt say 'don't plant it'," says Hugh. The family calls it Shiraz raised on a diet of lightning. A violet-lined coal mine packed with palm sugar, sandalwood, and lurking vanilla. Black leather-wrapped red fruit, pomegranate compote, sweet tobacco pouch, and iron-edged cherry ripple through the long, structured finish. Tannins rustic yet slick - youthful, brawny, and demanding of time in the cellar. Vegan friendly.