Purple Palate

David Franz's Western Barossa fruit has a density and power that is perfectly matched to its maker. Franz has a knack for parcelling complex wines together with his touch of judicious but assured handling. The result, as shown by this classic 'Australian blend,' is wine with controlled length, power, and density. For a wines that is so softly textured on release, there a gritty, spicy underbelly lurking amid layers of variously coloured fruits, herbs, and coffee-house aromas, all stamped by a lick of vanilla. A lovely drink now, thanks to admiral release age, it has all the brightness to assure one of worthwhile cellaring.-NT