Torbreck Woodcutter's Shiraz 2022

Dave Powell founded Torbreck to save old Barossa vines from being ripped out. Some of them are 150 years old — pre-phylloxera survivors that the rest of the world lost. His top wines cost $300 and deserve it. This one costs $18 and it has no right being this good. Dark plum, blackberry, smoked meat, cracked black pepper, a chocolate note on the finish. Full-bodied but not heavy — there is a savory backbone that keeps it from becoming a fruit bomb. The Barossa gets hot and the grapes get ripe, but Powell picks with restraint and it shows. This is the bottle I open on a Tuesday when I want something serious but I am not opening a $50 bottle for leftover pasta. It overdelivers every single time. Buy it by the half case and do not overthink it. If someone tells you Australian Shiraz is all oak and jam, hand them this. Conversation over.