Balgownie Estate, Shiraz 2008

I may be biased, or it may just be personal preference, but I’ve never been terribly keen on Bendigo as a wine producing region. At least that was the case until a friend slipped me a bottle of the Balgownie Estate 2008 Shiraz ($30-35) from none other than Maiden Gully in the Bendigo region of Victoria.

It’s not made in the full-bodied, mouth exploding over-ripe style of some Australian Shiraz, but instead is of medium weight, shows vibrant fruit but is overwhelmingly elegant right across the palate.

There’s heaps of rich berry fruits, a hint of eucalypt and savoury nutmeg in its youth but with the support of French oak and refined tannins, it should, like me, only get better with age.
This is an exceptional wine. No wonder it won blue-gold at the Sydney International Wine Competition last year.