Ngeringa Syrah 2023 (750ml) *

Cool-climate Syrah takes on a different accent than its warmer cousins, leaner, more savory, more about spice than sheer ripeness, and that is the register this bottling from Ngeringa works in. The grapes come off the slopes of Mt. Barker in the Adelaide Hills, one of the higher, cooler corners of South Australia, and the 2023 lands at a modest 13.2% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

There is a leafy, sappy quality here that gives the wine its lift, with green peppercorn crackling over darker notes of blueberry, graphite, and licorice. Medium-bodied and spicy rather than heavy, it leans into freshness and definition, a Syrah built for the table more than for brute impact.