The 2020 The Vicar Shiraz is dark and spicy, an interesting wine that is not a simple thing to pin down. Purple and black fruit leads the foray into dark, savory tannins that have a dried and toasted character to them. The skins feel evident here: cracked, like the skin of a mejool date. The papery tannins are fine and firm in the mouth, a scaffold of shape rather than an exoskeleton. Prolific tannin persists beyond the fruit in the finish, leaving a sensation rather than flavor in the mouth. Not for early drinking. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.