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.

Full-bodied, velvety and long, Chapel Hill's 2016 The Vicar Shiraz is the winery's top offering. Toast and vanilla notes accent blueberry and blackberry fruit, picking up additional hints of boysenberries, black olive and earth. It's a complex, flavorful wine for drinking over the next decade or so.

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2014 The Vicar Shiraz has classic blackberry, black currant and anise notes with hints of lavender, garrique, mocha and earth. The medium to full-bodied palate has taut, restrained fruit at this youthful stage, solidly supported by firm, ripe tannins and a lively backbone, finishing with lingering earthy notes. Still very tightly-wound, give this another year or two and drink over the next decade.

Deep garnet-purple, the 2013 The Vicar Shiraz is profoundly scented of crème de cassis, baked blueberries and preserved plums with notes of espresso and chargrill plus hints of black earth. Full-bodied, muscular and structured by firm, rounded tannins, it finishes long.

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2012 The Vicar Shiraz opens with a complex nose of warm blackberries, black cherry compote and mulberries with nuances of earth, aged meat, licorice, espresso and cloves. Full-bodied and voluptuously fruited in the mouth, the palate shows a fantastic backbone of firm, grainy tannins and a refreshing acid lift that holds through the very long finish. Drink it 2015 to 2025+. Importer: American Estates Wines, Inc., Summit, NJ; tel. (908) 273-5060; wines@eAmericanEstates.com