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Primo Estate Joseph Sparkling Red (July 2011 disgorgement)

Check the recipe and marvel: Shiraz from every vintage since the eighties (and some from the early sixties and seventies), a hogshead of Moda Cabernet Merlot every year, liqueured with old Australian fortifieds. The result is serious complexity and intensity: game, warm black olives and dark chocolate, swirling around primary black cherry and plum fruit, with perfectly polished tannins and subtle fruit sweetness. I found last year’s disgorgement a touch horsey, but there’s no hint of it here, returning Joseph to its rightful position among the finest sparkling reds in the country. $54 at Wellington EU Cellars.