Patiently waiting and eagerly anticipating these two new single-vineyard releases from Château Acid. The 2021 Château Acid ‘Orchard’ Pinot Noir and 2021 ‘Bull Swamp’ Syrah are the two new cuvées made with fruit grown by Château Acid in the Baw Baw Shire in West Gippsland, Victoria. Baw Baw has seen prestigious releases recently from cult winemakers Bill Downie and Patrick Sullivan and is pretty hot territory right now.

These wines have both been some time in the making and are more serious releases from Château Acid. The wines are softer but also more dense. The ‘Bull Swamp’ Syrah is pretty for a Shiraz with a flinty, spicy, bright-on-its feet Northern Rhone kinda feeling but there’s still plenty of deep red fruit driving the palate and a delicious slurpable quenching quality about it. A versatile and exciting release from Simon Jones and Charlie O’Brien that covers ground for the natty dread but also brings it home for the family dinner. Will get better over dinner and also over time.