This is pretty clever winemaking, if there’s a gene for innovation then Peter McGlashan has it in spades. I first met Joshua’s Pup (the wine not the canine) in 2014 and I was impressed then, the relationship has blossomed since. This 2017 is shiraz co-fermented with viognier, then blended with grenache and some mourvedre splashed into the mix to provide a little meat and structure. So 23% whole bunch from what was a cool and wet vintage on The Granite Belt, you have to trust your knowledge and intuition and hold steadfast.
Lovely deep reflective garnet colour in the glass, rose petals at the meniscus. The redolent bouquet, which did take time to open up, is now a complex of black fruits, spice, earthy odours and some red fruits trying to say hello through all that competition. The palate of this medium bodied wine is long and smooth sporting a refreshing acid, not a large oak presence, bunchy ripe spices, raspberries, black fruits, and some quarry earth. The wine presents a lot of complexity from its first kiss and then beguiles you, beneath your guard, with a seamless presentation of all its components ending with a slight mouth pucker but lingering long in appreciative remembrance. If Peter can produce this from the 2017 vintage then all I can say is, “I’m first in line for the 2018 Joshua’s Pup”.
Update: Night two, half the 750ml bottle was poured into a 375ml, sealed with a screwcap, and then put aside for the second night. The wine hasn’t changed a lot, it’s still quite fresh and not a hint of oxidation, it’s perhaps a little more succulent but all in all this augers for a decent stint in the cellar. So no rush you can confidently let this one slumber for awhile.
Tasted: Sunday 3rd May, 2020 without food and then with over several hours.
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $45
Suggested Drinking Window: Now to 2030
Winemaker: Peter McGlashan
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