‘The year of fire and ice,’ as it was called. A rollercoaster vintage, with 28 days of frost in a row in March and April, then ferocious heat spikes in August. Shafer says, ‘We did okay, but Mother Nature drove the boat on this one.’ The nose is grassy, with hints of freshly washed cotton. The flavours are primary, blackcurrant with cream, grassy flavours persisting on the palate, dense and peppery. Shafer again: ‘Dust, slate and resin.’ Not nearly ready. I’d pick up a corkscrew in 2022.