A new age in Barossa shiraz was unleashed some years ago, and it just got very serious indeed. If you want to understand the captivating evolution of the Barossa style, Maline 2010 exemplifies just what is possible. The exoticism and complexity on parade here are nothing less than profound, showcasing carefully gauged whole bunch fermentation. Breathe deeply and you’ll be intoxicated by dark chocolate, plum liqueur, pipe smoke, coal steam, black olives, violets and spices of all kinds. There’s a tightrope balance here between deep-set, pitch black intensity, imagination-stretching complexity and an unwavering sense of poise, energy and internal harmony. Vineyard sources in high country Eden and the Barossa hills maintain a lively acid profile, supporting impeccably textured, gravelly, fine-grained tannins that draw every nuance of detail long into a tightly focused finish. Definitive new age Barossa. $44 at Purvis Cellars.