Hugh Hamilton Black Ops Shiraz Saperavi 2024 from McLaren Vale is a bold, dark and seriously exciting red blend, taking classic Vale shiraz and wiring it up with exotic Saperavi for extra colour, spice and intensity. It’s very much a “black‑ops mission” in the glass – unconventional, brooding and packed with flavour, but still showing real class and balance.

Dense dried spice and violets lead the nose, followed by an entire Black Forest of plums, blackberries, raspberry, iodine and earthy beets, plus rose, coal smoke and black tea complexity from the Saperavi component. In the mouth it’s all opulence: a steady wave of red, black and blue fruits ploughs down the palate, with charcuterie‑like sweetness, firm grip and meaty, spicy punch giving a clean, angular, dark profile and impressive momentum. Shiraz provides the lush fruit and structure; Saperavi adds earth, acidity and that throbbing heart of savoury depth.

This Black Ops Shiraz Saperavi is superb with charcuterie boards, grilled lamb, game meats or rich BBQ, and it’s the kind of unconventional red that will blow minds at the table when you pour it blind for friends. Critics are already on board – the 2022 vintage sits at 18/20 from Matthew Jukes and is described as “superb” and terrific value, which points strongly to similar high‑90s form for the 2024 release.