The Pooley JRD Syrah Cooinda Vale 2023 is a perfumed, medium-bodied Syrah from the Coal River Valley in Tasmania, built on spice and floral lift rather than bulk. Grown at the Cooinda Vale vineyard at Campania, it sits closer to the peppery end of the variety than the ripe, sweet-fruited end.

Violets and white pepper lead the aromatics, followed by raspberry, dark cherry and blueberry, with a savoury undercurrent of cured meat and dried herb. The palate carries allspice and a twist of orange peel through the middle, fruit that is bright and clearly defined rather than plush. Tannins are fine and slightly powdery, framing the fruit without gripping, and the acidity runs long and cool through to a finish that turns spicy and faintly earthy. Texture is the strength here — supple, almost velvety — and the wine holds its shape as it warms in the glass, a hallmark of Syrah from Tasmania's cooler inland sites.

Serve it with duck breast, lamb shoulder cooked slowly with rosemary, or peppered beef off the barbecue. Mushroom risotto and roasted root vegetables suit the savoury side of the wine, and a lightly chilled glass works well alongside charcuterie. Drinking beautifully from 2026, the Pooley JRD Syrah Cooinda Vale 2023 has the acid and tannin structure to develop for a decade or more, gaining leather and dried spice with time in the cellar.