Tim Adams Cabernet Malbec 2002

Tim Adams is one of the finest and most consistent of the Clare Valley's many wineries. The affordable prices and widespread availability of its wines do not give them the caché that scarcity or extreme cost often delivers regardless of quality. These are true enthusiasts' wines -  they're carefully and professionally made from well-managed and low-yielding vineyards, and they exemplify the elegance, depth and purity of fruit that the Clare Valley is all about. Tim Adams and Pam Goldsack have bought wisely in the region and their sites provide them with an exceptionally diverse vineyard resource that enables them to explore differences between soil types and varieties. In my mind Tim Adams leads the pack with fiano in Australia, while the label is delivering exciting developments with shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and tempranillo. And still, years after I came across it, I still wonder how Tim Adams can deliver a genuine flagship red in the stellar Aberfeldy Shiraz for the price he does.