The Ministry of Clouds Mencía 2023 is a medium-bodied McLaren Vale red with more perfume than heft, built on crunchy dark berry fruit and a fine, stony grip. Mencía is a rarity in Australia, and this one leans savoury and fresh rather than ripe and broad.

Fruit for the 2023 comes from the Chase Vineyard above Onkaparinga Gorge, hand picked with 12% whole bunches kept in the ferment, and that stalk fraction shows in the glass. Expect blackcurrant, raspberry and mulberry lifted by violet, bay leaf and a whiff of cracked pepper, with something faintly iron-like sitting underneath.

The palate carries mid-weight red and black fruit over tannin that feels mineral and slightly chalky, gripping the sides of the mouth rather than coating it. Acidity is bright and the cool, late-ripening 2023 season across McLaren Vale has kept alcohol in check, so the finish is long, dry and firm rather than warm.

Serve it slightly chilled with grilled lamb skewers, chorizo and white beans, roast duck, mushroom risotto or a plate of jamón and manchego. It also handles tomato-based dishes better than most reds thanks to that acid line.

Drinking well now with an hour in the decanter, and the structure here suggests it will hold and gain savoury complexity through to around 2030.