Noon Winery Eclipse (Red Blend) / 2008 / 750mL

The Noon Winery Eclipse 2008 is a rich, deeply flavoured red blend from Langhorne Creek in South Australia, now well into its maturity. Fifteen-plus years in bottle have drawn the fruit inward and brought savoury, earthy layers to the surface, so this is a wine to open with intent rather than pour casually.

Aromatically the Eclipse leans dark and brooding: stewed plum, blackberry conserve, dried fig and a dusting of cocoa, with older-bottle characters of leather, tobacco leaf and turned earth sitting behind. The palate carries genuine weight, all mulberry and prune fruit wrapped around a warm, almost liqueur-like core, with mocha and dried herb filling the middle.

Tannins have softened into something velvety and fine-grained, though there is still enough grip to keep the wine upright. Acidity is gentle rather than sharp, which suits the generous style, and the finish runs long on dark fruit, bitter chocolate and a lick of warmth.

Decant this Langhorne Creek red for half an hour and serve a touch below room temperature, around 16 to 18 degrees. It handles big food comfortably: slow-cooked beef cheeks, lamb shoulder with rosemary, or a wedge of aged cheddar. Drink now through to about 2030, watching for gradual softening.