Payten & Jones, Major Kong Syrah, Yarra Valley, 2015

Troy Jones will give you a long story about Panamanian howler monkeys and their ability to select only the perfectly ripe grapes from a vineyard as the inspiration for this wine's name. He and old school mate Behn Payten (and Behn's dad Peter) are the P&Js of this wine operation, and their wines are as irreverent as they seem to be. This is a 50% whole-bunch, 50% whole-berry, cool climate Syrah that the guys describe as 'raw, real and intense', made in a lighter, more quaffable style than many Aussie Shirazes, but still with that peppery spice and savoury black fruit varietal character. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, it is pure, vital and original.