• Soumah ‘The Butcher’ 2018
• Blend of Syrah, Cabernet and Nebbiolo
• $50 per bottle
• 14% Alc./vol.

It may sound like a merciless serial killer, but in fact we’re simply talking red wine here. Really good red wine. I mean, really good.

Soumah’s 2018 blend labelled as The Butcher is a Syrah, Cabernet and Nebbiolo concoction that has been crafted to perfection. It’s about as big and bold as you’ll find in the Yarra Valley but has a refined smoothness that mocks its own youth. Bursting with the dark berry notes you expect of its main components, the wine is big bodied and full of flavour yet balanced and oh-so-drinkable courtesy of the polished finish provided by the Nebbiolo.

For Boxing Day lunch I paired this with a combination of red meats, seafood and dirty ol’ supermarket snags off the barbecue. The Butcher accompanied it all to perfection and never once sneered at me for not partnering it with something a bit classier.

When I purchased this bottle I had lunch at Soumah and paired a glass of The Butcher with a wood-fired pizza. This versatile wine proved to be a good match in that case as well. A meaty pasta dish is probably going to be a successful option, too.

At $50 bucks a bottle it certainly isn’t cheap but it still offers great value for money. I honestly can’t think of another wine I’ve drunk recently that I like better than The Butcher. The blend is balanced to perfection, exploding with flavour and smooth as silk.

VERDICT

I can’t praise it enough and can’t fault it. I love this wine. My only regret is that I didn’t buy more.