Medium garnet colored, the 2012 The Factor has a nose of baked cherries, blackberry preserves and prunes with spice box and incense nuances. The palate is dense and rich with dried berries and fruit compote flavors accented with baking spices and framed by grainy tannins, finishing long and surprisingly gentle.

The fragrance and poise of the 2012 Factor shiraz are exciting. This is arguably the best they've made with fine, complex spices and tar. Some toasty oak asserts itself but doesn't dominate and there's a tarry, black-fruit element with some graphite. This has richness and balance. Super-concentrated blackberries and sweetly spiced plum-fruit flavors combine with fine tannins. Very dense, super fresh, muscular, lithe, sturdy and assertive. This has all the makings of a modern Barossa classic. Drink in 2020.