Deep garnet-purple, the 2010 Cluster M45 Shiraz has lovely floral and herbal notes wafting over a solid core of youthful blackberries and black cherries with nuances of Chinese five spice and cloves. Great intensity and balance in a rather modest medium-full body with great graininess to the tannins and plenty of freshness. It finishes long. Note that no 2011 Cluster M45 was produced. This illustrious partnership between Michel Chapoutier from France’s Rhone region and Ron Laughton of the Heathcote estate, Jasper Hill was founded in 1997 and the project yielded its first vintage in 2003. Formerly called “Cambrian,” "Cluster M45" is now the U.S. label for this wine, known as "La Pleiade" elsewhere. It is made from 100% Shiraz from a 20-acre single vineyard just south of Jasper Hill's Georgia's Paddock, which is planted with a 50/50 mix of vines taken from Jasper Hill and Chapoutier’s vineyards (imported from France). In December 2014, I visited with Ron Laughton in Heathcote and tasted through a vertical of every vintage made of La Pleiade/Cluster M45. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown