Westend Estate The Boxer Durif 2018

The full flavoured Boxer is made purely from Durif, a grape that originated in southern France, but has come up trumps in Australia’s warm climate. There it loses its rustic edge and gains masses of luscious black fruit. Surprisingly, Durif still only makes up a mere 0.2% of Australia’s plantings. Bill Calabria is a big champion of the grape at his family estate in outback Riverina. His parents (Italian emigrés) founded the property in the 1940s, handing it to him in the 1970s. Bill prides himself on the quality of the grapes he uses, and by keeping yields down (as much as a third less than the norm) he gains impressive concentration. This weighty, full throttle red shows best besides hearty food – roast meats or game pie are ideal.