Shiraz

James Halliday 94 points. This is ultra full-bodied, not because of alcohol or extract, nor tannins, simply the density of its sultry black fruits, licorice and spices. JH.

3rd Place at Wine Exchange Asia 2014 - 2020 Vertical Bindi Dinner: Bindi Pyrette Heathcote Shiraz 2014 (JO 92) Bindi Pyrette Heathcote Shiraz 2015 (WF 94) Wine of the Night Bindi Pyrette Heathcote Shiraz 2016 (JH 94) Bindi Pyrette Heathcote Shiraz 2017 (JH 95) Third Place Bindi Pyrette Heathcote Shiraz 2018 (JH 93) Bindi Pyrette Heathcote Shiraz 2019 (JH 95) Runner Up Wine of the Night Bindi Pyrette Heathcote Shiraz 2020 (JH 94) James Halliday 95 points. Clearly the result of a peak vintage. It's cool, spicy, powerful and satiny at once. Cherry-plum, sandalwood, cloves, meat and peppers. It glides through the mouth and on through the...

James Suckling 93 points. A Bindi side-project, this has a very complex, spicy nose with dark cherries, plums, boysenberries, tar and woody spices, such as cardamom and clove. There’s a very fleshy feel to the mid-palate with rich red-plum flavors, dusted in cocoa powder. Very polished shiraz. Plenty of flavor. JS. WINERY NOTES: We have been delving back into the Shiraz wines and having fun seeing the continuity of style going back two decades now. The seasonal stamp is always there, these are not formulaic wines scrubbed and rubbed into an overriding house style, for the harvest date and winemaking is focused in ensuring a balanced...

Runner Up Wine of the Night at Wine Exchange Asia 2014 - 2020 Vertical Bindi Dinner: Bindi Pyrette Heathcote Shiraz 2014 (JO 92) Bindi Pyrette Heathcote Shiraz 2015 (WF 94) Wine of the Night Bindi Pyrette Heathcote Shiraz 2016 (JH 94) Bindi Pyrette Heathcote Shiraz 2017 (JH 95) Bindi Pyrette Heathcote Shiraz 2018 (JH 93) Bindi Pyrette Heathcote Shiraz 2019 (JH 95) Runner Up Wine of the Night Bindi Pyrette Heathcote Shiraz 2020 (JH 94) Halliday Wine Companion 95 points. 50% of the fruit comes off Colbinabbin Estate, the remainder from Col Mountain. Alluring purple/black colour. The wine is intense, yet manages a refinement that is the mark of...

An exuberant purple red, with wafts of charry smoky oak, cured meats and the darkest fruit spiked with spices. Full bodied, yet a gloss throughout and while the tannins still feel somewhat raw, that points more to the fact the wines is youthful and still coming together. Simply a matter of time. 94 points. Jane Faulkner Published 03 August 2022

"Showing off all the charm and exuberance of the variety from this region. Floral, smoky, peppery, lots of deep, dark fruit and spices, inky, too. Full bodied yet such vibrancy of acidity and plush, detailed tannins. A fabulous drink now and it will give more in time. 95 points." Jane Faulkner Published 06 July 2023 This project now goes back two decades, to 2001. The seasonal stamp is always there, these are not formulaic wines scrubbed and rubbed into an overriding house style, for the harvest date and winemaking is focused in ensuring a balanced wine that shows the markings of the year. (As James Halliday says, a Pinot Noir...

This project now goes back over two decades, to 2001. The seasonal stamp is always there, these are not formulaic wines scrubbed and rubbed into an overriding house style, for the harvest date and winemaking is focused on ensuring a balanced wine that shows the markings of the year. (As James Halliday says, a Pinot Noir winemaker’s Shiraz!). The 2022 is a delicious and harmonious continuation of the style showing complex red and dark fruits, spice and graphite. The delicious palate is initially fresh and harmonious then builds intensity for a long and balanced finish. It will become more complex and textured over the next six years....

Jeremy Oliver 93 points. A perfectly mature, ready to drink now shiraz from an excellent vintage.

Ned Goodwin for James Suckling 96 points. "Lifted cooler climatic notes of charcuterie, lilac, clove and dried kelp. An excellent nose, with hints of briar and dill suggesting a good portion of whole bunches in the mix. A skein of peppery, juicy acidity drags this to exceptional length, sublimating the edginess of the whole-bunch quotient into an impressive, greater whole. This is fine shiraz, auguring for development over eight years in bottle. Drink or hold."   WINERY NOTE: A powerful nose, with the depth and complexity of cool-climate shiraz. This wine is spiced with pepper and mineral elements, leaning towards earthy. The...

A powerful nose, with the depth and complexity of cool-climate shiraz. This wine is spiced with pepper and mineral elements, leaning towards earthy. The co-fermented viognier adds a little richness to both the bouquet and palate, which has a very pleasant sweetness to start, followed by intense fruit and earthy long tannins to complete the delicate structure and overall elegance of the wine.

It is immediately provocative with heady fragrance of blackberry, toasted spice, dried flower, mocha and cedar characters on the nose. The palate is concentrated and deeply flavoured with velvety texture combined with seamlessly infused tannins, finishing superbly long and engaging. It’s symphonic and sumptuous with staggering power, while remaining gorgeously balanced and alluring. At its best: now to 2045. $150. Rating: 97 Points; Wine Orbit. The elegance and refinement of this excellent McLaren Vale Shiraz conceals its power and driving intensity. Waves of dark fruit cascade with blackberry plum and dark chocolate, livened with...

Cllar Door price 70 aud. This was a pretty hot year in the Barossa and yet this is a wine from the heart of the Valley displaying suppleness, finesse and smooth texture all on a medium to full bodied palate. Loads of dark plummy back fruits with a lick of cedar and slight black olive. Gradually builds momentum through the palate as it drives effortlessly to a long finish. Smooth and polished example of the Barossa. Tasted: July 2023; Drink: 2023 - 2038; Price: $70.00; Rating: 96 Points; Ray Jordan

For anyone just catching up, this emanates from a famous Barossa winery established 75 years ago, the winery has four tiers of O ld Vine Shiraz retailing at AUD $50, $180, $320 and $480 and this is indeed the almost five hundred dollar big daddy of them all, the ultra premium named after Johann Gramps first vine plantings in the Barossa. It will surprise no one that it has elicited the big scores nor the 'hedonistic' and 'decadence' vibes: An embracing wine that captures so much of the Barossa. Comes from selected rows among selected vineyards, after which the best barrels are chosen to create this exceptional wine. Seductive...

WA 96 The 2005 Syrah Moritz Vineyard was sourced from “only” 30-year-old vines. It offers floral notes, cassis, bacon, smoked meat, and blueberry compote. Opulent and sweet with gobs of flavor, it should have a 20 year lifespan. JM Oct 2007

WA 95 The 2006 Syrah Moritz Vineyard is more structured, with 5-7 years of aging potential. Roman Bratasiuk’s Clarendon Hills is one of the world’s great wine estates. The wines are all 100% varietal, produced from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. The vineyards are all ungrafted, planted on their own roots, most of them with very old vines. 100% new French barrels are used for the Merlot and Cabernets, and 50-100% new for the Syrahs depending upon the vineyard. The wines typically spend 18 months in oak prior to bottling without fining or filtration. All of the above 2006 bottlings were reviewed from barrel samples in Issue...

WA 94+ The more statuesque 2007 Syrah Moritz delivers a complex perfume of meat, hung game, Asian spices, incense, and blueberry. Mouth-filling and structured on the palate, this well-balanced effort has superior grip and concentration. It should be in full form with 5-7 years of cellaring. JM Dec 2009.

WA 95 The 2007 Syrah Piggott Range offers a kinky, sexy bouquet of earth, bacon, game, incense, and assorted black and blue fruits. Rich and layered, this is a dense, packed, and impeccably balanced powerhouse that will require 8-10 years to reveal its full potential. This lengthy effort will easily provide pleasure through 2027. JM Dec 2009.

Wine Front 94 points. I’ve liked a great many of the previous releases of this wine but this is my favourite of the lot. It’s a ripper. Balanced, well fruited, spice-laden, perfumed, floral and then sweetly exotic. It smells and tastes beautiful, and is so finely etched with tannin; it has everything exactly where you’d like it to be. I’d send a case of this straight into the pool room but I’d like my stash kept a lot closer to me than that and, besides, I don’t have a pool room anyway. Buy. Tasted: Jul 18; Alcohol: 14%; Closure: Screwcap; Drink: 2018-2035+; Rated: 94 Points; Campbell Mattinson; The Wine...

James Halliday Wine Companion 95 points. This sings to its own tune and it's rather pitch perfect. An array of enticing Middle Eastern spices, pepper too, infusing dark-berried fruit at its core. There's an intensity to the flavours, smoky and seductive. Yet the medium-bodied palate is not overwrought. Beautiful tannins are as textural as a superfine emery board. Jane Faulkner Published 13 August 2021.

The Shiraz Vioginer is a selection of the best Shiraz Viognier parcels, crafted from the Murrumbateman vineyard. One of the greatest vintages of this wine. It has a super complex array of white and black peppers, hard brown spices, leaves, flowers and fresh wet earth, as well as graphite-like dark stony notes. The palate is immaculately detailed, long and silky with flavors of blackberries, red cherries, red plums, dark cherries, blackberries and dark chocolate. The palate is delivered with steady elegance and power, showing unwavering build and a seemingly never-ending trail of fresh and spicy fruit flavors. With the most immaculate...

Somewhat atypical with lots of upfront acidity and pomegranate tang throughout. There are red and blue fruits in the mix and wafts of warm earth and oak spice. Plus, plenty of fresh herbs and menthol, the latter imparting a cooling sensation. It’s tightly coiled, stony and firm, yet the palate is more medium bodied with supple, fine tannins. An intriguing rendition that’s enjoyable, nonetheless. 95 points. Jane Faulkner Published 31 January 2023

Cellar Door Price 100aud. The new faces behind the Curtis Family Vineyards are Mark, Thomas & Jenna Curtis, with the guidance of their father, Claudio Curtis who lives on the vineyard just outside McLaren Vale. The name Curtis is thought to derive from Curtius, a noble and wealthy family of the First and Second Centuries AD, the Roman Empire era originating from the Latinium people.  This is powerful and substantial with grace and sophistication; the perfumed bouquet shows dark fruit intensity, cake spice, toasty oak and mocha characters, followed by a robust palate offering wonderfully layered mouthfeel with plush texture and...

HUON HOOKE, THE REAL REVIEW 2022, 94 points. Very deep, bright red/purple colour. Spicy, peppery, fresh earth and red fruit aromas of some complexity, especially considering its youth. The wine is medium to full-bodied and soft-textured, with no shortage of tannin, but the texture is supple and drying, the fine-grained powery tannins augmenting the savoury flavours. There is abundant fruit within but the overall style is savoury, food friendly and very stylish. Very long aftertaste. Great value. HH. COLOUR Deep dark purple. AROMA Intense aromas of fresh black and red berries with delicate touches of cinnamon and nutmeg spice. PALATE Mesa...

James Halliday 97 points. “Deep purple-crimson, not just any eagle, but one with the grace and power of the wedgetail eagle, Australia’s foremost avian symbol (emus don’t fly). Juicy blackberry, anise and a mix of spice and pepper are wonderfully fresh and mouthwatering thanks to the controlled alcohol and mouthwatering acidity.” 97 Points. WINERY NOTES: colour Very dark purple-black, clear and shiny. aroma The initial impression is of dark small berries freshly picked from the vine. Delve deeper and you get sandalwood, vanilla pod and black peppercorns. palate The wine is medium-bodied but in saying that it has an...

James Halliday 95 points. Crushed and destemmed, 8-day ferment, 14 days post-ferment maceration, 17–18 months in French oak, 33% new. Full-bodied blackberry/black cherry fruits and substantial tannins need years yet to resolve and let the fruit shine. Drink to 2041. 95 Points. WINERY NOT$S: Colour Dark purple-black. aroma There is a wonderful lift to this wine; dark ripe rich and sweetly spiced, intense black cherries, and lifted rose petals; this wine has density and freshness with serious concentration. Spice notes are there in abundance displaying both white and black pepper, fresh coffee notes and dark chocolate. palate This is a...

AUSTRALIA'S BEST VALUE WINERY 2022....JAMES HALLIDAY. RAY JORDAN WINE GUIDE 2023, 97 points. This is as a good a shiraz as Deep Woods have produced. I love its weight and shape in the mouth. Scents of licorice and satsuma plum with spices and dried herbs. The palate is loaded with black fruits laced with spices and dark chocolate. It’s so bright and brilliant. Lovely wine displaying Margaret River shiraz at its best. James Halliday 96 points. Hand picked from a single block on the estate's 1972 plantings in central Wilyabrup, matured for 12 months in new and used French oak. This is as powerful as any of its breed, with the...

COLOUR Deep crimson with bright purple hues. AROMA Crushed mulberry and blackberry, with savoury layers of woody spice and black pepper. PALATE The palate is generous and vibrant, loaded with juicy plum and black cherry character. Notes of black pepper and sweet spice add complexity. Tannins are fine and pervasive creating length and savoury texture. CELLARING This wine may be enjoyed on release but will find further complexity over three to four years from vintage. Ray Jordan 94 points. "This exceptional blend of Shiraz, Malbec and Tempranillo has been a winner for Deep Woods from the outset, consistently delivering a wine that punches...

BLEND 95% Shiraz, 3% Tempranillo, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon COLOUR Deep vivid violet red. AROMATICS Ripe boysenberry and black cherry aromas on the nose are enhanced by a vanilla coconut overtone. PALATE The palate displays brambly forest fruits and aniseed flavours framed by spicy oak, rounded tannins and a soft acidity contributing to a wonderful finish. OAK MATURATION French and American oak barrels AGEING POTENTIAL Drink over the next 5 – 10 years.   "Easy to drift away with the heady aromas of florals, baking spices and a sprinkle of pepper. The fuller-bodied palate is full of plums, cherry compote, sweet cedary oak and...

Andrew Caillard MW 97 points. Deep crimson. Pure blackberry pastille, cassis aromas with dark chocolate/ graphite notes. Lovely buoyant blackberry, blackcurrant, mulberry fruits with brambly nuance, fine al dente/ grippy/ muscular tannins and integrated praline mocha notes. Finishes chocolaty/ leafy with persistent dark fruits. Evocative and refined yet powerful with the density and torque for longevity. Drink 2025- 2035 13.3% alc 97 points. 100% Shiraz. Magnolia Vineyard, Vine Vale, Barossa Valley. Organically farmed. 1896 Planted Vines. Soil: Alluvial granitic sands with clay at depth. Elevation: 315m. No fining, no filtration. 13.3% Alc....

Halliday Winemaker of the Year 2021. Andrew Caillard MW 93 points. Medium deep crimson. Pure blackberry pastille, raspberry, strawberry, violet aromas with liquorice notes. Plentiful dark and red berry fruits, fine slinky/ velveteen tannins, some dark chocolate/ chinotto notes and fresh mineral acidity. A very youthful buoyant and expressive wine with ripe juicy fruit flavours and vigorous tannins. Will probably cellar for the medium to long term, but best as an early drinking wine. Drink now – 2028 13.5% alc 93 points. Magnolia Shiraz (100%) 1761 bottles produced. No Fining, No Filtration. 100% Shiraz - Magnolia Vineyard, Vine Vale,...

DECANTER WORLD WINE AWARDS 2024, 95 points. "Stacked with vivid red berry, plum and raspberry fruit with enthralling tannins and a fresh lift of verdant acidity. Full and voluptuous with a floral violet finish."

Erin Larkin for James Halliday's Wine Companion 92 points. Intense bright purple hues. Lifted aromas of blue fruits, satsuma plum with spice notes. Flavours of blueberry and spice. Medium bodied but dense with ripe tannin and well balanced natural acidity. WINERY NOTE: Our Shiraz was picked then de-stemmed into a combination of small open fermenters, maintaining as many whole berries as possible. In addition, we also filled small vessels for 100% whole bunch fermentation. Fermenters were pumped over or plunged by hand twice a day; temperature was held around 25°C. The wine was then pressed to Burgundian oak ranging in size from 225L...

95/100 Halliday's Australian Wine Companion, James Halliday "Plush. Thick. A salubrious sheen of impeccably poised oak and sensitively extracted grape tannins meld with just enough freshness. Generosity, the calling card. The fruit and arsenal of herb- to spice-inflected flavours sing above the structural frame: black cherry, damson plum, licorice, Asian spice, hoisin and baby back ribs. Slick, long and immensely satisfying." Drink by 2036 95/100 The Real Review, Stuart Knox "Deep and intense ruby and purple colours coat the glass. A nose of chocolate, blackberries freshly-crushed and oyster brine. With all that visual and...

67% Shiraz, 33% Cabernet    

Wine Advocate 98 points: "The 2004 Shiraz “Alice’s Block” received the same 28 months in used American oak. The riveting nose of smoke, asphalt, earth, truffle, blackberry, and blueberry roars from the glass. Dense, packed, and opulent, it somehow is able to concurrently exhibit finesse and elegance. Amazingly pure and long in the finish, one’s first reaction is that it cannot get any better. Remarkably, it does."   "Heady and superripe, this is a huge, mouthfilling wine that fits the ooze monster moniker, yet it finishes with structure and elegance. Camphor and cracked pepper scents accent the...

Deep crimson. Intense blackberry, elderberry, graphite, praline aromas with herb garden notes. Richly flavoured, buoyant and minerally with dark chocolate, dark berry fruits, persistent fine gravelly textures, lovely mid-palate volume and plentiful mocha, roasted chestnut oak complexity. Finishes chocolaty firm with plentiful sweet fruit/ graphite notes. Superb density, texture and balance. Should develop well over the long haul. Drink to: 2023 - 2038; Rating: 97 Points; Andrew Caillard MW. Gold - The Great Australian Shiraz Challenge 2022 Gold - Perth Royal Wine Show Hand picked. Fermented in open tops, largely ambient. Aged in French...

LANDS END APRIL "Includes 10% grenache. The old vines range between 35 and 160yo, all situated in the Eden Valley, open-fermented, 14 days on skins, matured in French oak (20% new), 250 dozen made. It is a highly fragrant wine, the grenache contributing to the fresh red and black cherry fruits." JH 96 Aug 2020 Very small parcels of fruit from vineyards up to 100 years old are hand-picked, fermented with some whole-bunches and blended to make this traditional Barossan wine. Racked once during elevage of 12 months in larger barrels (some new) and always with a small addition of Old Vine Grenache for balance. Showing all the richness...

Cellar Door Price 80aud. Pays homage to Australia's greatest red wine, 1962 Penfolds Bin 60A. This is a 57.5% Coonawarra Cabernet/42.5% Barossa Shiraz blend, with 77% new French and American oak. While there's a lot of oak, it has the drive, energy and length of the 2017 vintage that will carry it forward for years, during which time the oak will settle down. Closure: Screwcap; Drink to: 2037; Alcohol: 13.7%;  Price: $80.00; Rating: 95 Points; James Halliday; Wine Companion 2019.     VINEYARD SELECTION The Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from the world famous Katnook Estate vineyard in the Coonawarra wine region....

Comes off some pretty old, ungrafted Barossa vines. It's a most elegant and refined wine that shows another side of the Barossa. Largely traditional winemaking with gentle crushing, fermentation in open vats for three weeks and then pressing to Fresh barriques for 15 months. Has a lovely spicy perfume on the nose with races of red berry and light cedar. The palate is almost medium weight in that it is so effortless and stylish. Extends with ease to an exceptionally long finish. Wonderful expression of the Barossa. Drink to: 2024-2042; Price: $90.00; Rating: 97 Points; Ray Jordan

Wine Advocate 94+. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Shiraz Georgia's Paddock gives pronounced black forest cake, prunes and blackberry preserves nose with hints of anise, sandalwood, baking spices and espresso. Packed with full-bodied opulence in the mouth, the tannins are ripe and velvety while the finish is effortlessly harmonious. Love it. LPB Oct 2016 .

The first rule with Georgia's is to decant. Splash some air into what is a bigger-than-usual year for the well-known Heathcote shiraz. The '19 needs to stretch. You want those trademark pretty florals to step out from behind the wall of black fruits, rich plums, earth and sweet oak spice. Still as captivating as ever and can only improve. 95 points. Jeni Port Published 02 September 2021

Hand harvested. Matured in French and American oak barrels. Benchmark Barossa shiraz. Rolf Binder has set off the spicy black fruits that characterise the western Barossa with an impressive framework of classy oak structure. Old vines deliver all the density and depth expected, enlivened by a stream of natural acidity that sets a long finish and great potential. 95 points. Tyson Stelzer Published 13 August 2021

This is a good proprietary shiraz, plying peppery spice, a whiff of mint, cardamon and clove along rails of salty freshness. Slinky and fresh without any forfeit of flavour, nor paucity of structure. Just enough in all regards, although very, very marginal. I prefer this to some higher up, at least in lieu of the price. Still, it pushes the envelope of mid-palate astringency. 91 points. Ned Goodwin MW Published 21 March 2023

James Halliday Wine Companion 95 points: 127yo vines foraging an entrenched root system across gravelly alluvials, sands, limestone and siltstone. The lowest yields on record for this regional icon, drenched, as always, in personality. Dark cherry, boysenberry, licorice straps and the usual melee but best, the gritty carapace of nourishing grape tannins, corralling and directing the flavours long. This is a wine of largesse and restraint. Old-school, but good school. Ned Goodwin MW Published 18 April 2022.

95 points Australian Wine Companion. "This release represents a profound change at this address from a culture of rich wines hewn of old vines and traditional winemaking, at least in an Australian sense, to one of earlier harvesting and a grasp for freshness. Sure, the ancient vines remain. Yet despite the palpable intensity and drive, there is a twiggy dryness, a paucity of amplitude and a generosity that is synergistic with an early harvest window. Olive and dark fruits, sure. Time may bestow further beauty. " 95 points James Suckling "This release represents a significant change at this address from a culture of rich wines...

This wine has been made every year since 1896. A true icon. Suckling / Ned Goodwin MW –  97 Points.  Halliday Wine Companion / Marcus Ellis   96 Points  and Wine Front / Gary Walsh –  96 Points.   NG - Suckling: “This is plain gorgeous. Many may question shiraz's place in the Vale in the face of growing traction with grenache. Yet here lies ample evidence of why there is plenty to get excited about. Thoroughly impressive.” GW – Wine Front:  “I know Block 6 is always a long-term wine, but my word, this seems like one for the ages. This must be the...

A meld of old vines from Blocks 6 and 11. Open top ferments, a relatively short time on skins and 18 months in oak, American and French. Definitively old-school, with a track record of ageability and pedigree. A fugue of palate-staining dark fruits on the attack. Licorice, malt and menthol, too. The oak, drying at this nascent state, the grape tannins, twiggy. Time should impart tone, calm and complexity. 92 points. Ned Goodwin MW Published 18 April 2023

WA 98 The flagship of Kilikanoon is the 2006 Attunga 1865 Shiraz. Thick and rich, it coats the glass with glycerin. It gives up a brooding bouquet of wood smoke, game, truffle, espresso, leather, blueberry, and blackberry leading to a massive, masculine, full-bore Shiraz with dense, spicy fruit, a splendid integration of oak, tannin, and acidity, and a 60-second finish. It merits a decade of cellaring and will reward those with discipline with 25 years of pleasurable drinking from 2016 to 2041. JM Feb 2009

Wine Advocate 97 points. 'The 2005 Shiraz “Attunga 1865” is sourced from ungrafted vines planted in the Clare Valley in 1865. It spent 25 months in 100% new French oak hogsheads and was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Opaque purple/black, it reveals an ethereal bouquet of crushed rocks, acacia flowers, espresso, mocha, black cherry, and blackberry. This leads to a powerful, intense, yet elegant wine with a very long, seamless finish. This beautifully balanced effort will excite tasters over the next 25 years. '97 Points, Robert Parker, erobertparker.com.