Mike Bennie, Halliday Wine Companion - July 2024
From a site planted in '05 to three shiraz clones. It's got depth and carriage of flavour and aromas, distinct for its mulberry and blueberry fruit profile alongside strong game meat, smoky paprika and green olive credentials, with a core of iron and granite-like minerality rippling through with authority. Very structured, quite sinewy with its building grip of silty tannin; fruit and spice drape off the fine bones of this wine. Savouriness is a strength here and the major calling card. A very fine expression overall. 95 Points.
International Wine Challenge 2024 Awards - May 2024
Scented, intense notes of eucalyptus, medicinal herbs and balsamic spice. Refreshing and alive in the mouth with blue and black fruits and a firm refreshing tannic structure. 97 Points.
Awarded four trophies; Adelaide Hills Shiraz Trophy, South Australian Shiraz Trophy, South Australian Red Trophy and Australian Red Trophy.
Ned Goodwin MW, Jamessuckling.com - April 2024
A scintillating nose of mace, clove, blue-fruit persuasions, lilac, pepper-dried salumi, fennel seed and kelp, akin to nori of the sort found at Tokyo's arsenal of exceptional sushi counters. On the slightly richer side of mid-weighted. Yet, the slippery skein of tannin is so immaculately placed that there is neither heat nor an ounce of sloppy, sweet fruit. Everything is compressed into a polished bone of tension and savory refinement. The acidity is saline and lathered with tapenade. More of a syrah from an external perspective. An irrefutably brilliant one. I wish I had more to cellar, given the wine's noble stature. A ringer for refined Cornas, if not an oxymoron. 97 Points.
Shanteh Wale, The Wine Pilot - April 2024
A sultry aroma of blackberry, Bing cherries and kombu seaweed. Crushed juniper, clove and allspice meet sandalwood, brown mushroom and pinecones. It’s full of forestry and undergrowth with specks of kalamata olive and hawthorn. Sweetness of spice shines through unpinning the black berried fruit and herbal nuances. Extremely compact and weighty. There is a lot of wine here for the dollar and as per usual it shows off its pedigree with class and sophistication. Tannins are suede like and acidity drives the flavours to the finish line which are way off in the distance. Drink now and will cellar for 5 years. A great wine for slow cooked beef tendon or oxtail. 95 Points.
Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front - March 2024
Shiraz from a north-facing site at 380m at Balhannah in the Adelaide Hills.
The pitch here is as perfect as you’ll find. It’s glossy and smooth but there’s sinew and grain too; the fruit is sweet but the herbs are ardent. Twiggy spice, mescal, black pepper and peanut shells weave through blueberry and ripe plum. Tannin is grapey, fine-grained, smoky and expansive. It’s exemplary. 95 Points.
Huon Hooke, The Real Review - February 2024
Sweetly vegetal/spicy/floral, whole-bunchy aromas greet the nose immediately—very classy cool-grown shiraz aromas which glide effortlessly into an elegantly structured but tremendously intense palate. An array of dried herb nuances includes oregano, sage, thyme and just a slight whiff of pepper. Gorgeous syrah-style shiraz. 96 Points.
Winewise Championship - April 2023
Five stars.
Mike Bennie, Halliday Wine Companion - July 2024
From a site planted in '05 to three shiraz clones. It's got depth and carriage of flavour and aromas, distinct for its mulberry and blueberry fruit profile alongside strong game meat, smoky paprika and green olive credentials, with a core of iron and granite-like minerality rippling through with authority. Very structured, quite sinewy with its building grip of silty tannin; fruit and spice drape off the fine bones of this wine. Savouriness is a strength here and the major calling card. A very fine expression overall. 95 Points.
International Wine Challenge 2024 Awards - May 2024
Scented, intense notes of eucalyptus, medicinal herbs and balsamic spice. Refreshing and alive in the mouth with blue and black fruits and a firm refreshing tannic structure. 97 Points.
Awarded four trophies; Adelaide Hills Shiraz Trophy, South Australian Shiraz Trophy, South Australian Red Trophy and Australian Red Trophy.
Ned Goodwin MW, Jamessuckling.com - April 2024
A scintillating nose of mace, clove, blue-fruit persuasions, lilac, pepper-dried salumi, fennel seed and kelp, akin to nori of the sort found at Tokyo's arsenal of exceptional sushi counters. On the slightly richer side of mid-weighted. Yet, the slippery skein of tannin is so immaculately placed that there is neither heat nor an ounce of sloppy, sweet fruit. Everything is compressed into a polished bone of tension and savory refinement. The acidity is saline and lathered with tapenade. More of a syrah from an external perspective. An irrefutably brilliant one. I wish I had more to cellar, given the wine's noble stature. A ringer for refined Cornas, if not an oxymoron. 97 Points.
Shanteh Wale, The Wine Pilot - April 2024
A sultry aroma of blackberry, Bing cherries and kombu seaweed. Crushed juniper, clove and allspice meet sandalwood, brown mushroom and pinecones. It’s full of forestry and undergrowth with specks of kalamata olive and hawthorn. Sweetness of spice shines through unpinning the black berried fruit and herbal nuances. Extremely compact and weighty. There is a lot of wine here for the dollar and as per usual it shows off its pedigree with class and sophistication. Tannins are suede like and acidity drives the flavours to the finish line which are way off in the distance. Drink now and will cellar for 5 years. A great wine for slow cooked beef tendon or oxtail. 95 Points.
Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front - March 2024
Shiraz from a north-facing site at 380m at Balhannah in the Adelaide Hills.
The pitch here is as perfect as you’ll find. It’s glossy and smooth but there’s sinew and grain too; the fruit is sweet but the herbs are ardent. Twiggy spice, mescal, black pepper and peanut shells weave through blueberry and ripe plum. Tannin is grapey, fine-grained, smoky and expansive. It’s exemplary. 95 Points.
Huon Hooke, The Real Review - February 2024
Sweetly vegetal/spicy/floral, whole-bunchy aromas greet the nose immediately—very classy cool-grown shiraz aromas which glide effortlessly into an elegantly structured but tremendously intense palate. An array of dried herb nuances includes oregano, sage, thyme and just a slight whiff of pepper. Gorgeous syrah-style shiraz. 96 Points.
Winewise Championship - April 2023
Five stars.