Powell & Son Barossa Valley Shiraz 2016
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The Barossa Valley Shiraz is sourced from mature Barossa Valley vineyards (20+ years old) with the majority located along the region’s North-Western ridge in Marananga and Seppeltsfield as well as Lyndoch Valley in the Southern Barossa. Grape parcels are vinified separately in concrete vats, before being basket pressed and assembled into large-format 4,500-litre French oak foudres for 15 months maturation.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Packs a wallop, with intense blackberry, plum and licorice notes, set on a dense body, with sink-your-teeth-into-them tannins and black pepper and Earl Grey tea details on the finish. Great focus. Drink now through 2028.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
In case you thought the Powells were only making tiny quantities of unaffordable wines, the 2016 Barossa Valley Shiraz retails for a reasonable $30 per bottle. From mostly 20- to 30-year-old vines in Marananga, it's aged in foudre. It's medium to full-bodied, with tar and black olive notes on opening that blossom into cherry and blueberry fruit after decanting. The tannins are fine, lingering on the silky finish.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2016 Powell & Son Shiraz is beautiful and well-balanced wine. TASTING NOTES: This wine is attractive and ready-to-drink. Its alluring aromas and flavors of red and black fruit exhibit an excellent lift on the palate. Pair it with grilled gruyere-topped hamburgers. (Tasted: September 10, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Historically and presently the most important wine-producing region of Australia, the Barossa Valley is set in the Barossa zone of South Australia, where more than half of the country’s wine is made. Because the climate is very hot and dry, vineyard managers work diligently to ensure grapes reach the perfect levels of phenolic ripeness.
The intense heat is ideal for plush, bold reds, particularly Shiraz on its own or Rhône Blends. Often Shiraz and Cabernet partner up for plump and powerful reds.
While much less prevalent, light-skinned varieties such as Riesling, Viognier or Semillon produce vibrant Barossa Valley whites.
Most of Australia’s largest wine producers are based here and Shiraz plantings date back as far as the 1850s or before. Many of them are dry farmed and bush trained, still offering less than one ton per acre of inky, intense, purple juice.