Winemaker Notes
Deep crimson in color. Enticing aromas of cassis, dark chocolate and bay leaf. Rich blackberry and cassis fruits follow on the palate, with nuances of bay leaf. The generous fruit flavors are supported by a backbone of tightly wound tannins that will further soften with medium to long term cellaring.
Professional Ratings
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Australian Wine Companion
Full-bodied, rich and opulent, with new oak very much in evidence from start to finish. Unexpectedly, it is on the aftertaste that the fruit breaks free from the yoke of the oak.
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Decanter
Generous fruit on the nose. Creamy palate with delicious strawberry and raspberry flavours. Savoury note on the long finish.
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James Suckling
From a single parcel in the Nuriootpa Vineyard, this has aromas of currants, violets, spiced bread and blueberries as well as cassis and mulberries. Some earthy notes, too. The palate has a very focused core of black cherries, dark plums and blueberries and smooth, even tannin texture. Supple and long. Medium-to full-bodied and very drinkable.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A bit leafier than the stellar 2016, the 2017 Ashmead Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is still a fine, elegant example of Barossa Cabernet. Medium-bodied, it's smooth and streamlined, with a somewhat linear feel and a crisp, gently tannic finish.
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Wine Spectator
Red licorice and star anise accents work well with the core of pure pomegranate and wild strawberry flavors, which is pure and elegant, with polished, integrated tannins, showing harmony and elegance on the finish. Drink now through 2034.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
The Barossa Zone encompasses the Barossa Valley and Eden Valley. Some of the oldest vines in Australia can be found here.
Barossa Valley of course is the most important and famous wine growing region in all of Australia where 140+ year-old, dry-farmed Shiraz vines still produce inky, purple and dense juice for some of Australia's best wines.
In the cooler, wetter Eden Valley sub-region, the Hill of Grace vineyard is home to famous Shiraz vines from the 1800s but the region produces also some of Australia’s very best and age-worthy Rieslings.