Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Very deep purple-black in color, the 2013 Eligo has an intoxicating nose of creme de cassis, blueberry tart and violets with underlying menthol, cloves, fenugreek, licorice and dark chocolate hints. The medium to full-bodied palate is youthfully restrained, with taut, muscular blackberry and exotic spice flavors supported by fine-grained, firm tannins and lively acid, finishing with excellent length. This is a very classy 2013 Shiraz! 98+
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Wine Enthusiast
Full bodied, creamy and lush, this is a prototypical Barossa Valley Shiraz from a longtime master of the variety. Smoke, cedar, mulberry and eucalyptus notes mingle easily on the nose, while savory notes of roasted meat and dried herb blend seamlessly into the fruit, ending long, velvety and rich.
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Wine Spectator
Intriguing and juicy, featuring brambly wild berry and floral flavors mingling in a dense core, with baking spices, black walnut and clay details. Intense and firming on the finish. An Earl Grey tea note lingers. Shiraz. Drink now through 2030.
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James Suckling
This has a wealth of blueberries and blackcurrants, as well as fresh florals and genuinely elegant, spicy complexity. The palate holds quite an intense line of assertive, unwavering tannin that carries rich, dark, powerful black-fruit flavors so long. A blend of 58% Barossa Valley, with Ebenezer coming into the mix, and 42% Eden valley. Drink or hold.
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.