Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is, I think, the best edition of this carefully assembled shiraz composed of parcels selected from Krondorf, Ebenezer, Greenock and the Eden Valley. The nose is ripe and mellow, giving up layers of rich blackberry and Angelina-plum fruit. There's a wealth of spices and a soulful, earthy depth, as well as an ever-so-slightly-smoky, tarry edge. The palate is smoothly honed and focuses on a dense mid-palate presence that holds plenty of bright blackberry and plum flavors. Deceptively sturdy tannins carry hauntingly throughout – shadowy and in the background; they will underpin some considerable cellaring given the chance. But drinking very well already. Full credit to the masterful Duval. Drink in 2018
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Wine Enthusiast
This is another top-flight example of how good the 2012 vintage was for South Australian Shiraz. The oak here is so subtle as to not factor into the wine’s scents of raspberry and cracked pepper. Hints of spice and vanilla mark the palate, gently accenting red berry fruit before ending in a flood of silky tannins. Drink now–2030. Editors' Choice
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Wine Spectator
Fresh and vital, with expressive flavors of dark plum and spice on an open texture, coming together with intensity and grace on the finish against a light blanket of tannins. Drink now through 2022.
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.”
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.