Winemaker Notes
Deep ruby color. Perfumed bouquet of potpourri, red fruits, charcuterie, and a hint of cedar. On the palate, layers of concentrated dark berry fruit, cacao, and black olive. Followed by slowly-building, fine-grained graphite tannins of immense length. Rich and concentrated, with power and finesse.
Decanting is recommended. This wine is ideally served at with hearty meat and game dishes.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From vines planted in 1892, the 2018 Block 6 Shiraz is another ripper, as Aussies might say. Aged in 40% new French and American oak, the cedar, grilled meat and vanilla accents are there, but they're just part of a compelling package that includes notes of blackberries, licorice, black olives and intricate herbal complexities of sage, thyme and the like. Full-bodied and concentrated, it's structured yet supple, powerful yet elegant, with a long, velvety finish, simply a terrific example of Block 6—perhaps the best I've had the privilege to taste. Impressive now, it really deserves a few years in the cellar, and it should drink well for up to two decades.
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Australian Wine Companion
From 126yo vines and a traditional approach to vinification. Fine boned. Powerful, sure, but there is a stridency to the fruit rather than a stolidness. Maritime shiraz, at its best, has a cooler side to violet, bergamot, boysenberry, anise and clove scents. The pepper-clad acidity, vibrant and pulling the melee long. The oak, ample, but not exaggerated. Intense, compact, fragrant and ready for the long haul.
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Tasting Panel
Opaque color; spiced, velvety, and balanced, with ripe notes of blackberry and blueberry joining toast and a firm acid structure.
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James Suckling
Notes of bark and dusty earth add complexity to the red berry aromas. With its ample, moderately dry tannins this has clearly been built to age. This self-confidently dry style may not be for everyone, but we find this well balanced at the long firm finish. Handpicked from 126 year old vines.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is another powerful and austere bottling from this historic McLaren Vale estate. Vanilla and cola aromas sit beside plump plum and berry fruit, licorice and dusty spice. In the mouth, there's freshness alongside powerful, granular tannins. Drink 2023–2032.
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.”
Known for opulent red wines with intense power and concentration, McLaren Vale is home to perhaps the most “classic” style of Australian Shiraz. Vinified on its own or in Rhône Blends, these hot-climate wines are deeply colored and high in extract with signature hints of dark chocolate and licorice. Cabernet Sauvignon is also produced in a similar style.
Whites, often made from Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc tend to be opulent and full of tropical, stone and citrus fruit.