Winemaker Notes
Deep, dark purple, dense and solid to the edge. Dark plum fruit and subtle wood spice sit alongside a slight sanguine waft and brief glimpses of cured billtong/jerky meat and dried tobacco leaf. Rich, ripe dark berry fruit combines with just a hint of tongue coating dustiness and classic Shiraz flavor of dark chocolate and coffee beans, then pinned in just enough by a super-fine tannin structure. The lush fruit does not let up, but keeps rolling through in waves driving long through to the finish.
Professional Ratings
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Australian Wine Companion
From vines planted '00, the vinification identical to Pramie. There is a tsunami of luscious black fruits, dark chocolate, ginger and spice, the tannins quick to mark their presence, but not envelope the fruit.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2015 Schild Estate Ben Schild Reserve Shiraz is built with excellent persistence and presence on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine excels with aromas and flavors of black fruit and licorice, with a hint of oak. Pair it with a grilled, well-marbled ribeye. (Tasted: April 10, 2022, San Francisco, CA)
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Asphalt, espresso and black olive notes define the nose of the 2015 Ben Schild Reserve Single Vineyard Shiraz. Savory and complex, it does reveal some blackberry fruit with air. It's full-bodied and velvety on the palate, with slightly coarse-grained tannins providing texture and length on the finish. It's a solid effort and doesn't show a ton of oak, despite having spent 18 months in barrel.
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Wine Spectator
Blackberry and blueberry flavors are juicy, accented by touches of cola, spice and peppermint oil. Black tea–like tannins gain grip on the finish. Appealingly harmonious.
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.