Winemaker Notes
A very deep purple, red in color. This wine showcases Shiraz with its depth of Barossa Valley and the alluring, aromatic freshness of Eden Valley. Vibrant aromas of dark cherries, anise and red raspberry. A distinctive wine with richness and dark berry, fruit compote palate. Perfectly balanced, elegant and refined.
Enjoy with beef filet, roast beetroot and horseradish, or Korean fried cauliflower.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A polished shiraz that draws you very deep on the palate, with blackberry, tar, dark-chocolate and walnut character. It’s full and very tight, with tension and focus. Thick, silky texture. Unique wine that’s aged for 23 months in winery-produced 100-liter French and American-oak octaves. Drink or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
With plush, lucid aromas you could sink into like a favorite armchair, this smells of melted chocolate, mint, licorice, plum and cherry cordial, with earthy, peppery spice below. The palate is equally luxurious, with oodles of tart berry fruit. Supple tannins creep up slowly, supportive and well integrated. The luscious fruit and abundant Barossa sunshine are on full display, here, but it never feels overblown. Instead it's a polished drop for drinking now and well into the next decade.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 The Octavius Shiraz was matured for 23 months in a combination of American and French custom-coopered 100-liter oak barrels. The Yalumba winery has a cooperage on site in the Barossa; for those who have not visited, it is absolutely worth a look. Insight like this into the production of oak barrels is something seldom seen on Australian soil. In the mouth, the oak is evident but, strangely, not overpowering, as one might expect it to be with such an upbringing. This has intense fruit, plenty of drive and power. It's from a wonderful vintage, too. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
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Wine Spectator
Starts off on a firm frame, with restrained notes of blueberry, huckleberry and malty Assam black tea. Hints of cardamon, cumin, sarsaparilla and tobacco linger, gaining momentum and depth on the long finish. Drink now through 2034.
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Wine & Spirits
This is a soft and gentle vintage of the Octavius, a clean shiraz with touches of bitumen over the mature, berry-scented fruit. Ready to drink, it has the structure to stand up to a lamb chop and would be a tangy accompaniment to an al fresco dinner party this summer.
Established in 1849, Yalumba is Australia’s most historic family-owned wine company showcasing the best of the Barossa and South Australian wine regions. Fiercely independent and extremely progressive through the generational ownership by the Hill-Smith family, their longevity and success are a result of patience, collaboration, and forward-thinking. Yalumba is a leader in the industry with the foresight to embrace the natural terroir to craft wines with individual character and a sense of purpose, as well as a spirit to reinvest in the land upon which it operates. Yalumba is committed to sharing stories of provenance gathered over 175 years of history of family winemaking.
Arguably the single most famous wine region in Australia, the Barossa includes both Barossa Valley and Eden Valley, making it one of the only areas in Australia to have neighboring warm and cool climate growing conditions. Yalumba is privileged to have access to some of the oldest vineyards in the world in Barossa Valley, including 1889 bush vine Grenache and 1908 Shiraz. They are committed to growing premium quality fruit reflecting distinctive varietal characters of the region.
Yalumba also operates the Southern Hemisphere's only fully operational Cooperage, crafting bespoke oak barrels that elevate the wines aged within them. While the beginnings of the Yalumba Cooperage remain a mystery lost in time, coopering has been a proud tradition at the winery for more than a century. Their coopers have been performing and perfecting their craft since around 1890. In the Nursery, Yalumba is a global leader in wine innovation, growing, evaluating, and supplying quality grape vines to the Australian wine industry. Yalumba has developed strong relationships with leading grapevine programs from around the world and have exclusive access to certain new varietals in Australia. This gives the Yalumba viticulturists and winemakers the unique opportunity to evaluate and develop new or emerging varieties before they are sold.
Yalumba continually strives to reduce their impact on the environment, stay involved in the community, and make great wine with minimal intervention in the vineyard and in the winery. They are committed to sustainable practices, with the belief that the healthier and more biodiverse the vineyards are, the better the wines will be. Yalumba has been developing its own sustainable viticulture program since the mid-1990s, promoting the economic production of quality grapes. For every acre of vineyard Yalumba own, they have at least one acre of native vegetation. All Yalumba wines are crafted with wild yeast, are 100% vegan, and are made with the least intervention possible but with as much knowledge, confidence, and expertise as possible.
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.