January, 2025
Ryan Montgomery, JamesSuckling.com
2023 vintage
The nose is incredibly complex and deeply scented, with aromas of blood plums, cured meat, mulberries, blueberry bush and dried herbs. The palate is full-bodied with seamless tannins and bright acidity, giving tightly wound notes of cherry confit, iodine, ferric earth, mocha and a slight metallic finish. Exceptionally well constructed, with years ahead of it to integrate. Drink or hold.97 points
May, 2025
Marcus Ellis, Halliday Wine Companion
2023 Vintage
From the 2.3ha Block 12, a southeast-facing sand and ironstone outcrop; 20% whole bunch, with 80% sorted and crushed; matured in 2500L French and Austrian oak for 16 months. This opens with a little reductive cloak, which is appealing in itself, if a little occluding of the fruit. Initially at least. There’s a Rhône-like feel, with a spicy, smoky angle. Fruit flavours roll through blackberry pastille, blueberry, tart boysenberry and black cherry, accented with malted barley, rolling tobacco, roasted meat, freshly ground coffee, star anise, cassia and allspice. There’s an underlying finesse here, as with all the '23s, both red and white. Excellent.
- 96 points
June, 2025
Tom Kline, Winepilot
2023 vintage
Sourced from Block 12 (2.3 Ha) which sits on a south-east facing, ironstone sandy outcrop. There’s a compelling nutty and woody spice complexity straight out of the gate with hazelnut, cassia bark, pine needle and softly sweet clove emanating to draw you in. A good swirl of the glass reveals a subtly charry and ashy note along with tilled earth and paperbark. It’s all about savouriness over fruit to begin with, in part thanks to a sheath of reduction, but some fruit notes do appear in the form of blackberry pastille and blood plum with herb-crusted meat, freshly roasted coffee beans and gentle dark chocolate adding to the show. The palate follows suit in its savoury aesthetic highlighting mocha, dried herbs, meat and iodine over black cherry, blackberry and subtle pops of blueberry with a lifted and iodine-mineral feel. All of this before an assertion of fine-but-firm tannins frame it through a mocha-laced finish with cassia bark permeating the mouth perfume. There’s a lifted and mineral feel to the palate, it glides along without a hint of weightiness. Another class act.
- 96 points
May, 2025
Huon Hooke, The Real Review
2023 vintage
Very deep and bright purple-red colour, glowing in the glass. Powerful intensity of black pepper, aniseed, blackberry, dried and cured meat aromas, all in remarkable detail for such a young shiraz. Glorious mouth-filling flavour of intensity and vitality, the energy positively bursting through the mouth with vitality and persistence. A smashing shiraz now, and is sure to have a great future.
- 96 points
May, 2025
Ray Jordan, Winepilot
2023 vintage
Wow, the colour here is extraordinary. It’s deep and dark but with a bright luminosity. Captivating aromas reveal an earthy, slightly rustic character lifted with vibrant plummy blackberry fruits, overlaid with a sprinkle of dried herbs. The palate is a joy, with its seamless integration and purity of fruit. Oak has been so well managed.
- 96 points
