2013 was a bonza year for these guys with a vintage that neatly summed up all you could ever want in a Barossa Shiraz and a tidy 95er from James Halliday. The 14 promises to deliver more of the same excellent density, weight, and flavour that has made this such a consistent winner. The aroma is darkly appealing, with ripe blackberries, bramble and lavender with a hint of roast meat and coal dust. The palate has everything laid out in perfect proportion with blackberries and plums taking the charge supported by roasted meat, smoked tobacco and cedar. There’s a nice thread of black pepper and spice that is typical of the Barossa, while tannins are fairly bold pulling the flavour out to a fairly long finish.
James Halliday, The Australian Wine Companion: 95 (2013 Release) Deep, dense crimson-purple; fills the senses from the get go, its expressive, dark-fruited bouquet seamlessly leading into a palate that offers an almost mesmerising interplay between perfectly ripe black fruits on the one hand, savoury, finely grained tannins on the other.
WINEMAKING: The many parcels making up this wine were crushed into and fermented in three, five, seven and 10 tonne open top vessels. Regular pump overs three times daily were performed during the peak of fermentation to extract flavours, colour and tannins. At pressing, the free run and pressings were combined to tank, then racked to barrel for oak maturation where malolactic fermentation occurred. All batches were kept separate and blended just prior to bottling.
Don't Pay: $32.00
WBW Rating: 95/100
Closure: Stelvin
Region: Barossa Valley, SA
Winemaker: Ben Perkins
Drink now until: 2021
Alc/Vol: 14.8 %
