Gibson Wines Australian Old Vine Collection Barossa Shiraz 2018
G 96
Deep crimson. Developed choco-berry, cedarwood/ cigar box aromas and flavours, grainy/ al dente tannins, very good mid-palate richness and well-balanced quartz- like acidity. Inky and evolved with cedar notes giving complexity and torque. Drink now–2032 Greenock Creek Seven Acre Shiraz 2022 G 96 Deep crimson. Black cherry, dark chocolate, cedar/ mocha, spice aromas and flavours, lovely mid-palate richness and underlying smooth and animated tannins. Builds to a gravelly vigour at the finish.Lovely definition and flow. Drink now–2036 Handpicked Wines Collection Grenache 2022 G 96 Medium-deep crimson. Intense raspberry, redcurrant pastille, musky plum aromas with chinotto/ hint bush garrigue notes. Beautifully concentrated raspberry pastille, strawberry fruits, slinky tannins and underlying chinotto, leafy notes. Finishes juicy and long. Superb. Drink now–2034 Hayes Family Wines Block 15 Shiraz 2022 G 96 From the excellent 2022 vintage, this would be my pick across the entire Hayes range. Under Diam, just 800 bottles. The fruit comes from a block, Block 15 obviously, which has been personally farmed by Marcus Schultz for more than 70 years. The Block is located in the Ebenezer sub-region in the northern parts of the Barossa. It does see some new French oak, and it has handled that with ease. Inky black/purple, this is dense and concentrated, and yet still comes across as a touch reticent at this early stage. Superbly balanced, the nose reveals notes of tobacco leaves, chocolate, truffles, smoked meat, cassis and cocoa powder, with a touch of blueberries lingering. Seamless, seductive, it has great length. There is a fine line of acidity running through to the silkiest of tannins. A hint of Vegemite emerges on the palate. Brilliant stuff and we can expect this wine to provide pleasure for at least the next 20 years. Drink now–2045 Head Wines The Brunette Shiraz 2023 G 96 Garnet/magenta, fading to red on the rim. Leather, cassis, dark cherries, blackcurrants, ripe raspberries and a hint of bacon fat, along with delicatessen meats and herbs, with a touch of warm earth. Seamless in structure with a laser-like focus, silky tannins and great length. Intensity throughout, but a wine which has muscle and yet exhibits such immaculate balance. To make the ‘Brunette’, the fruit must come from exceptional vineyards which “represent the ‘dark-side’ of shiraz in the Barossa”. This is a brilliant Barossa Shiraz. Drink now–2045
South Australia Wine Guide 2026 | Barossa
73
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