Barossa Wine Guide 2025

Lone Palm Vineyard Old Vines Grenache 2023

Paisley Maeve Shiraz 2021

G 93

G 93

Old vine Grenache from the Barossa is, deservedly, flavour of the month and with wines like this, it is easy to see why. The fruit comes from 80-year-old vines from two vineyards in the Seppeltsfield sub-region. 20% of whole bunches were used in the ferment. A crimson red colour, the aromas reveal a soft and typically varietal nose with notes of strawberries and cherries, dried herbs, and a slight dusty, earthy note. The palate is soft but also delightfully voluptuous, with impressive length and silky tannins. A delicious style which will offer much joy over the next four to eight years. Drink now–2032

This single vineyard Barossa Shiraz is the team’s flagship, and deservedly so. The team usually give the wine an extensive period of maturation in a mix of both French and American oak, a considerable portion of which is new. An inky dark purple hue, the nose offers notes of spices, blackberries, cassis, warm earth, chocolate and cloves. Rich and intense, this has abundant but very fine tannins and a lingering finish. The wine is balanced, seamless, delicious and will remain so for a good 10 years. Drink now–2034 PaulMara Estate MARAnanga Shiraz 2023 G 93 Seriously good value Barossa Shiraz offering wonderful drinking. From one of the most highly regarded sub-regions of the Barossa, the colour here is a near opaque maroon, while the nose gives up notes of blackberries, iron filings, dark chocolate, mocha, coffee beans and plums. This is rich, ripe and intense with good focus and a seductive, decadent and lush palate with very good length. An utterly delicious Barossa Shiraz which will provide pleasure for the next 10 to 12 years. Drink now–2036 Pepperjack Grenache 2023 G 93 The fruit here is a blend from Australia’s top regions for Grenache, the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. The fruit is fermented discretely and spends time in a mix of tank and oak before blending. The colour here is a crimson red. We have notes of spices, red cherries, dry herbs and raspberries. We have silky tannins, a supple texture and a long and lasting finish, all coming together in a wine which is very well structured. A layered style with exuberant flavours, expect this to drink beautifully for at least the next eight to 12 years. This is a really good Grenache. Drink now–2036 Pepperjack Shiraz Cabernet 2022 G 93 The great Aussie red blend done Barossa style. An inky dark magenta hue here, the nose offers ripe and rich notes of chocolate, coffee beans, mocha, soy, black fruits, aniseed and warm earth, with a touch of oak, integrating well. The wine exhibits good intensity from start to finish, lasting right through the length to a hint of coffee bitterness found at the conclusion. There is good balance throughout and excellent length. This is surely a 10-year proposition and a fine example of the blend. Drink now–2034 Pepperjack The Rare Find Shiraz 2022 G 93 A superb Barossa Shiraz from a cracking vintage, this is a vibrant dark maroon in colour. The nose is redolent of plums, blackberries, cassis, chocolate, mocha and even chocolate mud cake. A supple texture, good intensity and balance, with focus, excellent length and very fine tannins. Enjoy this over the next eight to 12 years. Drink now–2036

Monteperle GSM 2022

G 93

A Grenache dominated Rhône style blend done Barossa style, the wine spends around a year maturing in French oak, approximately one third new. Under cork. Deep maroon red, this is quite the savoury style. Earthy with notes of animal skins and leather, dark berries, coffee grinds and dried herbs, there is good focus, a supple texture, fine tannins and bright acidity. Certainly, there is a flick of oak but it is integrating well and this is a wine of impressive length, which is definitely here for the long haul – 10 years plus. Drink now–2034

Murray Street Shiraz 2021

G 93

The fruit here exhibits sub-regional characters from Gomersal and Greenock, with 85% of the fruit from the latter. There is also a dollop (3%) of Mataro in the wine. The blocks from where the fruit was sourced are up to 50 years old. After fermentation, maturation was in a range of receptacles, including oval foudre, concrete conical tanks, but mostly French oak puncheons, hogshead and barriques, 14% of which were new. Dark red/maroon hue with purples. The nose is full of chocolate notes with vanilla, bacon fat, mocha, spices, plums and blackcurrants. This is a plush, finely crafted Barossa Shiraz, neatly balanced with sleek tannins and serious length. Enjoy it over the next eight to 12 years. Drink now–2036 Paisley Boombox Shiraz 2022 G 93 There is a dollop of Grenache usually included in this Shiraz by the team, and the use of oak seems ever-so-marginally more apparent in this wine than others in the range. For a fine vintage like 2022, this really works well. The colour is like a bruised plum/dark cherry hue. The nose is full of deep black fruit notes, chocolate, vanilla, blackcurrants, soy, smoked meats, coffee beans, cloves and a hint of axle grease. Rich, ripe and bold, this is big (in flavour terms) and generous with good intensity throughout and very good length supported by firm tannins. A seamless style, it will drink beautifully for at least a decade. Drink 2023–2034

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The Vintage Journal – Regional Focus

South Australia 2024

129

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