Barossa cabernet offered little to inspire until the cool season of 2002, and since then its trajectory has been breathtaking – primarily because its most talented practitioners seem to have learnt to draw out a varietal integrity hitherto unknown in this warm region. A wine like this plays an important role in your wine repertoire […]
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It doesn’t get much bigger than Barossa durif, and this thing is potent. Its powerful, impenetrable black depth is densely packed with liquorice, coal, black olives, black jubes, plum pudding and every black fruit you could conjure. It’s a testimony to Pete Schell’s mastery that, in the midst of this maelstrom, it never deviates from […]
readSt Hallett’s 2010 reds are a revelation of an order hitherto unknown, even to this celebrated estate, and it’s remarkable that the standout to date (stand by for 2010 Old Block next year) is not a shiraz but a cabernet. The story becomes all the more unlikely when it’s revealed that this wine comes from […]
readGamekeeper’s is an institution in the wonderful world of shiraz grenache and – blimey – I can’t remember a rendition as expressive as this marvellous new release. All hail 2010, for its beautifully accurate fruit expression, with grenache contributing rhubarb and red berry notes, and shiraz, black plum, black cherry and pepper, overlaid with a […]
readTash Mooney named her business “Wine Architect” because structure and shape count more to her than surface finishes. When I visited recently, she lined up 2004 Uncles with 2010, just to demonstrate her progress toward more honed restraint. There’s no question one of the Barossa’s most insightful winemakers has maintained a steep trajectory of refinement. […]
readRichard Bates reckons the Barossa needs to rediscover medium weight reds, so he picks a couple of weeks earlier than most. This wine is made at Spinifex with Pete Schell, whom Bates rightly describes as a “magician.” More than a little Schell magic has rubbed off here, in subtle nuances of mixed spice, lifted violet […]
readIt’s impossible to overstate the sheer class of the 2010 vintage for Barossa reds, and in the right hands it defines a hitherto unexplored plane of new generation Barossa shiraz. Bête takes the black fruit depth of classic Barossa and superimposes it onto a resolutely medium-bodied palate of finely textured, honed tannins and tangy acidity. […]
readHas St Hallett ever put forth a set of wines as drop-dead gorgeous as 2010? Nope. True to its name, the colour of this wine is a black well of intensity, promising something very special before you even lift the glass. The bouquet and palate deliver the same depth, throwing impressively dense black plum and […]
readRuggabellus captures my imagination every time I step foot in the Barossa, and with a miniscule production of just 912 bottles of this wine, you’ll likely never see it anywhere else unless you determine to hunt it down. I suggest you do, because this SMG blend seamlessly harmonises wonderful fragrance and abundant exoticism with detail […]
readRichard Bate’s big boy clocks in at a refreshing 14.2% alcohol, picked four weeks earlier than others who source from the same vineyard. This infuses it with a lively, vibrant acidity and delightfully firm, fine, almost mineral tannins. It’s in no way lacking in ripeness, contrasting its refreshing, calm restraint with deep black fruits, red […]
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