Barossa, shiraz, Shiraz Grenac...
Barossa
Australia’s oldest, most famous and internationally renowned wine growing region located a short distance from Adelaide, South Australia, the Barossa Valley contains the sub district of the Eden Valley, and is home to some of Australia’s, and the world’s oldest Shiraz vines. The Barossa Valley’s viticultural history extends back to the early 1800’s when English and Prussian immigrants founded vineyards, enterprises and wineries still family owned to this day. The British gentry was led by George Fife Angas (Angaston), Joseph Gilbert (Pewsey Vale), Samuel Smith (Founder of Yalumba in 1847) and William Salter (Saltram 1859). On the other hand a significantly more numerous population of Lutheran’s migrated fleeing the reformation in Prussia, pioneering viticulture and agriculture, numbering among them were names synonymous with the most established wineries in Australia including Johann Gramp (1847), Joseph Seppelt (Seppelt, 1851) and William Jacob (1854). Many of these original families continue in the wine business and own vineyards. The growers of the Barossa have weathered two world wars, drought, flood, bushfire, erratic swings in market preferences from red wine to white (1970’s), the Vine Pull Scheme of the 1980s whereby 130 year old, priceless, low yielding vines were removed due to lack of demand, to emerge stronger than ever, the one constant it’s ancient weathered vineyards and stoic population.
Principally a red wine growing region, historically the varieties planted were Shiraz, Grenache, Mataro (Mourvedre) alongside Pedro Ximenez and Frontignac for the production of fortified wine. The climate is warm and dry, with cool nights and warm to hot days. The Barossa Valley contains a complex typography of valleys, hills slopes and soils. The soils vary widely though the dominate composition is a clay loam and in areas low fertility sandy soils. Although red grapes are more pervasively planted, there are small quantities of white varieties including Semillon, which is often unwooded, with bright lemon zest notes and moderate acidity. Barossa Chardonnay tends to be richer and more generous with Melon and ripe peach notes and is quick to develop and best consumed young. Riesling which are also of a more broad and generous style, though many Barossa based wineries produce more zesty examples from Clare Valley and Eden Valley fruit. Small quantities of Viognier are cultivated, used primarily for blending with Shiraz, though some outstanding mono varietal bottling’s are available, Yalumba Virgilius in particular.
Of the Red varieties Shiraz is king with considerably more planted than Grenache or Mourvedre. Significantly, many of these vines are older than Shiraz or Syrah vines planted in Europe, the Barossa being fortunate enough not to encounter the devastations of phylloxera. Typically Barossa Shiraz is full bodied, lush with notes of blackberry, plum, medium acidity and high, but soft ripe tannins. They are traditionally aged in new oak imparting flavours of graphite and cigar box (new French oak) and coconut and vanilla (new American oak), the wines are renowned for their depth and longevity. The shift in the mid-1990s towards producing blockbuster wines that were high in alcohol fuelled by high Parker scores that then pushed the prices of the wines in America and Asia to new levels encouraged some winemakers to follow suit. The pendulum has now begun to swing in the other direction, led by a new generation of producers committed to making elegant, full to medium bodied Barossa red articulating individual vineyard character.
Many of Australia’s most famous wines are made in the Barossa and some of the most recognised producers include Penfolds, Peter Lehman, Yalumba, Wolf Blass and Henschke. The quintet of Penfolds Grange (mainly old vine Barossa shiraz aged in new American oak), Penfolds RWT Shiraz , Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz (100% single vineyard), Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon and Penfolds St Henri Shiraz) are all highly sought after wines. And Henschke’s iconic single vineyard ancient vine Hill of Grace is considered by many to be the equal of Penfolds Grange in terms of both quality and as wine investment. A recent resurgence has seen many smaller artisanal wineries producing outstanding wines on small scale, including Spinifex, Teusner, Ruggabellus, Standish, Kalleske and Head Wines to name a few.
Less pervasively planted are Grenache, Mourvedre and Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Sauvignon prefers a slightly cooler climate and tends to be better in cooler years and the use of French Oak is more common than American. Grenache and Mourvedre are often blended with Shiraz in a traditional Rhone Blend, though also bottles as mono varietal wines. Grenache from the Barossa tends toward sweet fruits, raspberry, with hints of spice and soft tannins. Outstanding producers include Spinifex, Kalleske, Charles Melton and Rusden.
Sources:
The Oxford Companion to Wine, (ed) Jancis Robinson
James Halliday's Wine Atlas of Australia, James Halliday
Australia & New Zealand Complete Book of Wine, Compiled by Len Evans
-
Spinifex Miette Shiraz 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022shirazAustralia349$24.00 As low as $21.60 -
Torbreck Woodcutters Shiraz 2022 375mlMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2020shirazAustralia349$25.00 As low as $22.50 -
First Drop Mothers Milk Shiraz 20212021 was a fine vintage in the Barossa. There is no doubt that this wine will improve but damn it's delicious now. Deep plum and cherry fruits, plenty of spicy depth with hints of licorice, dark chocolate and earth. It's plush yet has crunch and cadence as it races off with memories of maraschino cherries, spice and roasting meats. (94) DAVE BROOKES, Halliday Wine Companion
Barossa and Eden Valley, raised in seasoned French oak. It’s been a while between milks here at TWF, the last one reviewed was the 2017.Dark cherry, blackberry and blueberry, kind of like a pie of those fruits, with a little spicy crust, and gentle tarry earthiness. It’s medium to full-bodied, plenty of juicy dark fruit, a little sage and savoury stuff, supple tannin, and a finish of good length. Vibrant and fruity. Easy to get into. GARY WALSH, The Wine Front
This is really good Barossa shiraz. It has all that Barossa charm with satsuma plumb, sweet blackberry conserve and hints of maraschino cherry too, while staying vibrant and lifted. Plenty of depth and concentration on the pallet and it doesn't shy away from its origins but it does it deftly by remaining light on its feet, cut with fine tannin and that fans out gently into subtle, chocalaty, framing oak. Really well done2021shirazAustralia349$26.00 As low as $23.40 -
Tomfoolery Young Blood Shiraz 2023Inspired by the new wave ‘Vino Joven’ wines of the old world, Young Blood Shiraz is released as a cheeky youngster with just a brief barrel maturation to showcase structure and varietal character, while retaining freshness and finesse. The fruit is open fermented utilising native yeasts, with 30% whole bunch in the mix. After 7 days maceration post-ferment, the wine is gently basket pressed and racked to stainless vats (50%) and old French oak hogsheads (50%) for 6 months maturation. Young Blood Shiraz is pure, uncomplicated enjoyment.
Deep ruby colour with the vibrant pink rim of a fresh young wine. Spicy bramble and black cherry nose with fresh raspberry top notes. Soft damson plum palate with red berry fruit flavours, bright and juicy on a medium bodied elegant palate. Fine tannins and refreshing balancing acidity finish off this easy drinking wine. TOMFOOLERY
2022shirazAustralia349Special Price $26.00 Regular Price $31.00 -
Head Red GSM 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2021Grenache, Mourvedre, shirazAustralia349$29.00 As low as $26.10 -
Chaffey Bros Omnia Nova Syrah 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022shirazAustralia349$30.00 As low as $27.00 -
Torbreck Woodcutters Shiraz 2023More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2023shirazAustralia349$31.00 As low as $27.90 -
Michael Hall Sang de Pigeon Shiraz 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022shirazAustralia349$33.00 As low as $29.70 -
Spinifex Bete Noir 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022shirazAustralia349$41.00 As low as $36.90 -
Spinifex Bete Noir 2021It’s flush with fruit but there’s a meatiness to this and its churned with tannin too, grainy tannin. Charred meats, blackberries and blueberries, a floral element and fist loads of roasted spice. It’s bold but neat, tannic but not at the expense of the overall flow. Excellent gear, this. (94) CAMPBELL MATTINSON, The Wine Front
Deep, bold purple-red colour; aromas of sweet ripe black fruits, blackberry and mulberry, vanilla/chocolate too, the palate full bodied and fruit-sweet at the core, then some astringency comes in thanks to acidity and tannin—but it's all in balance. Plenty happening here. A promising shiraz that will reward patient cellaring. (95) HUON HOOKE, The Real Review
Pete Schell's Bête Noir is a shiraz blended across a selection of Barossan grounds including a portion from the cooler Eden Valley. Typically sporting a super-saturated, magenta-splashed hue with aromas of bright plum, black cherry and blueberry fruits cut with hints of violets, brown spice, ironstone, dark chocolate, smoked meats, cherry confit and earth. Glossy and impressively pure, there's ferrous edge to the tight tannins and an acid line that propels the pure fruit briskly across the palate, finishing elegant yet opulent. (95) DAVE BROOKS, winecompanion.com.au2020shirazAustralia349$41.00 As low as $36.90 -
Alkina Night Sky GSM 2022A great rendition of this wonderful blend. Dark Cherries and plums with spice notes. The fruit is ripe, but very bright and the tightly wound structure opens up beautifully with air. SARA TORRES, PWS SYDNEY2021Mourvedre, shirazAustralia349$55.00 -
Izway Bruce Shiraz 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022shirazAustralia349$56.00 As low as $50.40 -
Quin Wines Barossa Valley Shiraz 2020Shiraz sourced from the 450m elevation, 1982-planted Hampton vineyard on Menglers Hill; destemmed, 10 days on skins and 18 months in older, seasoned French oak. Satsuma plum, blueberry and boysenberry fruit tones are joined by hints of fine spice, sage, violets, softly spoken vanillin oak and earth. The fruit darkens on the palate, tensing before fanning out on the finish with a cascade of dusty, granitic tannin and plenty of Eden Valley drive. Lovely. (95) DAVE BROOKES, James Halliday2020shirazAustralia349$60.00 As low as $54.00 -
Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022shirazAustralia349$61.00 As low as $54.90 -
Michael Hall Flaxman's Eden Valley Syrah 2021Winemaker Michael Hall turns his attention to the Eden Valley, specifically the Naimanya vineyard in the High Eden on the fringe of Flaxman Valley; 30% whole bunches, matured in French oak (10% new) for 20 months. There's a cooler aromatic edge here, blackberry and black cherry pastille vibes with hints of sage, kirsch, brandied fruits, clove-studded glazed ham, liqueur choccies, light tobacco and earth. Solid and broody with some Eden Valley mineral light shining in. DAVE BROOKES, Halliday Wine Companion2021shirazAustralia349$62.00 As low as $55.80 -
Turkey Flat Shiraz 2021More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2021shirazAustralia349$62.00 As low as $55.80 -
Michael Hall Flaxman's Eden Valley Syrah 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2021shirazAustralia349$62.00 As low as $55.80 -
Hentley Farm The Beauty Shiraz 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022shirazAustralia349$74.00 As low as $66.60 -
Teusner Utopos Shiraz 2021More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022shirazAustralia349$83.00 As low as $74.70 -
Izway Harold Shiraz 2023
More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2023shirazAustralia349$95.00 As low as $85.50 -
Seppeltsfield 21 yr old Para 2003
More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2003Shiraz GrenacheAustralia349$100.00 As low as $90.00 -
Glaetzer Amon Ra 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022shirazAustralia349$105.00 As low as $94.50 -
Alkina Old Quarter GSM 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2021Mourvedre, shirazAustralia349$110.00 As low as $99.00 -
Tomfoolery Artful Dodger Shiraz 2019More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2019shirazAustralia349$115.00 As low as $103.50 -
Hentley Farm The Beast Shiraz 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022shirazAustralia349$120.00 As low as $108.00 -
Eisenstone Becker Vineyard Koonunga Shiraz SV907 2021More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2021shirazAustralia349$120.00 As low as $108.00 -
Michael Hall Mount Torrens Adelaide Hills Syrah 2021 1500ml1 AVAIALABLE
A 480m site in Mount Torrens. Loam and clay over quartz and ironstone substrata. Hand picked, 100% whole bunches, fermented spontaneously before maturation in French oak (31% new) for 20 months. While I can sense the dill pickle of the stems, there is such depth of fruit and long-limbed grape tannins that I have no doubt the verdancy will be absorbed in time. Cornas-like. Wild and woolly. Ferrous, bloody, olive pasted and laden with smoky, spiced meats. A very good wine in an embryonic phase. Put this away for five to eight years. (95) NED GOODWIN, Halliday Wine Companion
Ink black core with a deep purple rim. Mulberry, dried woody herbs and black pepper aromatics. Medium to full, dark fruits on entry but this is built as a savoury wine. Curing meat, ironstone, iodine and dark spices with dried woody herbs all meld across the palate, grainy tannins accentuate the depth and it rolls long and dark to the finish. STUART KNOX, The Real Review2021shirazAustralia349$140.00 As low as $126.00 -
Head Wines 'Wilton Hill' Shiraz 2021
More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2021shirazAustralia349$140.00 As low as $126.00 -
Shobbrook Wines Ottantotto 2020More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2020shirazAustralia349$150.00 As low as $135.00 -
Teusner The Righteous Shiraz 2021More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2021shirazAustralia349$155.00 As low as $139.50 -
Torbreck The Factor Shiraz 2021More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2021shirazAustralia349$160.00 As low as $144.00 -
Penfolds Grange 1994Dense red-purple; the typically rich and powerful bouquet has layers of dark berry fruit and integrated and balanced oak. What makes it unusual is the distinct hint of chocolate, which appears again on the silkily powerful palate. Here there is an array of all of the fruit flavours one could possibly expect, but once again that touch of dark Swiss chocolate adding an intriguing note. The oak balance and integration is better than any five-year-old Grange I can remember, the tannins perfectly balanced into the bargain. (97) BURGHOUND1994shirazAustralia349$1,300.00 As low as $1,170.00 -
Barr Eden Dreams of Gold Shiraz 2023More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2023shirazAustralia349$37.00 As low as $33.30