Australia

Rating

98

Release Price

$325

Drink Date

2006 - 2024

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

25th Oct 2004

Source

155, The Wine Advocate

The prodigious 1999 Shiraz Hill of Grace is a magnificent Eden Valley Shiraz, fashioned from vineyard blocks ranging between 52-144 years of age. Its inky/ruby/plum/purple color is followed by a fragrant perfume of black fruits intermixed with underbrush, dried herbs, vanilla, and spring flowers. Full-bodied, magnificently concentrated, pure, and delineated, this gorgeous, still young, compelling Shiraz is another example of a vintage that more and more appears to be underrated. It should hit its prime in 2-4 years, and last 15-20.

Rating

99

Release Price

$100

Drink Date

1998 - 2038

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

26th Jun 1998

Source

117, The Wine Advocate

An Austrian winemaker named Rolf Binder, who is also the winemaker for Veritas, has produced this intriguing wine. It takes winemaking to the extreme, yet manages to pull it off without producing a total freak.. How do you describe a wine such as this? Yields were a minuscule one ton of fruit per acre from 60-year old vines, production was 100 cases, and the wine's alcohol content is a mammoth 16.5%. This wine, which lasted four days in the bottle before I decided to pass the balance through my bowels, displays an opaque black/purple color, and exotic, coffee, chocolate, Asian spice, roast duck, and blackberry and prune liqueur-like aromas. To say the wine is unctuously-textured is an understatement. This wine looks like 10-W-40 motor oil. Very thick and dry, yet remarkably balanced, with fabulous purity, and a finish that goes on for nearly a minute, this spectacular Shiraz will become more civilized with each year of aging. It is the type of wine some Pomerol estates produced in such vintages as 1947, 1949, and 1950, but would not dare to fashion today because modern oenologists refuse to let the grapes become this ripe. A winemaking tour de force, The Malcolm Shiraz should age effortlessly for 40 or more years. 

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

23rd Aug 2003

Source

148, The Wine Advocate

The virtually perfect, limited production (1,000 cases) cuvee of 2002 Shiraz Integrity is a 100% Shiraz fashioned from four specific vineyard blocks (surprisingly young vines of 4-6 years in age). It boasts terrific minerality, structure, definition, and prodigious levels of concentration as well as perfume. An inky/black color is followed by aromas of melted road tar, licorice, Asian spices, sweet creme de cassis as well as blackberries, and a hint of acacia flowers. There is compelling density, great purity, and tremendous viscosity, yet it is not over the top. There is real definition/delineation to this large-scaled Shiraz. It was aged in 100% new American oak for 13 months. A tour de force in winemaking, it stood out as one of the most singular and greatest wines I tasted for this report. Anticipated maturity: now-2012. Two of South Australia’s leading viticulturists/winemakers are undoubtedly husband and wife Sarah and Sparky Marquis. Their goals are common sense ones of “creating fruit weight, velvety sensations, and harvesting on ripeness, not sugar readings.” Perhaps their finest accomplishment has been to prove that high quality wines can be produced at a price point that thrills most wine consumers. P.S. Perhaps another way to think of these wines is that they are XXX-rated stuff. They’re not exactly wines for those wanting finesse, lightness, restraint, or intellectual challenge. These are totally decadent homages to joy and yumminess. Or, as a friend of mine said, they are “fragrantly delicious.”  

Rating

96+

Release Price

$300

Drink Date

2006 - 2026

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

26th Dec 2006

Source

168, The Wine Advocate

A wine of extraordinary intensity, richness, and extract (yields were .5 tons of fruit per acre), the 2004 Shiraz Duck Muck is a totally dry red that tips the scales at 17.5% alcohol. While it pushes the limits of civilized drinking, it is neither pruny nor hot, and should be tasted with an open mind and no hidden agenda (not as easy as one might expect, especially for Eurocentric palates). Inky/purple to the rim with a glorious perfume of crushed rocks, acacia flowers, blueberries, blackberries, creosote, and vanilla, it was aged in 100% new, heavily toasted French and American barrels for two years prior to bottling. It is nearly off the charts in terms of richness and extract. Although not for everybody, for those who are not reactionary in their tastes, it is an amazing wine that will be fascinating to follow over the next two decades.   

Rating

98

Release Price

$325

Drink Date

2010 - 2040

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

31st Oct 2006

Source

167, The Wine Advocate

One of Australia’s most prodigious Syrahs, Clarendon Hills’ 2004 Syrah Astralis is fashioned from vines planted in 1920, and spends time in 100% new French oak from the cooper, Cadus. It boasts off the charts intensity as well as an opaque purple color, and notes of spring flowers, blueberries, blackberries, roasted coffee beans, pepper, smoke, and a hint of sweet toasty oak. This full-bodied, rich, intense, backward Syrah needs 2-3+ hours in the decanter if one is going to approach it at this point in its life. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2040+.  

Rating 100

Drink Date NA

Reviewed by Jay S Miller

Issue Date 22nd Dec 2009

Source 186, The Wine Advocate

The 2004 Chris Ringland Shiraz is from another top vintage. Like the other wines, it spent 42 months in new French oak. Aromas of scorched earth, pencil lead, espresso, black currant and blueberry lead to a dense, complex, youthful wine with layer upon layer of succulent fruit, impeccable balance, and a decade of aging potential. Chris Ringland is a relatively modest bloke who gives most of the credit for his extraordinary wines to his nearly 100 year old vineyard. He now has 21 vintages under his belt the results of which place him with Marcel Guigal, Gerard Chave, Christophe Baron, Manfred Krankl, and Michel Chapoutier as the international grandmasters of Syrah/Shiraz.

The 2007 RWT Shiraz is 100% Barossa Valley Shiraz matured 13 months in French hogsheads, 71% new. Very deep garnet-purple colored, it presents youthfully mute aromas of warm blackberries, stewed plums, kirsch, cedar and cloves with an array of Indian spices opening out with air. In the full-bodied mouth it gives very firm, coarsely grained tannins, very crisp acid and good concentration, finishing long and chewy. It should be more open and approachable after a year or two in bottle, drinking to 2022+. 
 

Rating

96

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2018 - 2038

Reviewed by

 Joe Czerwinski

Issue Date

31st Aug 2018

Source

238, The Wine Advocate

According to Stephen Henschke, the 2008 Hill of Grace Shiraz was among the earlier picks that vintage, avoiding the worst of the heatwave that followed. It was never the most elegant or perfumed vintage, but it's rich and creamy, loaded with mocha and blackberry flavors. Full-bodied and intense, it remains rather big and muscular, with a slightly coarse but tremendously long finish. It could go another 20 years in a cool cellar.

It was a treat to sit down and taste through the new releases with Stephen Henschke, even as the newest generation of this historic Eden Valley family begins to take over more of the daily business routine. The broad range of offerings and release dates here means that there is always something to talk about, whether it's the latest vintage—"2017 was a spectacular year for whites"—or something a bit earlier, like the 2014 vintage, which he described as "longer, later, slower ripening, with a lot of elegance." As part of my effort to look at some of the 2008s at age ten, we also tried the 2008 Hill of Grace, which showed tremendously well, with another two decades ahead of it. Henschke remains a benchmark for Eden Valley.

Rating

92

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2017 - 2020

Reviewed by

 Joe Czerwinski

Issue Date

29th Dec 2017

Source

234, The Wine Advocate

Medium-bodied and frankly a bit broad for the genre, the 2009 Vat 1 Semillon has evolved rapidly. Chris Tyrrell calls it a "softer-acid year," and while it still shows some lemony flavors, it's also moved on into notes of smoke and honey. Drink it over the next few years.

Deep garnet-purple in color and sporting a very forward and expressive, creme de cassis-led nose with hints of dried mint, dark chocolate and cigar boxes plus a whiff of dried herbs following, the full-bodied 2010 Cellar Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a rich, concentrated and classic Barossa Cabernet style shaped by medium to firm, grainy tannins and crisp acid. It finishes very long. 

Rating

99

Release Price

$800

Drink Date

2017 - 2035

Reviewed by

 Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Issue Date

29th Jun 2015

Source

219, The Wine Advocate

Medium garnet in color, the 2010 Shiraz Hill of Grace reveals a slightly reticent yet beguiling nose of kirsch, dried mulberries and plum preserves with nuances of star anise, potpourri, cloves, dusty earth and menthol. Medium to full-bodied with youthfully taut, mouth-filling perfumed berry preserves and exotic spice flavors, the fruit is well framed by rounded, polished tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with incredible length. It could still benefit from 2-4 years in bottle before entering its drinking window but is already stunning.

Rating

96

Release Price

$350

Drink Date

2021 - 2035

Reviewed by

 Joe Czerwinski

Issue Date

14th May 2020

Source

May 2020 Week 2, The Wine Advocate

A blend of 82% Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon and 18% Barossa Shiraz, Yalumba's 2014 The Caley leans heavily toward Cabernet on the nose, boasting scents of mint, cassis and cocoa. In the mouth, the Shiraz helps round out the full-bodied palate and lends a velvety edge to the considerable tannins. This third vintage of Yalumba's new flagship is the most approachable yet, finishing with plush richness, great concentration and admirable length.

“Regal. A great Caley”. 98 points, Nick Stock for James Suckling.

“A stonking cabernet shiraz with great potential - but also marvellous to drink now.” 97 points, Huan Hooke for the real review.

“The beautifully seductive aromatics of the Coonawarra cabernet are evident immediately. That is just the start to a compelling mix of minerally, leafy, cool mint. The palate delivers with that shiraz core providing depth and power to fill out the cabernet.” 98 Points, Ray Jordan.

“This is an impressive wine and an expensive one, clear of purpose, clarity, power, intensity and detail. A benchmark cabernet and shiraz meld.” 96 Points, Ned Goodwin for Halliday Wine Companion.