-
95
/ 100
Mike Bennie -
95
/ 100
Gary Walsh -
95
/ 100
James Suckling -
95
/ 100
James Halliday's Wine Companion
Red
Classification
Shiraz
Variety
2019
Vintage
750ml (Bottle)
Bottle Size
Australia
Country
New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Region
13.5%
Alcohol %
15 Plus Years
Cellaring
Scores
95 / 100"Tasted in the Hunter Valley, blind, in a bracket of 94 2019 vintage wines. No drinking windows entered. That seductive purple Hunter shiraz colour right here. Fine web of tannin the main feature, so gossamer and strict but allows dark berry fruitiness, earthy characters, new leather and dried herb to roll around the palate deliciously. Shy perfume but what’s there is beautiful. This is a fantastic, tense, seductive red."
- Mike Bennie
95 / 100
"There’s so much to be said for not flooding Hunter Shiraz with small format oak. The best wines from this region don’t use it. And add to that, crazy acid additions.It’s very Vat 9. Boysenberry, vanilla and floral perfume, classic smooth ride of ripe red fruits, slightly sticky tannin, medium-bodied at most, fresh and lively, yet still that regal carriage of richness, good length with a lick of tannin to close it out. So charming and effortless."
- Gary Walsh
95 / 100
"Impressive intensity here, this has very expressive red-cherry, red-plum, chocolate and spice notes in a very primary, pure mode. The palate offers a fresh red-fruit core, some darker notes, too, and attractive freshness, which is a hallmark of the best 2019 wines. Right on form here."
- James Suckling
95 / 100
"A reversion to delicacy. An homage to a noble past of sappy, savoury Hunter Burgundy, as it was once known. With this, there has been an adoption of larger-format oak, less agitation, and with that, superior tannin management. The result, sappy, floral, detailed and dangerously drinkable. Violet, dark cherry, clove, licorice straps and a sachet of spice. Yet the texture is the totem. And it is sumptuous. NGMW"
- James Halliday's Wine Companion
Tasting Notes
Vat 9 Shiraz is sourced from the oldest and best blocks on the Tyrrell Estate ‘Ashmans’, where the
oldest vines date back to 1892. The majority of the blend is made from fruit from the Weinkeller and Short Flat vineyards. All of these blocks feature soils that are ideal for growing super-premium Shiraz.
The 2019 vintage in the Hunter Valley was another high quality year across all varieties and is a
stellar follow up to 2018. Continued dry conditions meant cropping levels were slightly lower than
normal however, all of the fruit was in perfect condition.
Tasting Profile
- Light
- Full
- Low Tannin
- Tannic
- Sweet
- Dry
- Low Acidity
- High Acidity
- Smooth
- Complex