Deep, youthful red colour in the glass. Pretty, lifted, perfumed aromas of musk, geranium, dark cherry, dried herbs, dark chocolate and spice. Full-flavoured, mulberry, blackberry, blood plum, mocha, spice and a menthol edge. The tannins have a fabulous minerally texture and mouth-feel and there's a lightness and brightness to the palate—nothing heavy or clunky here.

96 points, The Real Review (March 2022)

A sumptuous wine that manages to hold its cards of spice and flamboyant fruits close to a chest of riches. Unirrigated blocks contribute. 50% of the cuve was crushed to open-tops, resplendent with 20% whole bunches; 20 days on skins, extended time on lees and élévage in both new and used puncheons, before a blending of the best to a foudre and concrete egg. This sits on a diplomatic cushion between the Rhône-inflected contemporary styles that splay pepper, clove and blue fruits about the mouth, and a richer, more lustrous regional note. The tannins etch the cheeks and wind down the side of the tongue, keeping to the path of righteousness. Fine indeed.

95 points, Wine Companion (February 2022)

Named after the road where the vineyard is located in McLaren Vale, the various blocks which provide the grapes for this wine were planted between 1971 and 2002. Unirrigated, the grapes are hand-harvested and the yields are seriously low. 30% destemmed, 20% whole bunch and the remainder crushed to open top fermenters, the wine spent around 20 days on skins, before being drained directly to barrels – 1/3rd new French oak puncheons with the lees, the rest one or two years of age, for ten months. After blending, the wine was returned to older foudre and a concrete egg for a further 8 months. The result is a wine which is opaque purple. We have deep perfumes here; plums, chocolate, mocha and mulberries. There is nicely integrated oak and we see the arrival of blueberry notes. This is utterly delicious. Seamless on the palate, nicely balanced, through to plush tannins. There is great length to be found in this wine. Youthful but already a joy to drink, ten years if needed. Love it.

96 points, Wine Pilot (July 2022)

Spice, paprika and pepper, blue and black fruits, meaty and more than a little nutty. It’s meaty and savoury, dried herbs, some aniseed perfume, a fine chalky chew to tannin, a little vanilla/cedar oak, a whole lot of dry spices, and black olive, with fresh acidity and a saline and pepper-laced finish of excellent length. Slightly baked in flavour profile, but convincing all the same.

93 points, The Wine Front (August 2022)

This 2020 Brooks Road Shiraz is littered with rendered lamb fat, BBQ char, clove bud and licorice on the nose. In the mouth, the wine is defined by red fruit, and it is savory and fine. This is not at all a big wine. It is medium-bodied and carries its fruit and freshness well. Much of this cuvée is from the 1971 plantings outside the house I am sitting in right now (in Clarendon). Saline acidity curves through the fruit, and the tannins shape the course of the finish. Lovely wine. Classy. (The plus sign in the score relates to the fact that I am sitting here also tasting the 2014 alongside, and if anything, it's a better wine, as it has gained momentum in the spice and character department; so, it follows that this wine will only improve in time.)

94+ points, Wine Advocate (September 2022)

Aromas of crushed plums, blackberries, ground clove and grilled rosemary. Forest. Mushroom. Bark. Leafy. Full-bodied with slightly chewy tannins. Lovely density and concentration here with the fruit remaining fresh and succulent throughout. Subtle, but complex spice and herbs as well. Delicious. Best after 2025. Screw cap.

94 points, JamesSuckling.com (November 2022)

A deep color in the glass. The 2020 Shiraz Brooks Road is a decadent and bold expression of McLaren Vale, delivering charcoal and sweet blackberry aromas, plus an attractive eucalypt lift with a rich seam of vanilla oak. A firm and punchy palate follows, with intense sweet fruits and peaty complexity. A rich core of tannins offers support and provides significant aging potential.

94 points, Vinous (February 2023)