"Average vine age 88 years, hand-picked, a combination of open and tank fermentation, some whole bunches included, matured in French oak. A masterpiece created from ancient vines and the continuing skilled winemaking team at St Hallett. This is elegance of the highest degree, with medium-bodied, supple red and black fruits flowing along the prodigiously long palate and aftertaste, the use of French oak the key."
Drink by 2039
It’s rich, bright and firm all at once. It’s a prime candidate for the cellar but it can certainly be enjoyed now. Dense blackberry, bright boysenberry, redcurrant and coffee grounds, aniseed and earth. It pours it all on in a measured way, everything progressing logically and well. Meticulous, immaculate, powerful and long. It’s Old Block in a very good place.
95 points, Campbell Mattinson (April 2018)
Colonel William Light, the South Australian colony’s Surveyor-General, named the Barossa in 1837 after the site of an English victory over the French in the Spanish Peninsular War. In the mid-1800’s Silesian and English immigrants settled in the area. The Barossa itself comprises two distinct sub-regions: Eden Valley and the warmer Barossa Valley floor at 270m.The Barossa Valley enjoys a warm Mediterranean climate characterised by hot dry summers and relatively low rainfall. Cool sea breezes from the Gulf of St Vincent modify the temperature, however hot northerly winds can occasionally dominate creating considerable vine stress. Many older established vineyards are dry-grown, but supplementary irrigation is also extensively used. The valley is comprised of rich brown soils and alluvial sands. A long history of uninterrupted viticulture in the area means the Barossa valley is home to Australia’s largest concentration of old-vine Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre with many over 100 years old. Although most famous for Shiraz, the Barossa can also produce fragrant and deliciously fruity Grenache blends and beautifully rich, chocolatey Cabernet Sauvignons.
The Lindner Family established St Hallett in the heart of the Barossa Valley near Tanunda in 1944. After a relatively sleepy beginning producing fortified wines, the winery restructured its ownership. The rumbustious pioneering energy of Barossa legend Bob McLean during the 1980s and 1990s saw an extraordinary metamorphosis. Stuart Blackwell, St Hallett’s winemaker since 1972 oversaw the development of Langton's Classified 'Excellent' St Hallet Old Block Shiraz, perhaps one of the most successful ultra-fine Barossa Shirazes and an early cult-type wine. Alongside Old Block, St Hallett makes a range of wines that consistently over-deliver including the classic reserve style Blackwell Shiraz.
