The wine is medium to full-bodied, not overly big, and the texture is pleasingly smooth and fleshy. Lovely fruit sweetness in the mid-palate. A delicious shiraz, already accessible now, but much better if cellared a while.
96 points, Real Review.
Deeper in colour than the '17, the starting point of consistent aromas and flavours. Blackberry, licorice and pepper tumble merrily across the palate, framed by fine-grained tannins and oak that provide the structure to support the fruit extravaganza.
97 points, Wine Companion (July 2019)
An elegant and redder-fruited edition from 2016. This has some very sappy and foresty aromas with dried leaves, wild herbs, wild flowers and an array of spices and pepper-dusted red berries. The palate has a smooth web of gently grainy tannins, holding long into the finish. Bright and sweet red plums and cherries abound. Give this some time and try from 2022.
95 points, JamesSuckling.com (June 2018)
Beechworth
Located in the foothills of the Victorian Alps, Beechworth is a small cool climate region with high continentality. The vineyards enjoy a large number of sunshine hours and are generally planted at altitudes of 400m. A variety of soil types are found with the two dominant ones being ancient sandstone gravel and clay and granitic loams over decomposed gravels and clays. While north or north-easterly slopes are generally favoured, the best sites are located away from higher altitude, cold-air drainage channels, with the risk of frost high in both spring and autumn. Restricted water availability means most vineyards are dry-grown. A region of small boutique producers, Beechworth is best known for premium Chardonnay, Shiraz and Pinot Noir, although plantings of Italian varieties including Sangiovese and Nebbiolo also show great promise.
