This is of a bouncier feel than is usual for this cuvee, optimally ripe and threaded with a fine needle of the pepper and ground spice that mark fine, cool climate Australian shiraz. Star anise and clove waft across a wave of dark cherry and blue fruited allusions, all. Gently aromatic, with 2% of viognier in the blend, the wine is medium-bodied, uncoiling its multitude of layers with time in the glass. The finish is granitic crunchy, firm, long and soothing, with the tannins and spice sheathing and guiding the fruit, but never drying it out.
95 points, Wine Companion (March 2017)
This is a wine of seamless elegance. I’m tasting it as a seven year old, the wine that is, and while there’s development here it feels wonderfully prime. Cherries, leathers, florals, mints and orange-like characters make for a lifted, lively, lovely wine drinking experience. This is medium-weight and just starting to mellow, in the best of ways.
94 points, The Wine Front (March 2022)
A beautiful shiraz: rich, deep, ripe and concentrated - within the elegant Canberra paradigm. Dense, full-bodied palate. Bright berries and mint, deep and plush, with fleshy extract aplenty and supple tannins providing a rounded mouth-feel. Already a delicious drink. (13.0% alc.)
95 points, The Real Review (April 2016)
A weapon of mass seduction, this is a very smooth wine in every respect. The complexity is deeply integrated, wrapped around a heart of black-cherry and plum-fruit aromas and flavors. There's an edge of graphite here as well as earthy, spicy and lightly dusted notes that are bathed in pepper. The texture is the thing though. Polished, playful and delicious. Drink now and for 6+ years. Great wine.
96 points, JamesSuckling.com (January 2017)
Canberra District
Vines were first planted in the Canberra District in 1971 near Lake George by Dr Edgar Riek. The district is roughly divided into two areas, one in the Yass Valley around Murrumbateman and the other around Lake George and Bungendore. Canberra District has a cool continental climate with hot dry summers necessitating irrigation. A region of rolling hills, with elevations varying between 300 and 800 metres, means that spring frost is a real hazard, making site selection crucial. Small producers dominate the region, making handcrafted, high-quality wines particularly from Riesling, Viognier, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz.
