SUPERBAROSSA* Cabernet + Shiraz 2021

2021

94pts "Deep garnet with excellent colour density. The aroma shows concentrated blackcurrant, plum and mocha with hints of dried herbs and spice. The palate is structured and composed, delivering dark fruit intensity supported by firm tannins and integrated oak. There is impressive depth through the mid-palate. A subtle graphite edge and firm structural line suggest this vintage will reward patient cellaring. The finish is long and authoritative. It reflects a classic Barossa style with layered complexity." - Vinomasters

93pts "The classic Aussie blend from a classic vintage, equals one rollicking, good time kind of wine. Combines old vines sourced from the Rohrlach Vineyard at Dorrien with some nicely integrated oak – 18 months in French hogsheads – and the effect is one smart charmer of a four-year-old. It’s got a big future ahead of it. Super expressive from the first sniff of dark plums, blackberry and blue fruits and a heady collection of baking spices. Cabernet brings a touch of class with its herbals, briar and blackcurrant, not to mention those striking fine, supple tannins. Shiraz fills the middle with its sweet fruit presence, blackcurrant pastille notes and overall generosity. It’s a lovely marriage and the best part? Every time you return to the glass you note something different – the violet aromatics, that touch of bitter dark chocolate, that hint of Barossa earth and touch of leaf" - Jeni Port, Winepilot

93pts "The classic 'Aussie luncheon claret' blend of cabernet sauvignon and shiraz from the old vines of the Rohrlach vineyard in Dorrien. Deep crimson in colour with aromas of plush blackberry, macerated plum and black cherry compote cut with hints of baking spices, licorice, dark chocolate, violets, cedar and earth. Plump black fruits on the palate, super tight, chalky tannins, bright acidity and a créme de cassis-like feel on the way out, rich and mouth-filling" - Dave Brookes, James Halliday Wine Companion

93pts "Deep crimson. Restrained fragrant bouquet of red- and blackcurrant, blackcurrant leaf, and white pepper. Bright, fruit forward and juicy. Lovely buoyancy and energy, good freshness and vibrant blackberry fruit. Tannins are polished and well-integrated. Excellent balance" - The Vintage Journal (Barossa Wine Guide)

92pts - Angus Hughson, Vinous

91pts "Opaque purple with an ermine rim. Fleshy nose: Choc mint, turned earth, blackcurrant (and blackberry on the pull-away), a hint of cooling mint with camphor, licorice, blood plum, graphite and a little sweet oak. Sapid and initially flowing with generosity before a neat hall runner of velvety tannins. There’s a fine tartness that ensures balance to the flesh. Enjoyable drinking now." - Regan Drew, Vinonotebook

2020

92pts "A Barossa Cabernet Shiraz in full voice combining the ripe and the juicy with some attractive savouriness. No one grape dominates the blend, this is a 50-50 partnership, but in taste there seems to be just a little more obvious Shiraz sweet generosity, especially across the middle palate. While it may not be the most complex, it does lay everything out before you, open and inviting, in black fruits, plum, briar, earth, leather (imagine sitting in a comfy old leather lounge) fuelled by coffee, mocha oak notes. It offers a lovely, big mouthful of Barossa typicity. The black pastille moment on the finish is just so delicious. Museum release" - Jeni Port, Winepilot

92/100 "Ermine purple with bright rim. Choc/mocha, pink salt, blood plum, cabbage rose heart, big day old raspberries, cassis to blackberry and even some fresh bay leaf aromatics. Feels Cabernet dominant (even with the even split) with tight, fine, velvety tannins and a herbaceous (but not green) echo. Plenty of ripe dark fruit flesh to satisfy those seeking opulence rather than anemia. Maybe could even do a couple of years in the cellar" - Regan Drew, Vinonotebook

91pts "The classic Aussie blend: 50/50% shiraz/cabernet sauvignon from Dorrien in the central Barossa Valley. Deep crimson with vibrant fruit tones of blackberry, dark cherry, blood plum and some lighter blackcurrant pastille notes. Plenty of spicy depth with hints of licorice, dark chocolate, fruitcake, earth and graphite. Plenty of fruit depth with some herbs flowing in on the palate, Velvety, rich and opulent with a powdery tannin grip and a black-fruited finish" - Dave Brookes, James Halliday Wine Companion

90/100 "Dark ruby with a touch of fade into the rim. Cassis, bay leaf and iodine aromatics. Dark and weighty black fruits that fills the mouth with a rich velvet tannin profile that keeps it gliding long into the finish. There's a deft touch here" - Stuart Knox, The Real Review

2018

93/100 "Very deep red/purple colour, with a rose-petal overtone to the crushed blackberry and mulberry fruit aromas. Very attractive. Cabernet shows through, here. Concentrated and plush but light on its feet: a delicious red wine, already drinking nicely." - Huon Hooke, The Real Review

2016

95/100 "Very deep purple/red colour, with an intensely spicy aroma which reveals a lot of char-oak notes. The flavour is full and rich, concentrated, fruit-sweet and well-rounded, with some alcohol warmth and a punchy finish. A real mouthful of deliciousness." - Huon Hooke

2015

91pts "Big-ish wine but it remembers its manners. Blackcurrant, sweet plum, boysenberry and coffee-cream flavours. There’s plenty to hook into here. Oak lends the wine a slippery smoothness; cabernet contributes fruit but also dust-like notes and a certain stringiness to the tannin. Shiraz helps sweeten and plump it all out. It doesn’t quite feel cohesive but it’s young." - Campbell Mattinson, Wine Front

91/100 "Raw with fruit and oak but generous of both. Coffee-cream, blackberry and sweet plum flavours jumble their way through the palate. It doesn't feel seamless but there's plenty here to latch onto." - Campbell Mattinson, Halliday

93/100 "Good depth and hue of colour, with a lifted ginger spice aroma, which includes some eucalytpus mint. The wine is intense and sull in the mouth, firm and elegant and showing the cabernet influence in structure as much as flavour. There's abundant fruit sweetness in the mid-palate followed by drying tannins and a clean, persistent finish. A very smart blend." - Huon Hooke, The Real Review

2014

GOLD Medal - Great Australian Red

2013

94/100 "Stern but flavoursome. Strings of smoky, minerally tannin are visible throughout, yet the drama of the fruit still plays to good effect. Blueberry, coffee, blackberry and violet-like notes. It lifts and expands as it breathes in the glass/bottle; a stint in the decanter does it no harm." - Halliday