RED WINES

Single Vineyard Eden Valley Shiraz (Fechner Vineyard, Moculta).

ELIJAH 2015, 2016, 2019:

At the tasting on 4th June 2026, this one was a tough battle and both Dan and Huon found it hard to choose a favourite of the three vintages...

the inaugural 2015 vintage was again a revelation, showing freshness and balance, seemingly aging in slow motion...

Huon was struck by the complexity of the 2016 and how time in bottle has taken this vintage next level, now amongst the best.

A super-lifted nose of choc-mint, cedar, eucalypt, and musk leads to a complex and vibrant palate packed with blueberry jam, satsuma plum, blackcurrant, chocolate, roasted chicory root and spice. Perfect drinking now with a medium-rare steak.

The 2019 was again a showstopper, only more time will tell how far this vintage can go and if it will eventually top them all!

12 years ago we began our search for a truly iconic Barossa Shiraz vineyard. The quest lead us to discover the depths of riches of the Fechner Family’s vineyard and our experiment became ELIJAH in vintage 2015. Hailing from the revered Fechner brothers’ Moculta vineyard in the Northern Eden Valley. Elijah is a powerful wine incorporating new French oak from France’s oldest family cooperage, Leroi.

Winemakers: Daniel Chaffey Hartwig + Theo Engela
Varietal: Shiraz
Alc: 14.8%
Region: Eden Valley
pH: 3.59
Acidity: 5.9
Bottle size: 750 mL

2020
SILVER - 2023 Decanter Wine Awards, UK 

GOLD - 2022 Barossa Wine Show 

GOLD - 2022 Syrah du Monde, France

SILVER - 2022 Decanter Wine Awards, UK

SILVER - 2022 Melbourne International Wine Competition

95pts "Deep colour and a meaty/spicy/toasty and roast meat bouquet that is quite complex already. Some floral and regional dried herb notes, hinting at thyme and oregano. The wine is full bodied and concentrated, with ample firm tannins supplying structure and ageing potential. A serious red with loads of character." - Huon Hooke, The Real Review

94pts "Deep, purple-splashed crimson with notes of dark blackberry and ripe dark plums. Hints of baking spices, sage, black pepper, cassis, dark chocolate and graphite. There's a cassis-like richness to the fruit flow, densely packed granitic tannins and a chocolatey tide on the deep, black-fruited finish" - Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion

93pts "Deep crimson. Fresh and complex wine with intense mulberry dark chocolate, mocha aromas. Concentrated mulberry, blackberry jam flavours, fine chocolaty / cedar tannins and layered mocha/ vanilla notes. Finishes grippy firm with very good length. Now-2030." - The Vintage Journal

92pts "A delicious and bright syrah with purple fruits, subtle black pepper and some dried flowers. Medium body. Fine tannins and a medium fruity finish." - James Suckling

2019

SILVER - 2022 Decanter World Wine Awards

95pts "Really youthful, deep and dark in the glass. Intense aromatics of blood plum, dark chocolate, vanilla bean, licorice, bouquet garni and Asian spice. The palate is opulently flavoured: really dark, plummy fruits, blackberries, chocolate, and layered. There's some lovely oak that plays it part as well. There's plenty going on in this wine: it is decadently flavoured, but the tannins and acidity do their thing and make sure the fruit behaves" - Aaron Brasher, The Real Review

95pts "Flagship wine from the higher Eden Valley, Polished and dark, Blackberry, clack cherry, sandalwood, incense smoke with vanila bean paste and mushroom fin earthiness." - Regan Drew, Wine Words

94pts "…this release is a ripper. It’s big and throaty but it’s creamy smooth too; it has both grain and slip, its inherent, grunty tannin  rolling through asphalt, blackberry, gum leaf and toast. It’s both big on flavour and big on quality. This has been pushed to its limits, and has noticeable warm alcohol to show for it, but it remains complete and convincing." - Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front

SILVER - 2022 Decanter Wine Awards

SILVER - 2021 International Wine Challenge (London) "Ripe, intense blackberry fruit, a rich mouthful of ripe tannins and super-concentrated fruit. Spicy oak, very full-bodied with a powerful finish." 

SILVER - 2022 Sommeliers Choice Awards

2018
SILVER Syrah du Monde (France)

2016
GOLD - 95pts International Wine Challenge (London) "Youthful with smoke and black fruit. Dark, intense, concentrated, velvety tannins. Soft-toned with notes of spice, blackfruit and dark cherry."

94pts "Inky, deep and dark red of blackcurrant fruit, booze-soaked berries, walnut whiffs and sweet spice. Lavish, lush texture, rolls around the palate nicely, lingers for what seems forever and has all that hustle of a big red wrapped in a velvety cloak of goodness. One for the big red lovers, but those who know the tightrope walk of flavour, freshness and winemaking balance" - Mike Bennie for WBM

93pts "This takes a bold, dark and rich stance on the nose and palate with chocolate, dark-plum and graphite aromas, leading to a ripe dark-berry core that is framed in long, supple and even tannins." - James Suckling 

92/100 "Deep, dark red colour with purple and black tinges. The bouquet is high-toned - as in volatile acidity (VA) and/or lifted alcohol, while it's full-bodied and dense, with a lot of tannin and chew and loads of grunt. A big wine. The VA is not a problem except for purists and technocrats and it would respond well to extended cellaring." - Huon Hooke

2015
96pts "Deep colour and a rich, complex, earthy bouquet which features smoky, char-oak and other savoury nuances. There is terrific flavour here and excellent depth and weight. The wine is balanced and stylish, with savoury and fruit-sweet elements perfectly balanced. Black plums and savoury notes. The finish lingers on and on. A stylish and individual style of shiraz, and a gorgeous drink." - Huon Hooke 

 

Winemakers: Daniel Chaffey Hartwig + Theo Engela + Huon Fechner
Varietal: Syrah
Region: Eden Valley
Alc/Vol: 13.9%
pH: 3.5
Acidity: 5.9 
Bottle size: 750 mL

2023 ~ NEW RELEASE

GOLD MEDAL ON DEBUT "Rich, full-bodied wine with dark damson, cassis, and menthol notes, balanced tannins, fresh acidity, and a long, poised finish" - London International Wine Competition 2026

SILVER MEDAL ~ Syrah Du Monde, Paris, France

93pts "Bright plummy red in the glass. There's really pretty and lifted aromas of blueberry, pot-pourri, dried herbs, sarsaparilla, fruit pastille, white pepper, sweet oak and spice. Fleshy, blue fruited, tangy satsuma plum and cool fruited, with a cool menthol edge and a decent lick of shapely tannin. The acidity is perky and snappy and the length is impressive" - Aaron Brasher, The Real Review

 "Medium-deep crimson in the glass. Aromas of blackberry, blueberry and damson plum with hints of crushed herbs, sarsaparilla, dark chocolate, peppercorn, barrel spice, choc-mint and earth. Fruit-pure and layered with spice and a light herbal nuance, pillowy tannins, bright cherry-skin acidity and a medium-length finish." - Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion

 "Spicy and floral aromas of dark cherries, violets, blackcurrants, coffee beans and Asian spices. The palate is plush and rounded, with silky tannins and a tactile texture. A classic Eden with lift and perfume. Delicious." - James Suckling

2022
95pts & 5 stars "The wine combines richness with elegance, showing perfumed aromas of blackberry, dried herb, cured meat, clove, and nutmeg. The palate offers excellent weight, a plump mouthfeel, and a silky texture, wonderfully framed by layers of fine-grained tannins, making it robust with a long, satisfying finish. At its best: now to 2037." - The Wine Orbit, Sam Kim

94pts "Single vineyard; 15% whole bunch, 15% new French oak. Pure, plummy fruits with some blueberry lift and hints of five-spice, sage, citrus blossom, blueberry pie, peppercorn, vanillin oak and panforte. It's a lovely contemporary Eden Valley shiraz this. Expressive and finely structured with a real pep to its travel across the palate." - Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion

94pts"A rich, silky textured Syrah draped in fleshy dark fruit. Deep black dark red colour with a dark red hue. Lifted dark plum and liquorice aromas subtlety infused with clove are trailed by some smoked meat, dried herb and peppered earth notes. Medium to full bodied, the rich, silky textured palate is draped with fleshy dark plum and liquorice fruits which meld into a scorched earth, dried herb and peppered meat back drop. Velvet smooth tannins concluding long, savoury and succulent." - Nick's Wine Merchants

93pts "There was me thinking that we had a wine named in tribute to The Band and that great song of theirs, 'Evangeline" (anyone who has not seen The Last Waltz - surely the greatest concert film of all time - needs to move it top of their bucket list immediately). Apparently not so. Rather, it is a biblical reference to salvation. Well, The Band did play with Dylan for so many years, so perhaps we are somewhere halfway. However one wants to interpret this, it is a heavenly red. And it has a serious pedigree, with the previous vintage winning Decanter Magazine's Best in Show. 490 dozen. This is a vibrant magenta colour with a rather savoury nose. There are earthy notes, along with black fruits, leather, beef stock, soy and cloves. Seamless in style with fine acidity and satiny tannins, there is impressive length. Good intensity throughout and yet it retains a degree of elegance, this is a wine with a very promising future. It should provide pleasure for the best part of a decade. Drink now-2034." The Vintage Journal

2021
"BEST IN SHOW" DECANTER WORLD WINE AWARDS 2024 - TOP 50 WINES OF THE WORLD - WORLD'S BEST SYRAH/SHIRAZ 

97pts “This is only the second Eden Valley Shiraz to fight its way to our Best In Show selection, and its emphatic, show-stopping character underlines how well this slightly higher-altitude zone is suited to South Australia’s favourite red variety. The wine’s opaque black-red colour tells us that generosity is on the menu, and the first sniff shows that not only is its black cherry and plum fruit prodigiously aromatic, but also that the wine has had more than a year in oak. The plunging fruit – blackberry and blackcurrant – dominates the palate with the oak providing a little extra upholstery; and there’s a haunting citrus and lavender perfume on the palate, too, which does as much to structure the wine as the ample, gentle tannins and the curranty acidity. It’s an enjoyable and stylish wine which won’t require a long wait”

95pts "Smoky complexities to sniff, a mixture of smoked charcuterie/spicy cool-climate fruit and charry oak, nice rich fruit in there. Very appealing wine; fleshy and concentrated but elegant." Huon Hooke, The Real Review

Top 100 Reds 2024 - Ray Jordan

Featured in Halliday's 2024 Cellaring Selections
"Single-vineyard Eden Valley Syrah sourced from the Noack family property in Springton at 410m elevation. Plummy and pure with layers of spice, sage, liquorice, blueberry pie, violets, pepper, vanillin oak and merest whiff of mint. There is a graceful air to the fruit passage across the palate, tannins, fine but tensing on the mid-palate with a purple floral flourish on the exit." - Dave Brookes, Halliday

2020
94pts + SILVER - Abundant ripe plums and summer berry fruits, cut through with fine spice, blueberries with a whiff of vanilla and subtle, sexy French oak. There's a lovely fruit flow, some nice cool-climate crunch and a cascade of fine tannin for support. A lot to like here." - Dave Brooks, Halliday Wine Companion

SILVER - 2023 Decanter World Wine Awards

SILVER - 2022 Decanter World Wine Awards

93pts "Lifted, vibrant, youthful, ripe, so pure and bright. Ripe berry fruit flavours with a touch of spice. This wine has layers of complexity with savoury nuances. Will improve with time." - Decanter Wine Magazine

93pts "Serious and cool EV Shiraz. Soaking plums, darker cassis, pencilly and vanilla oak influence (in a good way), cracked peppercorns and just a little leafy kitchen herb. Mid to full bodied with lovely flow and glide to the palate. Peering focus, narrowed eye slits drawing on purple and red fruits, nuanced with cool pepper and neatly etched tannins. Calm and serene" - Regan Drew, Vino Notebook

91pts "This has aromas of dried violets, blackcurrants, cracked pepper and sage. Fresh and bright with savory and peppery layers. Medium-bodied. All nicely wrapped up in firm, fine tannins." - James Suckling

91pts "Five years old and enjoying that moment where some bottle development and age is starting to reveal itself. Savoury earth and leather notes move in tandem with dark plum, blue fruits, and spice-filled aromas. The palate is svelte yet plush with good structure in place, something to build a future on. A different expression of Shiraz, hence, the choice of Syrah as a descriptor with red and blue fruits, dark stewed plums, earth, chocolate and spice finishing tight and firm with distinctive Aussie bush, black pepper notes that lift the wine, adding to its inviting charm." - Jeni Port, Winepilot (2025)

2019
GOLD MEDAL + 95pts "A modern style of shiraz with ripe but not overripe fruit with high quality oak given just enough opportunity to make its point without dominating the argument. The fruit here is dense blues and blacks, with suggestions of vanilla and cedar. It is finished with beautifully fine, ripe tannins." - Royal Adelaide Wine Show

SILVER - 2022 Sommeliers Choice Awards

93pts "It’s always good, always reliable. This 2019 release is as good as any previous, maybe even better. It’s just so juicy. Just so perfumed. Just so enjoyable. Blueberry, boysenberry, plum and clove notes meet mint, sweet spice and woodsmoke. There’s a clear jellied/jubey aspect but there’s also a good reach of tannin, with the length to match. It’s both warm and fresh-faced at once; it’s in excellent order." - Campbell Mattison, The Wine Front

91/100 "Aromas of blue fruits, red cherry, spice and a cool menthol lift. Flavours are mid to full-bodied, the fleshy, generous blueberry and dark cherry fruit flavours are round and layered, with plenty of tannin and acid-derived structure. A well-made, soft, juicy, round and very drinkable wine." - Aaron Brasher, The Real Review

92pts "A very dark, dense colour, the nose shows lots of spice and white pepper, some quite exotic fruit and floral notes but pure and ripe blackberry and blueberry dominates. The gentle toast of the oak comes through on nose and palate, in a wine where a smooth but savoury fruit stays pliable and fresh across the mid-palate. The finish has fresh acids, very tight tannins, the oak again adding some toast in the finish" - Tom Cannavan's Wine Pages

“A lovely dark fruit character with a herbal edge to it, like a peppery gunpowder note. Gravelly tannins, a touch of sweet pastry, vanilla, nice and long, with a warmth, but the alcohol doesn’t sit outside the frame of the wine.” - Mark Pygott MW

2018
92 pts "Spice, liquorice, black fruit, sage and mint. Medium-bodied, red and black fruit, fresh, light tannin, lively, good finish. Easy to like. Affable and regional." - Gary Walsh, The Wine Front

2016
95/100 "Fresh plum, dry spice and dried banana-like aromas, fruit-driven and fresh, with some Rhône-ish notes. The palate has linearity and fleshy concentration, with ample soft tannins and refreshing acidity. A very appealing wine, the texture being a highlight. It drinks superbly already." - Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine, Huon Hooke