A blend of different vine ages here: two Central Eden Valley vineyards at 80-plus and 60-plus years respectively and a 50-plus year block in Moculta; destemmed and aged in 60% new French oak hogsheads for 18 months. Deep crimson in the glass, this is an intensely perfumed wine with notes of violet and jasmine over a base of plush blackberry and dark cherry fruits. Plentiful deep spices and hints of wild herbs, licorice and crème de cassis. Fine, tight tannin, bright acidity and a finish that shows notes of cedar, blackberry jam and black fruit pastilles.
93 points Dave Brookes winecompanion.com.au
Corey Ryan and Simon Cowham both learnt and refined their skills in the vineyards and cellars of Eden Valley. Corey is a trained oenologist with over 20 vintages under his belt, having cut his teeth as a winemaker at Henschke. Thereafter he worked for Rouge Homme and Penfolds in Coonawarra, backed up by winemaking stints in the Rhone Valley, and in 2002 he took the opportunity to work in NZ for Villa Maria Estates. In '07 he won the Institute of Masters of Wine scholarship. Simon has had a similarly international career, covering such diverse organisations as Oddbins, UK and the Winemakers' Federation of Australia. Switching from the business side to grapegrowing when he qualified as a viticulturist, he worked for Yalumba as technical manager of the Heggies and Pewsey Vale vineyards. With this background, it comes as no surprise to find that the estate-grown wines are of outstanding quality, nor that in '13 they were awarded the title of Barossa Winemaker of the Year by the Barons of Barossa.
Deep garnet in colour displaying perfumed red-cherry fruits, dried herb and complex white-pepper aromas. A richly concentrated, rounded palate with lovely mid-palate flesh, finishing with excellent focus and precision. From an outstanding vintage for old vine Shiraz, this wine will age gracefully for many years to come.
