2021 Head The Contrarian Shiraz

15% OFF AT CHECKOUT Highly Rated
The black sheep of the Head Wines family. A spicy, European-influenced take of Barossa Shiraz.

Price:
Sale price$35.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship
Rendering loop-subscriptions

Description

The Contrarian Shiraz is a chance for Alex Head to spread his wings and explore his home region in South Australia, and this is one of the best releases of this wine to date.

Offering excellent value for both the intermediate and serious collector, The Contrarian can be enjoyed now or in a decade plus.

It's a spicier, more 'European' style of Shiraz from Alex, and one that's garnered quite a cult-following over the years. The influence of whole bunch ferment making itself known in the structure and savouriness of the wine. Top buying here for any Barossa Shiraz fan.

Each vintage I like to express the Barossa in a contrary manner. ‘The Contrarian' is my indulgent, creative winemaking outlet and challenges traditional concepts around Barossan Shiraz. We source Shiraz from vineyards in the Eden Valley which develop flavour at lower than usual alcohols and show ripeness in their stems too. We love what we see in this expression of the Barossa and feel it is a style worthy of your table.

Region: Barossa Valley, SA
Blend: Shiraz (100%)
ABV: 14.20%
Closure: 750ml
Bottle Size:
Production:

94 Points - "Perfumed, dark red fruits, spice, a smattering of sage and mint. Medium-bodied, supple and juicy, a subtle blood orange flavour in the mix, fresh and lively, with a bright crushed berry aftertaste, and fine sooty tannin grip. Lovely. All just so." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

95 Points - "This is an intense and heirloom-style shiraz with blackberry, black mushroom, spice, bark, and a dark earth character. Full-bodied with chewy tannins and a tight, focused finish. Mushroom skin and fruit, yet a subdued ending. Give it time to open. Drink after 2024 for it to soften" - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points - "Deep, bright red-purple hue, the bouquet reserved and earthy/pepper/spicy, the wine is intense in the middle-palate, lively and energetic with good acidity and tight focus. Very smart wine in a leaner and more elegant Barossa style." - Huon Hooke (The Real Review)

Head Wines

Alex Head has had what you might call a meteoric rise through the Australian wine industry. In his short career as a producer he has been heralded as one of the best Young Gun Winemakers, not only in the Barossa but the whole country.

With no formal training as a winemaker, the purity and balance inherent in the wines are amazing.

Alex has a passion for the old vineyards that populate the Barossa. With a keen eye for a good site, Alex has put together a formidable portfolio of vineyards which produce simply outstanding renditions of Shiraz and Grenache year-in, year-out. These are some of the most exciting wines in the Barossa.

Alex in the vines Barossa Valley, SA Head Wines

Others also liked

Recently viewed

Shipping

Delivery is free on orders of $150 or more!

For orders under this amount, delivery is calculated at checkout based on your postcode. You can order in any quantity or combination of wines you like. Straight dozens are not required.

We will dispatch your order the same or next business day.

Estimated delivery transit time varies depending on your location. Please review this page for specific estimates.

Sydney (Our Vans): If no one is home and there are no special delivery instructions our driver will try to call for instructions. If the driver believes there is a safe space to leave your wine they will do so if not, they will return the item to us and hold your order until further instruction from you. 

Melbourne (Anonymous Wine Freight): If no one is home and there are no special delivery instructions, the courier will try to call for instructions. If the driver believes there is a safe space to leave your wine they will do so. if not, they will return the item to their dispatch centre and hold until further instruction from you.

Australia Post: Australia Post will leave the parcel if they have been given authority to leave and it is deemed safe to do so. To give your Authority to Leave, please enter this in the 'SPECIAL REQUEST' box at checkout.

Ordering

We want Different Drop customers to always be getting the best price. If you see a lower price elsewhere, just get in touch and we will sort it out for you. We handle all our price-matching on a case by case basis.

Some things to keep in mind: 

  • Retrospective price-matching is available for 30 days after you have purchased from us.
  • The price match cannot be used in conjunction with a coupon or one-off deal we are offering. The idea is for you to get the best price in the market so if that is already achieved through a coupon then we won't price match on top of that.
  • We don't price match clearance or fire sales.
  • We’ll match the listed price as long as it is a legitimate offer and the competing store is actually able to fulfil the order (they have stock or more stock is en route). Essentially we won't price match cheeky vendors listing wines they have no hope of actually getting for you...
  • It must be a publicly listed price. We won't match a price that has been achieved through a coupon/cash-back arrangement, or through a non-advertised offer over the phone or otherwise.  
  • It is limited to a reasonable retail quantity.

We'll treat each price match request on its merit and reserve the right to refuse where we deem fit. For example, particularly rare wines, from non-trust-worthy vendors, in circumstances we deem illegitimate or if we feel our policy is being unfairly taken advantage of.

At the end of the day, we'll look after you and use common sense to ensure you're getting the best price, please just don't take the p%$$!

No, feel free to mix it up! There is no minimum requirement. You can order wines in any quantity or combination, 1 or 50+ bottles.

We stock three different sized gift boxes (single, three bottle and six), all are available for purchase for a flat rate of $8. They look great and make an awesome impression.

To add a gift box to your order, simply add at checkout. The special requests box is your friend, please give us as many details of what you are looking for and we will try our best, or get in contact to discuss it with you. 

If you want to bulk order gifts or if you have any trouble please email hello@differentdrop.com or call and we can try and help.

 

If you can't add more wine to your cart it means we are low on stock of that wine. For example, if you are only able to 3 bottles and no more that means we only have 3 bottles left of that wine. If it's a must have, please contact us and we may be able to order more in for you.

Call Us

Send a message