2022 Dalwhinnie The Eagle Shiraz

98 pts
Dalwhinnie’s flagship Shiraz, made only in exceptional vintages from the 1977 Eagle Block.

Price:
Sale price$184.00
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In stock, ready to ship
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Description

The Eagle is Dalwhinnie’s top Shiraz, and it only gets made when the season earns it. The 2022 had everything in its favour: warm days without excessive heat, ample rainfall and fruit that reached full ripeness with the fine tannins winemaker Julian Langworthy was looking for.

It comes exclusively from the Eagle Block, planted in 1977 directly in front of the winery. This is a single vineyard given the full attention, right through to the final selection of barrels.

The hand-picked fruit was split into two ferments, one entirely whole bunch and the other fully destemmed. Wild fermentation and 14 months in French oak puncheons, a quarter new, brought the parcels together while keeping their different contributions to fragrance and structure.

Blackberry, plum and raspberry come with pepper, warm spice, cedar and a savoury, earthy edge. There’s plenty of concentration, but the fine texture keeps it supple, with tannins building through a long finish.

Give this time in the cellar to settle and reveal more of its detail. Dalwhinnie’s flagship, from its 1977 vines in an exceptional season, is a serious bottle to put away.

98 points
"What a ripping wine ... The wine is elegantly cacophonous and nuanced."
- The Wine Advocate

96 points
"Bold and full-bodied with structural depth and weighty dark fruit ... one for the long haul"
- Toni Paterson (Halliday Wine Companion)

98 points - "Utterly inchoate on the nose currently, the fruit is vibrant and electric, and there are aromas of raspberry pip, white pepper, Earl Grey tea, blood orange and red liquorice. What a ripping wine. The middle palate and finish are softer and quieter than the thundering display that I expected from the nose. This is a good thing. The wine is elegantly cacophonous and nuanced. I love what this is all about. You get mountain herbs, fine spice and rocks as well. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap." - (The Wine Advocate)

96 points - "Sourced exclusively from the 1977 Eagle Block, planted just in front of the winery. Bold and full-bodied with structural depth and weighty dark fruit, heady vanilla tones and savoury oak. Wild blackberry and boysenberry fruit dominate the mid-palate, expanding into a burst of warming, succulent flavours with impressive persistence. It is a youthful wine with firm tannins and one for the long haul, needing time to bed down, evolve and mellow." - Toni Paterson (Halliday Wine Companion)

95+ points - "Blackberry, raspberry, five spice and pepper, truffle and nori, a sort of saltimbocca thing happening here too, a cedar and floral perfume. It’s medium to full-bodied, thick in fleshy tannin, again that savoury meaty sage-laced character, plump red and black fruit, blueberry pie, balanced acidity, with a lusty and saline finish of excellent length and silty graphite tannin. Excellent. Really needs a bit of patience mind you." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

95 points - "Impenetrable core with a plush ruby rim. Dried blueberry, plum preserve and beef stock aromatics. The palate leans savoury, with ample ripe purple fruit at the core, but layers of iodine, anise, nori and graphite steal the show. Velvety tannins belie their power, carrying the wine very long. The finish allows tannins to rise, with heady floral and spice notes lingering and hinting at cool-climate origins." - Stuart Knox (The Real Review)

The growing season was ideal: warm but not hot, with ample rainfall throughout, allowing the fruit to be picked at what could be described as perfect ripeness. Seasons like this produce ripe yet exceptionally fine tannin structures, and this is the most exciting Eagle Shiraz produced to date. The Eagle Shiraz is made only in the most exceptional vintages.

Sourced solely from the 1977 Eagle Block directly in front of the winery. The fruit was handpicked and fermented in two batches: one parcel was 100% whole-bunch, and the other 100% destemmed. The combination of these parcels has created a unique and remarkably complex wine. Following a cold soak and wild fermentation, the destemmed parcel remained on skins for 10 days, while its counterpart underwent seven days of carbonic maceration before being gently foot-stomped and left on skins for a further four days. The resulting wine was pressed and transferred to French oak puncheons (500-litre), 25% new, with the balance comprising one- and two-year-old barrels, where it matured for 14 months. Careful barrel selection was then undertaken to showcase this outstanding single-vineyard icon at its best.

Deep purple with flashes of crimson. Distinct aromas of dark ripe berries mingle with baking spices, sandalwood, pepper and bramble. Slinky and modern, medium-bodied yet rich in flavour, the palate exhibits ultra-fine tannins that unfold layer upon layer with notes of dark fruits, cedar, black plum, forest floor and truffle, leading to an exquisitely elegant and persistent finish. – Julian Langworthy, Dalwhinnie

Price Bracket $101 and Above
Type Red
Body Full Bodied
Variety Shiraz
Country Australia
Region Pyrenees
Australian State VIC
Feature High Score
Reviewed By The Wine Advocate
Halliday Wine Companion
The Wine Front
The Real Review
Critic Score 98
Alcohol 14.5%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2022
Closure Screw Cap

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