95 points - "Sourced from 30-year-old vines in Pokolbin. A beautifully balanced, medium-weight shiraz that over-delivers in harmony and charm. It has a gentleness, freshness and easiness, making it effortless to drink. Quality fragrant oak adds detail, savouriness and interest to the supple, ripe red fruit. An earlier-drinking style that offers fabulous value." - Toni Paterson (Halliday Wine Companion)

Tasting Notes
Deep crimson purple with a radiant purple glow. There is a distinct sense of history in this wine, with very clear Hunter fruit expression. Brooding red berries and dark plum with red liquorice over exotic rose petal lift. Layers of mulberry and cherry kirsch combine with subtle rosewood and briar to complete the aromatic landscape. There is a hedonistic perfume littered with notes of graphite and cinnamon, adding to the vista.

Dark berry and Black Doris plum entry with the full brown spice rack and a dusting of anise. Silky smooth and medium-bodied tannin texture—very fine-grained—with gentle but bright acidity on warm and vibrant fruit persistence. This is classic Hunter River Burgundy style: deep-fruited but almost nervously elegant. Invisible oak. This wine will grow into its fruit and structure with time.

Vineyard Notes
There is a lot that can be said about doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. Crazy springs to mind, but in the Hunter, when grapes are concerned, we call it winemaking.

After the challenges of 2020, 2021, and 2022, we were due a reprieve—which was certainly not forthcoming at any time in the spring of 2022. The pressure of constant rain and little wind from March until October meant that just getting into the vineyard on foot, let alone with a tractor, was near impossible. For the first time in many years, vignerons resorted to aerial spraying with helicopters to get the first few sprays onto their vineyards.

With the continual wet weather came the ongoing threat of downy mildew infection and potential crop loss. While there were several vineyards in the Hunter that did not pick a berry, the ones who took the “crazy” approach and didn’t let up with their management saw rewards that could not have been greater.

The clouds eventually parted, and summer arrived. With it came excellent canopy growth, which—while unruly and messy-looking—protected the grapes from the heart-wrenching hailstorm that tore a swath through the middle of the Pokolbin vineyards on 4 January 2023. Fortunately, the hail was confined to a small area, and the fruit that was damaged had time to dry up and fall off before reaching harvest ripeness. The result was a long, slow, and dry ripening season producing some exceptional wines.

You can see why some people talk about Hunter Valley winemaking and craziness in the same sentence. I call it commitment and tenacity.

Production Notes
Matured in 10% new French oak barriques; the balance in old oak.

Winemaker Notes
While our harvests seem to incrementally get earlier and earlier, 2023 bucked the trend. Veraison to harvest was a little old school, with comfortable January and February temperatures ensuring Shiraz ripened near perfectly into March—unheard of these days.

This slow and extended ripening has delivered wines with great acid line, very fine-grained tannins, and exceptional depth of fruit. As far as winemaking goes, the opportunity to really let the vines speak meant a soft touch and gentle oak use, which has captured a classic Hunter River Burgundy expression. Fruit to the fore, a subtle winemaking hand—and time will do the rest.

Food Pairing Notes
Black Niçoise olives in a hot skillet with rosemary before Robbie Molines’ medium rare lamb rack.