2023 Clarendon Hills Domaine Clarendon Syrah

94 pts
High-altitude Syrah from Clarendon Hills with polish, energy, and a clear sense of place.

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Sale price$35.00
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Description

Planted in 2005 from Astralis cuttings, this vineyard sits at 350 metres - the highest Syrah site in McLaren Vale - and marks the south-western edge of Blewitt Springs. It’s dry-grown, single-staked, and rooted deep into fractured rock.

The 2023 fruit was hand-picked and fermented wild with a touch of whole berries, then matured in tight-grain French oak for 18 months. As always, it was bottled without fining or filtration.

This vintage follows a long, cool growing season - one of the latest picks on record. The result is Syrah with lift and definition: dark plum, cured meat, some earthy undertones, and that floral thread running right through the core. There’s weight here, but it’s not heavy. The tannins are fine, the structure is clean, and the fruit feels well settled.

A strong release that shows what altitude and patience can do in Blewitt Springs. Built to age, but already in a good place.

94 points
“Seamless, refined finish. A delightful wine and a great value. Drink or hold.”
- Ryan Montgomery (James Suckling)

94 points
“A cool year and philosophical evolution have produced a relatively elegant syrah suite in ’23... It’s a very charming and detailed expression.”
- Marcus Ellis (Wine Companion)
93 points
“It’s a superb wine for the price, hard to beat it.”
- Erin Larkin (Wine Advocate)

94 points - “Layers of dark fruit and spices with aromas of black olives, graphite and violets. The palate is full-bodied with fine-grained tannins and bright acidity. Seamless, refined finish. A delightful wine and a great value. Drink or hold.” - Ryan Montgomery (James Suckling)

94 points - “A cool year and philosophical evolution have produced a relatively elegant syrah suite in ’23. And this is a fine entry point, sketching out the style. A lovely perfume here, with cool boysenberry, violet, iodine, black leaf tea, nori, lilac and blackberry pastille. It’s compact on the palate, clocking in at modest alcohol and with a general sense of savoury mid-weighted ease. It’s a very charming and detailed expression.” - Marcus Ellis (Wine Companion)

93 points - “The 2023 Domaine Clarendon Syrah leads with asphalt and hung deli meat, peppercorns, blackberries and licorice. On the palate, the fine tannins serve as a supple reminder of the power of McLaren Vale Shiraz/Syrah, which trails out over the long finish. For an ‘entry-level’ wine, this sure offers an impressive value proposition. It’s a superb wine for the price, hard to beat it. 13% alcohol, sealed under Diam.” - Erin Larkin (Wine Advocate)

Price Bracket $31 to $40
Type Red
Body Full Bodied
Variety Shiraz
Country Australia
Region McLaren Vale
Australian State SA
Reviewed By Halliday Wine Companion
James Suckling
The Wine Advocate
Critic Score 94
Size 750ml
Vintage 2023
Closure Cork

Clarendon Hills

Founded by Roman Bratasiuk in 1990, Clarendon Hills helped redefine Australian Shiraz. From the start, Bratasiuk focused on old-vine, single-vineyard reds from the elevated northern edge of McLaren Vale - bottled by site, clone, and variety, without shortcuts.

The cult flagship is Astralis, sourced from 1920s bush vines in Blewitt Springs. Powerful, structured and built to age, it set a new standard for South Australian Shiraz. But across the full range - Brookman, Sandown, Liandra and more - Clarendon Hills maps the complexity of McLaren Vale’s terroir with precision.

These are bold, cellar-worthy reds shaped with care: confident oak, fine tannins, and a focus on site above all. Clarendon Hills remains one of the country’s most important single-vineyard producers.

Owner and founder Roman Bratasiuk Clarendon Hills

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