99 points - "There’s great balance of blue and black fruit, with undertones of licorice, minerals, potpourri, bresaola, bitter chocolate and cherry confit. The palate is firmly framed yet silken in texture, with length and body that carry the finish for minutes. Made from 100% whole-cluster fermentation, from vines planted in 1858. Spiced, perfumed and textural, with a firmly built structure that will live for decades yet is delicious now, showing all the hallmarks of a world-class syrah. Excellent. Drink or hold." - Ryan Montgomery (James Suckling

98+ points - "Following on from the perfect 2022 release, I find myself opening this wine with a fair bit of excitement. I called Dan Standish one day in early May 2023 (I think to ask my questions about the wines I was tasting), and he was in the vineyard up in Eden Valley, picking the Lamella fruit for this wine. 2023 was a wet, cool season, so much so that the fruit for this cuvée was picked in May. Still, aromatically, the 2023 Lamella Shiraz leads with sumac and orange peel, fresh raspberry, black cherry, licorice, petrichor, wet asphalt and river stones. Sandalwood and rose petals follow through the finish. This is velvety and grainy, supple and pliable. The tannins are dry and silky, and they perfectly balance the intensity of sweet/spicy fruit in the mouth. This wine is a clear example of why you must back a producer over a vintage, because a good producer will triumph no matter the conditions. 14.9% alcohol, sealed under natural cork and wax." - Erin Larkin (The Wine Advocate)

97 points - "This year's Lamella, an Eden Valley wine, sees the majority of the shiraz sourced from the epic Stonegarden vineyard down near Springton, with a smaller proportion of fruit from Hutton Vale. Last year it was the other way around, but vintages are like that. The fruit, again at its core pure dark plum and blue fruits, has some redder shades in play, with plenty of exotic spice, meadow herbs, purple floral tones and that Eden Valley sage thing going on and the thinest wisp of spearmint rising from the depths. I love this wine's powdered granitic heft and mineral cadence, the wink of Campari and bunchy nuance done just right and its composed 'Eden Valleyness'. It's lovely." - Dave Brookes (Halliday Wine Companion)

96 points - "A mesh of red berries, regional Aussie bush characters, white pepper, alpine herb and touches of mocha and salted liquorice. Incredibly dense but almost held to a medium bodied weight, a sense of quality, lacy tannin but with authority and a distinct persistence of complex, layered flavours of fruit and herbal inflection. A beautiful overall feel to the wine. It feels symphonic. Energetic too." - Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)

95+ points - "Ripe raspberry, mint and sage, something of a maple syrup smell, exotic spice, slight cut capsicum and creamy oak. So, quite a bit going on here. Full-bodied, black and red fruit, a nutty toffee thing, firm chamois-like tannin, plenty of length with a cool ‘mineral’ feel to acidity. Nice wine. Distinct. 95+ points." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

Patience is not merely waiting for something to happen but the ability to maintain a positive attitude during that time.
Patience was fundamental to the 2023 harvest in the Barossa, with the grape picking extending well into May, almost a month later than average.

As grape growers we are farmers and as the saying goes, we always have “one eye on the sky”. Habitually hoping for more rain in our parched landscape, at this critical time of year prior to harvest however, rain is the antagonist.

The ripening phase saw a handful of pesky precipitation events each of which arrived with vexatious timing. To harvest or not to harvest? The repeated question, each time.

The Risk – pick too early and risk thin green under ripe grapes or too late and risk dilute flavours or to lose the entire crop at the hands of fungal diseases or split berries.

The Gain – an extra week or two of sunshine and photosynthesis to increase tannin and anthocyanin in the grape’s seeds and stalks. Ripe and complex grape flavours.

The Results (with Patience):
This gentle elongated ripening creating a special vintage giving us wines of great lusciousness and complexity. Crunchy forefront tannins from the grape skins in conjunction with mellow rounder toning, mouth filling tannin from riper grape seeds. Grip and drive from the lignified stalks alongside the invigorating natural acidity retained due to the cool season, all harmonising to give billowy flow and incredible intricacy.
Some of our most complex and captivating wines to date.

Patience; risky, perhaps – worthwhile, definitely!