2025 Ochota Barrels Where's the Pope? Syrah

95 pts
A silky and vibrant McLaren Vale Shiraz that is just brilliant to drink.

Price:
Sale price$45.00
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In stock, ready to ship
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Description

Not your typical McLaren Vale Shiraz. Where’s the Pope? comes from vines planted in 1996 on schist and clay in Onkaparinga Hills, and it’s made with the same light touch and instinctive winemaking that define all things Ochota.

Picked early and fermented with 65% whole bunch, it spent just 15 days on skins before resting in seasoned oak. The resulting Syrah is bright, silky and aromatic, carrying notes of black olive, spice and crushed autumn leaves alongside juicy red fruit. At 10.5% alcohol, it’s astonishingly fresh and feather-light on its feet, but still layered and complex.

This is McLaren Vale Shiraz reimagined: stripped back, savoury, and all about drinkability. A reminder that even in a region known for power and richness, grace and elegance can steal the show.

Only 1,698 bottles produced.

95 points - "This wine is named after an Adelaide punk rock band, and it’s pretty rock ’n’ roll. Spicy, lifted, fruity and herbal aromas, with a generous texture and fine-boned structure that leaves you salivating and coming back for more. Made with 65% whole-cluster fermentation, offering so much early-drinking pleasure. Delicious. Drink now. Screw cap." - Ryan Montgomery (James Suckling)

Customer Reviews

Customer Reviews

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M
Matt D.
Where’s The Pope Syrah

Spectacular and punk rock !

pH – 3.47 | T.A. – 5.6 | Alc. – 10.5%
1698 bottles produced.
Organically grown by Rino, Onkaparinga Hills on schist and clay.
Picked on January 29.
15 days on skins, 65% whole bunch.
Unfined & unfiltered.

Super light on alcohol, but full in flavour, lush and leggy.
Elegant and delicious, this was our first pick this vintage… a gorgeous sunny day, mid-twenties and not a cloud in the sky.

Black olive tapenade and crushed autumn leaves… you know that smell when you go walking on those perfect autumn days, when the trees are still full of leaves, but so is the ground, so you kick the leaves, then you throw the leaves up in the air and then you just can’t resist anymore, so you start rolling and you keep rolling until you are completely covered in the leaves and the gorgeous smell fills your nostrils when you breathe in deeply and you remember how magical life is…

Price Bracket $41 to $50
Type Red
Body Medium Bodied
Variety Shiraz
Country Australia
Region Adelaide Hills
Australian State SA
Feature Cult
Organic
Women in Wine
Natural/Lo-Fi
High Score
Reviewed By James Suckling
Halliday Wine Companion
Critic Score 95
Size 750ml
Vintage 2025
Closure Screw Cap

Ochota Barrels

Ochota Barrels are the epitome of rockstar wine labels.

The grungy, minimalist attitude that they have towards their wines has seen them gain huge cult status internationally as one of the most boundary-pushing winemakers in Australia. After the passing of Taras, Amber Ochota is now at the helm at her home in the beautiful Basket Range of the Adelaide Hills. Their wines are crafted in small batches, with fruits sourced from surrounding vineyards in the Hills and special sites across McLaren Vale. Taras' legacy of lighter, more ethereal wines live on, with freshness and 'tension' as a motif.

These are highly sought-after and extremely limited wines which have a pulsating energy and drive to them. Some of the country's most exciting vinous creations, no doubt.

Taras & Amber Ochota Discover Ochota Barrels

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Common Questions

Delivery is free on orders of $199 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.

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No, all prices are set at the full discounted dozen rate already.

Most wine retailers list at a single-bottle price and then discount 10–15% when you buy six or twelve. We've taken the opposite approach. Since the overwhelming majority of our orders are already 6 bottles or more, our list price is set for the case buyer from the start. There's no inflated single-bottle price to discount down from.

What that means for you:

- One price, same for everyone — no minimum to hit to unlock the best rate
- No mixed-six gymnastics to qualify for a discount
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Put simply: the box discount is already baked into the price.

**And if you find it cheaper elsewhere?** Let us know. If the same wine is available at a lower price at another retailer (including at their mixed-six or by-the-dozen rate) we're happy to match it.

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