Country: Australia
Region: Barossa Valley
Vintage: 2022
Variety: Shiraz & Shiraz Blends
Alcohol volume: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap

Palate
A small addition of co-fermented Viognier (planted nearby) filled out the palate and completed the wines delicate tannin profile.

Region notes
For 2022, ‘The Blonde’ came from a vineyard planted in the ‘Barossa Ranges’ of the Eden Valley GI. The Shiraz (at 450m elevation) was planted in 1962 on an east west downwards slope protected by the afternoon sun. The soils are granitic and sandy over limestone and clay.

Winemakers comments
It is worth noting that I am trying to pursue finesse and elegance with this wine, always thinking about how to make the wine better, not bigger. The only additions made to this wine were 20% new oak and I hope you feel the same uninterrupted flow, harmony and pleasantness that I feel it should convey.

James Suckling
95 Points
A superb, driven and well-crafted shiraz with aromas of dark cherries, dried herbs, smoke, dried flowers and baking spices. Medium-bodied with finely grained tannins. Highly textural, with a pulpy core of berries and a generous lift of peppercorns bringing vitality and drive on the palate. Precise, with a long, flavorful, peppery finish. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Gary Walsh
94 Points
Lots of fragrance and jasmine perfume, blue and black fruit, some creamy spiced oak and pimento, and maybe a little dried apricot too, cocoa and mint.. It's supple and composed, the tannin feels ripe and pixelated, dried raspberry and sage, kind of meaty too, but succulent with it, and there's a brightness, and an almost white wine bite to acidity, though that's largely a function of youth. The finish is neatly matted with tannin, and all up, it's a lovely expression of Rhone meets Barossa, which I guess is kind of the intent. Very good.

Huon Hooke
93 Points
Medium-deep intensity of colour, very attactive bush underbrush aroma, some smoky reduction and plummy/berry fruit as well. Spice building with airing. As it enters the mouth, a power of flavour and tannin impresses. A big, brawny wine with some alcohol warmth and fleshy rich texture, finishing with supple balanced tannins. A very smart modern shiraz.