FLAGSHIP SERIES
Ares, Barossa Valley Shiraz 2019 – 95 points
“This 2019 Ares Shiraz is firm and savory and shaped by a pliable rachis of tannin and spice. The fruit strays across blood plums, mulberries, damsons and licorice and leaves a trail of star anise and aniseed its wake. The tannins are very prominent and have a traditional feel, Decant it.” – EL
THE SINGLE VINEYARD SERIES
Yacca Block, Eden Valley Shiraz 2020 – 96 points
“This 2020 Yacca Block Menglers Hill Shiraz is enthralling in its delivery of Earl Grey tea, graphite, black pepper, hung deli meat and layers of salted blueberries. It is my favorite of the 2020 single-vineyard releases for its perfume, its detail and the tannins. Sensational stuff.” – EL
Coach House Block, Barossa Valley Shiraz 2020 – 95+ points
“The 2020 Coach House Block Seppeltsfield Road Greenock Shiraz is brooding and dense, and the tannins, which whorl around on the palate, are spread out and omnipresent, leaving me with thoughts of galaxies and stars. The fruit is black and spicy, and with all things taken into account, this is one of the spicier, more exciting wines in the high-quality single-vineyard lineup. Through the mid-palate and finish, there is a spool of exotic spice and fine tannin, and it lingers and draws you in for another sip. Very smart.” – EL
Dave’s Block, McLaren Vale Shiraz 2020 – 95+ points
“This 2020 Shiraz Dave’s Block Blythmans Road Blewitt Springs is an elegant wine with balanced deli meat and purple berries. The flavors carry over the palate and through into the finish and linger long after the wine has gone. Pink peppercorns and crushed granite, briny acidity and sheets of nori. A really lovely wine that is coming out of its shell as we speak. I think this will only improve, and it’s already very good.” – EL
Waterfall Block, Burnside Shiraz 2020 – 94+ points
“In the 2020 range, this 2020 Waterfall Block Waterfall Gully Road Burnside Shiraz is sweet and soft, but after 40 minutes or so in the glass, the wine has started to throw off some of its sweet fruit and really lean into the earthy tannins that hold it together. Very smart and getting better with every minute that passes.” – EL
Secret Block, Barossa Valley Shiraz 2020 – 94+ points
“This 2020 Secret Block Wildlife Road Moppa Hills Shiraz is a wonder. The Barossa has a propensity to deliver a fresh injection of dirt and earth, and this, of all the wines in the 2020 lineup, gives that experience. The tannins through the finish are savory and granular and serve to guide the fruit over the tongue. The fruit is plush and red and shows raspberries and mulberries and soft spice. You can drink this wine at any time because it’s cushioned and ready now (although a decant is important), and while it will live for decades, I really think it’s important to drink it sooner in order to capture the freshness of the fruit.” – EL
Holy Grail, Barossa Valley Shiraz 2020 – 93+ points
“The fruit for the 2020 Holy Grail Seppeltsfield Road Seppeltsfield Shiraz is, of course, from the Seppeltsfield Road Vineyard in the Barossa Valley. It is decidedly red fruited, with raspberry, pomegranate molasses, pink peppercorns, damsons and blood plums. The tannins are smashed into the fruit; they’re fine and chalky but certainly present, and they serve to cup the fruit, rather than obstruct it. It’s a very pretty wine, which is a surprise given the packaging (weight when full over two kilograms) and fruit-sourcing area. Nicely done.” – EL
THE PICTURE SERIES
The Boy, Eden Valley Riesling 2022 – 91 points
“Fruit for the 2022 The Boy Riesling is from 108-year-old vines in the Eden Valley and shows all of the cool austerity that we expect from the area. This is taut and tense, with mineral acidity and a soft floral line through the mouth. Like all of the Two Hands wines, this shows a soft middle palate that makes for very easy drinking.” – EL
Angel’s Share, McLaren Vale Shiraz 2021 – 90+ points
“This 2021 Angel’s Share Shiraz is pert and frisky and lifted in the fruit department, underpinned by a mineral skein of tannins. It still needs a little more time to come together, but everything is in the right place, putting it on the right track in the future. Lovely wine.” – EL
Gnarly Dudes, Barossa Valley Shiraz 2021 – 90 points
“This 2021 Gnarly Dudes Shiraz is aptly named, and shows the earthy side of the Barossa in the glass. The 2021 season was cool, and a welcome reprieve from the low-yielding, warm couple of vintages that preceded it. As such, this wine is a little slower to emerge from its shell and will really benefit from a further year in bottle. Smart, though.” – EL
TWELFTREE WINES
Twelftree Grenache Mourvèdre, McLaren Vale 2020 – 94 points
“The fruit for this 2020 Twelftree Grenache Mourvèdre was sourced from two areas within McLaren Vale: the Grenache from Seaview and the Mourvèdre from Willunga. The wine is a concentrated, supple, bloody and spicy rendition of the blend, and it achieves what so many don’t: complementary elevation of each variety. This has a moreishness wedged into the mid-palate, which makes for sensational drinking. There were 15% whole bunches and a wild ferment, then the wine was matured for nine months in French oak 500-liter barrels.” – EL
Twelftree Adams Road, Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale Shiraz 2020 – 93 points
“I really love the red wines produced in Blewitt Springs in McLaren Vale. I realize this is a very broad statement, but the wines are, on the whole, imbued with a mineral freshness, a bloodiness and a supple/ductile nature that I find most appealing. Here, in the 2020 Twelftree Adams Road Blewitt Springs Shiraz, the Shiraz fruit exudes all of the aforementioned characteristics, with a softly sloping, tapering finish.” – EL
Twelftree Schuller Road, Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale Grenache 2020 – 92 points
“This is lovely. The 2020 Schuller Road Blewitt Springs Grenache is spicy and very fine, with a core of pure red fruit at its heart. Raspberry leaf tea, graphite tannins and briny acidity coalesce in the glass.” – EL
Twelftree Chaffeys Road, Seaview, McLaren Vale Grenache 2020 – 90 points
“Fresh, spiny and taut, this featherlight 2020 Twelftree Chaffeys Road Grenache has a backbone of tannin that slinks through the fruit. The acidity has an edge to it; on one hand it keeps things fresh, and on the other it’s brighter than the fruit is pink. I appreciate the levity of the wine.” – EL
