Wine Spectator – Juicy notes of ripe black cherry and spiced plum are thick and velvety, oozing with details of baking spices, tobacco and Earl Grey tea on the finish. Concentrated and complex. The thick tannins add some charm. Drink now through 2030.

The Wine Front – If you’re lucky, and most of us aren’t, there comes a time in your life when it all comes together. I suspect that’s what’s happened with this Blewitt Springs vineyard, planted in the middle of the Second World War, and the collection of wine people behind MMAD, all of whom have weathered a lot of summers in a lot of places in the pursuit of wine excellence. This wine tastes of a lot of right decisions, and of a lot of time spent in the journey to them. It has texture, balance, flavour and all that, but as my mum would say, ‘any dumb bunny can do that’. More importantly, what this wine has is all the nods and winks. I once wrote, a long time ago, of a moment where union legend David Campese ran straight through a bunch of defenders without breaking stride, or altering course. He did something, something that couldn’t be seen, and made the impossible look effortless. So too here. It has degrees of silk, fruit enough, a spinnaker on the finish, a volume of nuance. If there was such a thing for single vineyard, vintage, Aussie shiraz, this wine would be classified as first growth.

James Halliday – "This is a seriously impressive release, showcasing winemaker Adam Wadewitz’s learnings from the first vintage and the bounty of full viticultural control. The old-vine fruit could easily handle about one-third whole bunch, a Wadewitz favourite. And that impact is profoundly positive, weaving in spicy, smoky notes and complexing tannins to provide exceptional tension without greenness. Red and blue fruits, violet and dusky red florals, coal dust, anise, cacao and roasted coffee bean. Intensity on the palate at moderate alcohol and no heavy mid-palate sweetness nor new oak. Rather, it is poised throughout, with fruit intensity seamlessly meshed into a silky, supple but aptly assertive structure, a ferrous nori/ kelp mineral note underpinning. For a site purchased prizing grenache, this is a revelation." - Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)

James Suckling – Vivid aromas of crushed blackberries, cloves, iodine and dried kelp, lifted by a potpourri of purple flowers. Dense, compact and detailed, with tannic precision. This is a full-bodied wine, yet it is the intricacy of the structure that draw me back to the glass. Long, beautiful and destined for excellent drinking across the mid-term.

Huon Hooke – Very complex Rhône-ish meaty/spicy bouquet of formidable charm and detail. Theres a nicely judged touch of reduction in there, and the wine is fleshy and sumptuous on the palate, smooth textured and glossy, with a lingering aftertaste packed with supple, polished tannins that are in effortless support. An outstanding shiraz. The tannins are formidable and sneaky—they will ensure a long aging career. A stonking McLaren Vale regional shiraz.

James Halliday – Matured for 12 months in new and used oak (88% French, 12% American). Bright crimson colour heralds a wine full of vitality; red berry flavours surge through the mouth, gauzy tannins in the background adding to the exuberant mouthfeel and length.

James Halliday – This wine has shapeshifted nicely over the years, segueing from a fruit-forward iteration to a more streamlined, taut and spicy expression. Mid weighted, savoury and highly suggestive of the northern Rhône. Aromas of mace, clove, dill pickle, salumi and spiced cherry. Yet there is nothing hard to the tannins or too challenging for those seeking established styles. Juicy and long of flow, this makes for excellent, versatile everyday drinking. - Ned Goodwin (James Halliday Wine Companion)

James Halliday – "If Pat Carmody can’t make great shiraz, then we should all shut up shop. He’s only been doing so at Craiglee for, oh, about 40-plus years. There's a DNA imprint to this, with a whorl of dark fruit, warm spices shot through, cedary oak and wafts of red roses. Very savoury though, fuller bodied with archetypal Craiglee tannins supple, shapely and ripe. Yes, a lovely wine made by a legend." (Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion)

The Wine Front – Biodynamic farmed from a single vineyard on the Paxton estate. Grows up in French and American oak barrels. Paxton have been a leading light in showing biodynamic (certified) viticulture can be done to scale, well. Inky, deep, throaty red of hearty, dark fruit character, all inky cassis and choc-berry, liquid spice, fat tannins. A juicy, fleshy, plush flow of espresso tinged plummy fruit, gritty, savouriness to close. This is a big, bold red of warming character and density. Touch of warmth in the mix. It’s done pretty well for its style.

James Halliday – Biodynamic-grown fruit, open-fermented, matured in French and American barriques for 18 months. A celebrated McLaren Vale single vineyard wine, effortlessly providing a deep well of black fruits and fine-grained tannins, the oak a positive contributor, not a rabble rouser.

World Wine – Chocolate, dried plum and anise notes are juicy and bursting with blackberry accents. Balanced and smooth, especially on the finish. Drink now through 2026.

The Wine Front –

James Halliday –

James Halliday – Estate-grown, made at Yering Station, matured in French oak for 11 months. This is quite an entry point shiraz, the bouquet immediately grabbing attention with its black fruits, pepper, licorice, spice and cedary oak, every bit of which comes through in 3D on the medium-bodied palate. The line, length and balance are perfect.

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate – "Spicy and pert, this 2020 The Eagle Shiraz incorporates a small component of whole bunch (about 15%), and this elevates the spice component untold. It is a great inclusion, along with the subtle lacing of orange peel, white pepper, blood orange, cinnamon, and blueberry. It's eminently classy, refined and electric, in its way. The wine speaks eloquently of its place in the Victorian hills, but it also expounds fragrance, finesse and energy. It's a super wine. You can drink this now, but it borders on frisky. I love it as is, but the wine will only gain in stature, complexity and nuance as it ages. Five years from release might be a good rule of thumb, but you go your own way. A good wine is good at every age." - Erin Larkin (The Wine Advocate)

James Suckling – 96 Points - "Representing a lighter shade of Barossa, the suite of wine from Alex Head gets better each year. While this is full-bodied in terms of extract and alcohol, it is vibrant, subtly reductive, detailed and immaculately poised, making for effortless drinking. Limestone soils impart a je ne sais quoi tension to a whirl of white pepper, clove, boysenberry, deli meats and lilac. Yet what makes this so impressive is the combination of tannin, juicy freshness and confident oak handling, all boding well for cellaring. Drinkable now, but best from 2026. Screw cap." - Ned Goodwin MW (James Suckling)

World Wine – Deep garnet-purple coloured, the 2016 Yakka Shiraz has a very pretty perfume of kirsch, red currant jelly and red plums preserves with hints of lavender, sandalwood and cinnamon stick. Medium-bodied with an elegantly styled, understated palate, it has effortless grace with red berry preserves and spice notes supported by velvety tannins and finishing harmoniously.

The Wine Front – Medium bodied, red and black fruits, five spice, a little liquorice and gum leaf. It’s a lovely thing to drink – refined and seamless – with light tannin, cool acidity, fresh spicy berries, and a cool finish tinged with caramel, sap and spice.

Huon Hooke – “Deep red/purple colour, with a spicy-meaty bouquet of young and slightly callow shiraz, alluring in its smoky and faintly vegetal Rhône-like complexity. The wine is elegantly framed with quite assertive but very supple tannins, the overall impression being of a delicious slinky texture. Long, long carry. A stylish shiraz.”