Dalwhinnie ‘The Eagle’ Shiraz 2022

98 POINTS - Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
"Utterly inchoate on the nose currently, the fruit is vibrant and electric, and there are aromas of raspberry pip, white pepper, Earl Grey tea, blood orange and red liquorice. What a ripping wine. The middle palate and finish are softer and quieter than the thundering display that I expected from the nose. This is a good thing. The wine is elegantly cacophonous and nuanced. I love what this is all about. You get mountain herbs, fine spice and rocks as well."

96 POINTS - Toni Paterson, Halliday Wine Companion
"Sourced exclusively from the 1977 Eagle Block, planted just in front of the winery. Bold and full-bodied with structural depth and weighty dark fruit, heady vanilla tones and savoury oak. Wild blackberry and boysenberry fruit dominate the mid-palate, expanding into a burst of warming, succulent flavours with impressive persistence. It is a youthful wine with firm tannins and one for the long haul, needing time to bed down, evolve and mellow. "

The growing season was ideal: warm but not hot, with ample rainfall throughout, allowing the fruit to be picked at what could be described as perfect ripeness. Seasons like this produce ripe yet exceptionally fine tannin structures, and this is the most exciting Eagle Shiraz produced to date. The Eagle Shiraz is made only in the most exceptional vintages.

Sourced solely from the 1977 Eagle Block directly in front of the winery. The fruit was handpicked and fermented in two batches: one parcel was 100% whole-bunch, and the other 100% destemmed. The combination of these parcels has created a unique and remarkably complex wine. Following a cold soak and wild fermentation, the destemmed parcel remained on skins for 10 days, while its counterpart underwent seven days of carbonic maceration before being gently foot-stomped and left on skins for a further four days. The resulting wine was pressed and transferred to French oak puncheons (500-litre), 25% new, with the balance comprising one- and two-year-old barrels, where it matured for 14 months. Careful barrel selection was then undertaken to showcase this outstanding single-vineyard icon at its best.

Deep purple with flashes of crimson. Distinct aromas of dark ripe berries mingle with baking spices, sandalwood, pepper and bramble. Slinky and modern, medium-bodied yet rich in flavour, the palate exhibits ultra-fine tannins that unfold layer upon layer with notes of dark fruits, cedar, black plum, forest floor and truffle, leading to an exquisitely elegant and persistent finish. – Julian Langworthy, Dalwhinnie