Awards

Trophies	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1	2	0	3

Accolades

• Kerry Skinner - Illawarra Mercury on

  A blend of Hunter shiraz and Hilltops cabernet sauvignon that melds perfectly with the French and American oak, layers of plum and berry fruit, chocolate characters, supple tannins.

• eRobertParker.com on

  92 Points

• Mike Bennie - WBM on

  94 Points - A mix of Hilltops and Hunter fruit here give the expected body and savoury complexity of the classic cab shiraz blend, but delivered by a sleek, medium frame with fine, integrated oak. Lovely.

• Winestate on

  3 Stars - Raspberries on the nose and soft, gentle red fruits.

• Tyson Stelzer - WBM on

  95 Points - Hunter Shiraz infuses its core of brilliant, bright acidity, sheer vibrancy and primary plum and black cherry glory here, tweaked with a touch of Hilltops Cabernet. One of the great Vat 8s.

• Drinks Trade on

  Savoury spices with a strong sense of fruit; savoury oak with a great middle palate and good depth of flavour; good long tannins; complex; very smooth and fresh, but also soft and pleasant with layers of flavour; mouth-watering. Rich, round and structured; bright long and textured; lots of concentrated berry and plum aromas with a smoky undertone, a powerful wine.

• James Halliday - Australian Wine Companion 2012 on

  95 Points & Outstanding - Strong purple-crimson, the wine has substantial red and black berry fruits, the impact of French oak obvious but will undoubtably settle down with a few years in bottle.

• John Lewis - Newcastle Herald on

  5 1/2 Glasses - What a terrific red this is – well worth the 57 points awarded by the 2012 Hunter Valley Wine Show judges! It’s 13.5 per cent alcohol and is made from Hunter shiraz with a tiny 4 per cent infusion of cabernet sauvignon from the Hilltops area around Young. It glows deep purple, sends scents of violets and cassis coursing up the nostrils and brings profound blackcurrant flavour to the front of the palate. Plum, peppermint and dark chocolate fruit characters integrate with restrained savoury oak on the middle palate and silky earthy tannins come through at the finish.

• Huon Hooke - huonhooke.com on

  95 Points - Deep purple/red colour with very blue tints. Restrained, clean and subtle berry aromas, a lick of spice plus some earth and dried herb nuances. Marvellous intensity and refined focus of sweetly ripe fruit and gentle, fine-grained tannins, gentle but intense and penetrating. Delicious wine. Long finish, heaps of charisma and style. A touch of regional (Hunter) leathery/smoky/spiciness. Love to see how this ages.