St. Hallett Blackwell Shiraz 2004

Wine Enthusiast rating: 91

Stuart Blackwell, winemaker since 1973, has evolved St. Hallett's Barossa Shiraz to icon status. Blackwell Shiraz is named in recognition of his foresight and commitment. As St. Hallett's Reserve Shiraz, Blackwell is big and bold, exuding the power and brooding density that the Barossa has to offer. Color: Deep garnet red with attractive purple hues Bouquet: Pure opulence expressing the intensity and inky density of the wine Palate: The palate unleashes dense, rich, dark chocolate and a powerful array of dark blackberry fruit flavors. Serving suggestions: Excellent with any read more...red meats, rich braised dishes or game Cellaring: 5 to 10 years from vintage    (hide)

James Halliday rating: 93

Deep purple-ruby. Medium nose of cedar, chocolate. Dry with medium acid and tannin. Medium-full body. Complex palate of cedar, cassis, orange zest. Good length.

November 2008

document.getElementById("NoProductImage").innerHTML = ""; Jeremy Oliver 94 points!"A delightful Barossa shiraz whose deep- dark and spicy aromas of plums- blackberries and redcurrants are backed by nuances of white pepper- spice and a meaty shade of fine-grained oak. Velvet smooth- luscious and seamless- it's long- gamey and dark-fruited- saturated with pristine but meaty flavours of cassis and dark plums handsomely supported by chocolate/vanilla oak and framed by a firm- cut of silky tannins. Drink 2012-2016+."Jeremy Oliver- OnWine.St read more...HallettWinemaker Stuart Blackwell is dedicated to Barossa's core varieties and to reflecting the patchwork of soils and subsequent differentiated intricacies of flavour and structure in the finished wines. For this reason-in making Old Block Shiraz- Stuart holds approximately 60 different small parcels of Shiraz separate through picking- fermentation and barrel maturation before ultimately blending to attain the perfect flavours and structure. As 2003 Barossa Winemaker of the Year- Trophy winner of both the Barossa Show and the National Riesling Challenge for 2002 St Hallett Eden Valley Riesling and a career spanning over 20 years as winemaker of St Hallett- Stuart Blackwell is critically acclaimed as an outstanding winemaker of this world-famous region. St HallettSt Hallett BlackwellAs one of the Barossa's premium winemakers St Hallett sources Shiraz grapes from a number of different vineyard sites in both the Barossa and Eden Valleys. The common factor with all grapes destined for the Blackwell Shiraz and our flagship Old Block Shiraz is they come from vineyards aged from 70 up to 100 years. Mature- dry grown vineyards such as these produce tiny yields of highly concentrated fruit- and result in a wine style that is quite unique to the Barossa. Typically the Blackwell Shiraz shows sweet blackcurrant and plum characters on the nose with a dusting of vanillin oak. These flavours carry through onto the palate which has rich- complex flavours of dark chocolate- cherry and spice with a smooth generous finish.    (hide)

October 2008

Rating: 91/100 - As reviewed by Wine Enthusiast