Our intense love for Shiraz will burn bright no matter when you ask us, but there can be no denying that there's something a little more soul-stirring (or palate-pleasing if we're speaking more literally) about opening that bottle packed with full-bodied dark fruits, rich spice, and long lines of chewy tannin in the middle of the cold season! Over the past few weeks, we've been gradually building a lineup that we knew we'd be excited to show you all - one that encompasses climates both cool and warm, styles both new world and old, and some notable value as well as some of Australia's most beloved names.
Join us this Saturday (27th July) as we pour these nine beauties between 12 and 2pm, dipping our toes into Barossa legends like Standish Wine Co, Two Hands (special back vintage bottling), and Kaesler, alongside Canberra district darlings Clonakilla, By Farr's new 2022 release, and some Heathcote choices from Sanguine, Paul Osicka, Wild Duck Creek and Jasper Hill! We hope this looks like a tempting one, and that we can treat you to some winter warmers before or after your Saturday lunch.
Varied Shiraz Specials + Tasting
(Saturday 27th July - 12 to 2pm)
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Sanguine 'Progeny' Heathcote Shiraz 2022 - $25 on special this week; $28 RRP
"A stunning, accomplished wine for the price. Consistently hits above its station. Elegant and assured, it highlights the beauty of Heathcote shiraz as opposed to brute power. Meshes black cherry, plum, blackberry with sage, anise, violet and acacia. The aromatics are so integral to the wine, so appealing and downright fine. A supple palate gives them space to star. Drink by 2028." - 95 Points, Jeni Port, Halliday Wine Companion
Kaesler 'Reach for the Sky' Barossa Shiraz 2021 - $30 on special this week; $34 RRP
"The fruit for this wine was carefully selected from multiple blocks across our estate vineyards. Reach For The Sky is a soft, juicy style of Shiraz that reflects the opulence and diversity of Barossa. Dark purple in colour with a vibrant edge. A vibrant bouquet of blueberry, blackberry and plum with layers of mocha, spice, and a hint of oak. The soft palate is full of rich black and red fruits with hints of spice, mocha and fruit cake, balanced by silky tannins on the finish. Full bodied, delicious and inviting. Tender red meat dishes with roast vegetables." - Winemaker Notes
Paul Osicka Heathcote Shiraz 2022 - $38 on special this week; $43 RRP
"Such a gorgeous and pleasurable red in its more loose knit and overtly ripe spectrum. It’s ripe plum and forest berry compote with aniseed, choc-mint biscuit, soft salted liquorice and touches of dried cranberry, figs and hazelnut. Lush and lovely in the palate, very soft and supple, a lick of shapely tannin in a velvety rub across the wine, a long trail of sweet spice and that compote richness lingers if not stains the palate. Come hither stuff. Done well, balanced well, just a bit more XL than expected." - 93 Points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
Jasper Hill Georgia's Paddock Heathcote Shiraz 2016 - $99 on special this week; $115 RRP
"The 2016 Georgia's Paddock Shiraz shows a brighter, fruitier side to this wine, featuring raspberries and blueberries on the nose and palate. It still has those dark underpinnings of black olive and espresso, but it dresses them up this year with brighter, fresher fruit, adding a different layer of interest. It's full-bodied and richly textured, with a long, layered finish that suggests well over a decade of aging potential. It's yet another superlative offering from the Laughton family." - 95 Points, Joe Czerwinksi, The Wine Advocate
By Farr Shiraz 2022 - $109 per bottle
"At the risk of sounding over the top, this wine is impeccable, maybe a little more acid than Australian consumers want in their Shiraz, but that is perhaps their issue! This is so un-Australian in style it’s not funny. Although there are some wineries that can do it, it’s incredibly uncommon. And by ‘doing it’, I mean getting the grapes to be ripe but not overdone, the spice and all that good stuff obvious without being green, and acid that lets you need another glass, every sip revealing something a little better than the last. The nose takes about two seconds to hit you, dense plum and black cherry, black olive, white pepper and something chocolatey. That’s obviously too many things to mention, and reading it makes it sound too muddled, but in the glass it is captivating. I can see through the wine, but there’s a telltale ruby rim. The palate is similar to my aroma notes, almost too many flavours to mention, but it has a creaminess and lovely baked goods element too. Maybe that’s just the Malo. Whatever it is, with the way the acid is present too, it’s so good. Beautiful wine." - Notes from Ben Knight (benandwine.com)
Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2022 - $125 on special this week; $142 RRP
"Medium depth red-purple colour with a complex and lifted floral/pepper/mixed spice, graphite and violet bouquet, a trace of blueberry too, the palate intense and medium bodied, with ample fine-grained tannins and appealing balance. Seamless, harmonious wine with a lingering farewell. A wine of purity and unalloyed beauty. (5% co-fermented viognier)" - 97 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Wild Duck Creek Reserve Shiraz 2022 - $130 on special this week; $149 RRP
"No stone is left unturned in the production of Shiraz Reserve. The vineyards are cared for meticulously through hard cane pruning, shoot thinning in spring, under-vine mulching, as well as fruit thinning if needed at veraison to control yield and separate bunches. The fruit is then partly destemmed, often using up to 50% whole bunches in the ferment to create layers of texture, slow down fermentation and control temperature. The resulting wine is then basket pressed into 100% new French oak barriques where it will lay for up to 27 months depending on the vintage." - Winemaker Notes
Standish 'The Standish' Shiraz 2022 - $140 on special this week; $155 RRP
“The 2022 'The Standish' Shiraz is again providing me with the opportunity to assess bottles two days apart, and how different they are. The freshly opened bottle, as we would all experience upon our first opening, is tight and fresh, with cracked fennel seed, black peppercorns, cumin and ras el'hanout, then dried blueberries and licorice, hints of arnica and raspberry. It's cool and mineral, with a graphite finish. I cannot overstate how much better the wine tastes after two days. All of the edges smooth out, and it is composed and complete ... what a wine. Balance and harmony in a single swoop. It's savory, though. Super. 14.9% alcohol, sealed under natural cork and foil.” - 98 Points, Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
Two Hands Yacca Block Single Vineyard Shiraz 2012 - $160 on special this week; $185 RRP
I love the fact that you can drive 12 minutes due east of the winery and it feels like you have driven a world away. Surrounded by rolling hills, gum trees, pastures and 500 year old Yacca plants. This site has a special feeling, it is incredibly peaceful and serene. From a winemaker’s point of view the soil composition is so interesting, ancient and full of decomposing rock, and then of course we come to the wine. Not as bold or as rich as the Western Ranges yet more detailed, finer and more aromatic." - Winemaker Notes
Deep, bright purple. Powerful mineral- and spice-tinged black and blue fruit scents are complemented by cola, candied licorice, violet face powder and vanilla. Distinctly lively for its power, offering sweet blackcurrant and fruitcake flavors and an exotic Indian spice quality. Shows superb intensity and thrust on the finish, which is firmed by broad, velvety tannins that fade into the wine's plush fruit." - 94 Points, Josh Raynolds, Vinous
If you wish to buy any of these wines, please use the links above ? Alternatively, email us at sales@thewineemporium.com.au, or contact us on (07)32521117 if you have any questions. // Prices valid until Thursday the 1st of August