Description
From the ‘best Hunter Valley vintage since 1965’ comes possibly our best shiraz made to date.
Showcasing the terroir of the vineyard at work, and only produced in exceptional vintages, the best parcels of fruit from the Schoolhouse Block are hand-picked then fermented on skins for 14 days, 30% whole bunches, before being pressed into French oak puncheons (50% new) to mature over the next 12 months.
The wine spends are further 4 years maturing in bottle to let the flavours and aromas come together, backed by fine tannins and well-balanced acidity.
The 2014 Aristea Shiraz is a deep rich red wine with the balance, weight, concentration and power allowing development of wonderful complexity over many decades, demonstrating the heights that Shiraz can achieve in the Hunter Valley.
Only 150 cases produced.
James Halliday –
The top class vintage is developing precisely as a top class Hunter Valley shiraz should. The fruit is supple and smooth, the blackberry and black cherry flavours still pristine. The wine has decades of life in front of it. Exceptional.
98 points, drink to 2064.
Huon Hooke –
Medium to deep red colour with a trace of purple in the rim and a rich, chocolate and smoked charcuterie bouquet; earthy, sooty and intriguingly complex. Some charred oak and coffee grounds nuances. The wine is full-bodied and rich, with greater density and concentration than the cheaper Glenguin shirazes, and similar savouriness.
92 points