Ranked #1 of 61 2004 Shiraz Viognier from Canberra District
96/100
5 Stars
Huon Hooke
A beautiful and fully mature wine, exceedingly complex, mellow and smelling and tasting for all the world like a mature Northern Rhône syrah such as a Chave Hermitage. As with some of those wines, though, there is a hint of brett, and this tended to become more evident with time in the glass. Meaty/spicy—unmistakeably syrah/shiraz. Gorgeous mouth-feel. A slightly controversial wine, which I loved. (Tasted at the 2022 Second Tuesday Club annual wine options game. A more developed wine than the October 6 bottle.)
Tasted: 08/11/2022
Drink: 2022 to 2022
97 Points Robert Parker
Medium garnet in color and still quite youthful on the nose with plenty of black cherry and blackberry preserves aromas, anise and dark chocolate plus a whiff of lavender, the 2004 Shiraz Viognier has tons of sweet fruit in the mouth filled out by plenty of spicy layers and packed into a very pure, elegant package shaped by very fine, medium level tannins. It finishes wonderfully balanced and long. Drink it now to 2020+.
Source: Robert Parker (Robert Parker Wine Advocate) by Lisa Perrotti-Brown. June, 2014
96 Points James Halliday
Spotlessly clean, lifted black cherry/blackberry and spice aromas, together with the unmistakable tang of Viognier; silky soft tannins, very good balance and length. Drink to 2015.
James Halliday. June, 2023
Sexy, exotic, and open-knit with a savory, expansive mouthfeel is the Burgundian-like 2004 Shiraz/Viognier. Soft, supple, and seductive, it reveals honeyed notes in the nose along with blackberry, cassis, and floral characteristics. This finesse-filled, hedonistically as well as intellectually satisfying Australian red should be drunk over the next 5-6 years. Distinctive, singularly-styled wines displaying abundant minerality along with striking aromatics, and nicely delineated, powerful but elegant flavors are the rule of thumb at this winery.Source: Robert Parker (Wine Advocate) October, 2005 by Robert Parker