Ranked #9 of 143 2015 Shiraz from Barossa Valley
97/100
5 Stars
Huon Hooke
(It now has a bin number, for what it's worth: Bin 798) Glass-staining dense purple colour, with terrific saturation. It's very rich and ripe, concentrated and profound to sniff, but surprisingly less oaky than anticipated. The wine is massive and dense, full-bodied and powerful, tightly-packed and solid, with panforte, dark chocolate, fruitcake and sooty, tarry nuances. But the oak is superbly intertwined and does not stand out. The tannins are dense and smooth, coating the mouth. A top RWT.
Tasted: 29/09/2017
Drink: 2020 to 2050
95 Points Robert Parker
Very deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 RWT Shiraz leaps from the glass with expressive blackberries, black raspberries and wild blueberry notes plus underlying Indian spices, Sichuan pepper, forest floor and fertile loam notes with a waft of charcuterie. Full-bodied, rich and seductive in the mouth, it coats the palate with vibrant black berry and spicy layers, framed by firm, rounded tannins and finishing on a lingering earthy note. One for the long haul!
Source: Robert Parker (Robert Parker Wine Advocate) by Lisa Perrotti-Brown. October, 2017
97 Points James Halliday
Matured for 16 months in French hogsheads (83% new). All the power and glory of full-bodied Barossa Valley shiraz achieved at (relatively) modest alcohol. French oak is another plus for a wine stacked - with extreme care - full of dark fruits and ripe, rounded tannins. Makes winemaking look easy, which of course it isn't. Length is the key to a great wine. Drink to 2040.
Source: James Halliday.
96 Points Tyson Stelzer
16 months in 83% new French oak hogsheads
There is immediate allure to the 2015 Barossa harvest that brings to mind reflections of the epic 2010 – at once glossy and enticing and yet backed with beautifully enduring, fine-ground tannins. The result is one of the greats in the RWT lineage, packed with magnificent satsuma plum and blackberry presence, underscored by classy French oak and sustained by tannins that propagate until kingdom come. It needs time, and will reward.
96 points Drink 2030 - 2040.
Source: Tyson Stelzer.