Ranked #30 of 44 2016 Shiraz from Clare Valley
89/100
3.5 Stars
Huon Hooke
Very deep red colour with a good tint of purple, quite youthful for its years. The bouquet is dominated at first sniff by coconutty (American?) oak. Cloves and peppercorns too. The wine is muscular, full-bodied and a little hollow in the centre, while the texture is very firm and a bit stern, with solid Clare Valley tannins. Oak is playing a major role. There's a lot of dark chocolate and mocha. It's a little tough, and needs the softening effect of protein-rich food. I would cellar this for several more years before starting to drink it.
Tasted: 26/05/2020
Drink: 2022 to 2032
92 Points James Halliday
It's a battle between ripe fruit and sweet oak here. Aromas of blackberry and other dark fruits are prominent, but the mocha-chocolate character from the wood is also much in play. In the mouth, it's a wine of density, with a tangy blackberry conserve flavour seeping into the palate and running into the finish, flanked by the insistent oak. Drink to 2030.
Steven Creber. July, 2021