Il Marroneto - Hentley Farm

Barossa Super 100 Classification – Wines over $100

With over 100 wines featured in the Classification the list represents the depth of collectable wines of distinction being made in Australia’s most famous wine region.

96 Points - James Halliday

Made in the same way as Clos Otto other than 9 days on skins and maturation in American oak (50% new). The American oak is much more assertive than French, its signal soaring on the first whiff, likewise the first sip. It works well here, tipping its hat to Grange, the flavours coating every corner of the mouth, yet doesn't overstay its welcome. And it pays no attention whatsoever to its alcohol.

Barossa Super 100 Classification – Wines over $100

With over 100 wines featured in the Classification the list represents the depth of collectable wines of distinction being made in Australia’s most famous wine region.

97 Points - James Halliday

Individual estate parcels, machine-harvested, destemmed and crushed, open-fermented with cultured yeast, 8 days on skins, matured in French oak (70% new) for 22 months, blended after 6 months in oak. An exotic bouquet with new shoe leather and a sprinkle of sultry spices, the full-bodied palate with supple blackberry fruits to the fore and an underlay of integrated French oak. There is a finesse to the overall texture, structure and flavour that is remarkable.

Barossa Super 100 Classification – Wines over $100

With over 100 wines featured in the Classification the list represents the depth of collectable wines of distinction being made in Australia’s most famous wine region.

97 Points - James Halliday

A 67/33% blend, fermented separately, 9 days on skins, matured for 22 months in French oak (50% new), blended after 6 months in oak. As expected, a very complex wine, the complexity primarily coming from the duel between blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, oak a second for both parties. So yes, oak is obvious, yet integrated, and impossible to dislike. The tannins are impeccable in usual Hentley Farm style, and when you wrap it all up, it's irresistible.

Joe Czerwinski (RobertParker.com) "Showing a bit more vibrance and intensity than the 2015, Hentley Farm's 2016 Shiraz The Beauty is a winning medley of raspberries and blueberries, all wrapped in a subtle oak blanket. It's full-bodied and spicy, showing a bit of exotic stone fruit on the palate, then fades slowly on a frame of dry, silky tannins."

James Halliday "Almost opaque purple-red. Ripe black fruit with a ripple of raspberry brightness that stops it from straying off-line. Oak is prominent (35% new French), but sits into the fruit leaving a ribbon of vanilla mingling with the soft tannin finish. The 3% co-fermented viognier, invisible."

**Available for delivery End January 2020**

93 Points - James Halliday

97% shiraz, 3% viognier, the primary ferment in tank, the second in bottle. Sparkling red wines are often too sweet to cover up phenolics extracted in the first ferment, but contrary to expectations, this wine (disgorged Dec '18) is luscious and well balanced.

93+ Points - Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)

In a word: it’s rich. But then: it finishes dry, almost sinewy. It’s an unusual sparkling red. Full of blackberry and saturated plum and then liberally dosed with coffeed, (dark) chocolatey oak. It really pours it on. There’s a dusty, earthen, leathery quality to the finish; and an unusual degree of tannin. Alcohol warmth plays a role too. Hedonistic, without question. Clean. Determined. And generous. It’s good to go now but (especially given the crown seal) there’s no reason why this won’t perform well in the cellar too. It’s one of the best examples of the style on the market right now.

Robert Parker "Revealing a cooler climate style, the 2004 Shiraz reveals abundant richness, but more nuances as well as a more streamlined character, which Europhiles will find more palatable than the bigger-than-life 2003. The 2004 should drink well young, yet age nicely for 10-12 years. This red is a concentrated, full-throttle effort representing a classic example of Barossa winemaking, and, like so many Australian and New Zealand wines, it is finished with a screw cap."

James Halliday "Medium to full red-purple; medium-bodied, and quite elegant, with gently savoury/earthy edges to the spicy/black fruits."

94 Points - Stuart McCloskey "Utterly delicious and drinks beautifully now. Crème de Cassis, blackcurrant and a touch of pencil shavings on the nose. Medium bodied with a gorgeous smorgasbord of crisp red and black fruits. The tannins are silky and the finish is long - Such wonderful purity."

Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Companion) "In some ways it's light and juicy, in others it's every bit a child of the Barossa. It tastes of asphalt, blackberry and gum leaves, and is firm through the finish, but it's not heavy and indeed generally feels effortless."

Tasting note coming soon...

96 Points, Star for Special Value - James Halliday "You see the attention to detail with this wine: 94% on skins for 6 days, 6% for 52 days, all picking batches kept separate, matured in used oak for 7 months. This is space age Barossa Valley grenache, showing it is possible to make great wine at 13.5% alcohol without any confection/Turkish delight characters, just a delicious flower vase collection of red fruits. Big time bargain."

Tasting note coming soon...