Our Best Australian Shiraz

 Alan Cooper, Founder & Vigneron “Very much typical of our Syrah from a cooler year, aromatic on the nose, savoury spice and a fine dusting of black pepper to finish. The essence of granite. Focussed and expressive of our amazing terroir. The classic iron fist in a velvet glove. Huge latent power and structure to burn. This wine will reward you even more with age!”

Gourmet Traveller Wine 'Best buy wines over $30'  "It’s really hard not to think of the great syrahs of the northern Rhône (St-Joseph, Hermitage) when tasting this exceptional, nervy, peppery, thrillingly dark-fruited syrah. And even harder to ignore what great value it is in comparison to them."

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Mike Bennie (The Wine Front) "Jaysen Collins from Massena, well, he is his own man, but that’s his day job, doing a side project here. Or is Massena the side project? No matter. Some great wines emerging from this label, reminiscent of Standish in some respects, power but elegance, shaped by tannins, and the like, but wholly its own thing too. The last JC’s shiraz wine reviewed here was 2016 and from Stonewall, this from Greenock and 2017. Bold, brash, assertive red of booze-soaked stewed berries, sweet spice, earthy savouriness, brined black olives with a match between the fog of scent and wall of flavour. A freight train through the palate but finds graphite-licked tannin plumes and good shape with a surprisingly fresh and buoyant finish. Yes, a big red, but finds a groove, indeed, carves one out and leaves a lingering train of autumnal but sweet flavours. It’s a pretty darn epic wine here."

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94 Points - Mike Bennie  "Boozey scents, boozey flavours, but also a silkiness, glycerol of course, expected, really concentrated, sweet fruited, blackberry jam, black fruit pastille lollies, some nougat and sweet nuttiness too. Flow is sumptuous and supple, lush, incredibly flowing, with a pinch of gummy tannins long, long away. Does the job of everything in portion pretty well. Just huge."

Jay Miller (robertparker.com) "The vintage was an excellent one, not quite as exceptional as 2005, but there may be cases in which selected 2006s may eventually outshine their 2005 counterparts. All of the 2006's fell within their predicted ranges (mostly near the high end) so I will keep my comments brief. Clarendon Hills 2006 Syrahs are superb. They appear to be less structured and more forward than the 2005's and will be more approachable early on." 

97+ Points - Stuart McCloskey “Sourced from the Howard family Somerset Vineyard and a blend of three slopes: Eastern, Northern and Western – planted 1966, 1968, and 1970. Warm earth, dried spices, raspberry, green olives and vanilla waft from the glass. Medium-bodied, layered, elegant and immensely appealing. The tannins are super-fine and meld beautifully with the fruit, which is ripe, crunchy and juicy. I love the subtle star anise, spice, liquorice, touches of violet and toast which I imagine emanates from the French oak in which the wine rested for 16 months. Incredible length and finely polished – sensitive winemaking and will drink beautifully over the next decade. Ideally, leave this in the cellar for 3-5 years. Served in Zalto Bordeaux glassware”

  International Wine & Spirits Competition Gold Medal 2019

97+/98+ Points - Stuart McCloskey “A pure bouquet of blackberry intermixed with warm, dry earth, musky herbs, menthol, graphite and pen ink. To be honest, you would run out of superlatives as the bouquet is endless and constantly changes with more aeration. The tannins are a touch chalky contrasted with magnificent layers of perfectly ripe, black fruits. Far from being heavy or clumsy – quite the contrary. A shrill of redcurrant on the entry followed by a wave of brooding, briary fruit laced with sweet spices falling to Provençal herbs and touches of menthol. The Mount Edelstone connection (one of Australia’s greatest single-vineyard wines) plays a significant role, but I wonder how much nature has shaped this wine? So natural and so effortless. A remarkable wine…Decanted for 4 hours and served using Zalto Bordeaux Glassware. Drink now or over the next decade and beyond.”

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Mike Bennie, The Wine Front "Big, heady, dark and powerful red wine. Scents of clove, mint, cocoa powder, ripe plums. Supple, soft, decadent in the palate, molten tannins that pucker to close, a heady, rich, charismatic wash of chewy, dark plummy fruit, sweetness, ground nuts and cocoa powder again. A huge wine but in its stride. Good stuff."

Campbell Mattison, Wine Companion “Carbon copy of the excellent '15 release. Dark cherry-berry flavours, inlays of woodsy spices, mint and wood smoke as highlights. It's fresh, fleshy, pumped with fruit but more than a little savoury. It finishes firm and strong; it's in top form.”

Morgan Dunn, The Australian "White pepper and bold blue fruits on the nose with perhaps a nod to the northern Rhone with a bare hint of smoked meat and graphite. Dry tannins are regimental but not too serious; there’s focus and drive but the juiciness of the fruit and acidity add a playful element like sailors on shore leave."

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99 Points - Stuart McCloskey  “Sampled after 12 hours in the decanter. The bouquet mirrors my earlier note with pen ink, lead pencil, iron ore, graphite, warm earth, violets and dark plum – A touch more charge than Lamella. For me, the overriding factor being the coolness of fruit and the absolute purity which I find overwhelming. The palate follows that same tell-tale line of perfect symmetry. The fruit is concentrated and provides wonderful depth however, it’s the graceful character which knocks me back. The balance is truly beguiling with few global winemakers possessing the talents to handle the concentration whilst providing the effortless lift of a butterfly. I am genuinely in awe. Cooling as an evening breeze by the ocean shore. Truly special. Drinking now, but it’s a baby, to 2040+.” Tasted 24 Nov 2020