Screwcap. Bright and dark magenta, retaining a strong purple hue. No bricking.
Some blocky reduction at first, then the wine opens up quickly with a fresh cherry and raspberry aroma. Almost a menthol-like lift, but not exactly menthol or mint. A delicate nutmeg earthiness in the mix as well.
The somewhat delicate, fruit-driven, palate is pure, fine, and long. The tannins are fine and grippy, yet the wine is primarily framed by acid, finishing with genuine fruitiness and freshness.
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Good showing. PnP. Bright red fruits lead to a mid-weight palate which has a nice mouth feel leading to a decent length on the finish. There are sweet fruit flavours on the palate which are balanced against the overall structure. Drink or hold.
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There's not a great deal there on the nose. Colour is burgundy red. Its in pretty good shape with barely any visual signs of aging. Small amount of very light sediment in the bottle. Slight leather and cherry/raspberry red fruits coming through with medium intensity which feels right. Not overly complex on the pallet but the finish has some interest. Still very much medium bodied with the leather and left over tannin giving enjoyable texture and mouth feel. I was initially disappointed but it kept getting better through the night. Definitely needed the decant, seemed to show well after around 2 hours.
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Stevens is always really good value. This '09 is already starting to show some signs of tertiary development. Leather, red, raspberry-esque fruit and some subtle spice. Not groundbreaking but solid performer year on year
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Agree with grameg's and David Cooper's notes, this was shut down a bit. Still quite tasty last night, with wonderful balance and flavours but not the intensity of the past. Unfortunately, I don't have another bottle left, so I'll never know if it blossoms again (and I expect it will) (B+).
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{screwcap, 13%} Well, this saw plenty of air, but never really emerged from a fairly sullen shell. Everything about it said outstanding; nicely balanced structure, ripe - not too much - red fruit with a faintly earthy twist, finest of gritty tannins. It just refused to blossom. Makes me think the 09 vintage needs a lot of time, and then a decent decant. The wine will only ever be medium-bodied, but on this showing there was a distinct sense of meeting a supermodel at aged 9...
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Lovely style, Tyrrell's really are quite masterful in the Hunter, but some over-ripe fruit in the mix, although the overall wine is fresh and medium bodied. Starting to show signs of maturity, more than I expected for a barely 7 year old Hunter (under screw cap). Seems like a warm-hot climate wine in a lithesome body. But then I was eating risotto primavera, with bolder food the wine would no doubt seem fresher.
Enjoyable now, and over the next 10? years.
13% ABV.
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Decanted 30mins. Lifted red fruits on the nose. The palate is mild mannered, but well poised. Balanced. Lovely mix of red fruits, acids, mild oak, and soft tannins. There'a a savoury element which adds complexity. Happy to drink or hold further.
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A very interesting wine - it almost smells and tastes with its lifted raspberry aspects like it has had some grenache blended in. Raspberry, boysenberry, plum, spice, earth and vanilla. Elegant and pure but perhaps lacking a little length and fruit intensity. Soft tannins. Very pleasant and easy to drink - needs some food to be at its best - but a bit forgettable.
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Colour: Nose: black cherry, raspberry, damson plum. Sour cherry. Cherry syrup. Sweet spice. Old oak. Rich, complex. Palate: black cherry, raspberry, plum. Cassis, cherry syrup. Molasses. Lots of rich black fruit. A touch of sweet spice and old oak. Savoury, with a tobacco and earthy notes. Medium bodies and elegant. Fresh very lively berry like acidity, smooth mild fine grained tannins - v soft. Complex, and very long on the palate.
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On the nose there's charred wood, leather, cassis, eucalyptus & ripe berries ~ The palate is full bodied with moderate tannins & moderate acidity but this wine is juicy with flavors of ripe strawberry, dark cocoa, plums, iron & coffee ~ Great length & intensity
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18C seems too cold for this - somewhat sweet red berry fruit that seems muted, lavender;loads of sweet oak on the palate - not crass vanillin, it's good vanilla, but it overwhelms the fruit - absolutely smothered in oak. Good acidity, gentle slightly silty tannins. What a shame that the intrinsic Hunter Valley character of the Stevens Old Vine vineyard Shiraz has been drenched in the flavours of a French oak forest.
Colour: purple red, almost fading to brick red at rim, v.dark. Nose: warm flinty stones, warm plums. V.subtle cedary oak notes with air. Dried spice (cinnamon?), leather. Earthy. Plum stones. Stern & stoney, powerful but elegant. Palate: Plums, warm stones, rhubarb, cranberry?, savoury dark fruit. smokey tobacco (esp in empty glass). Stern but elegant. V.young, will probably age well? Med bodied. Acidity fresh & minerally. Tannins firm but not obtrusive. Opens up with air, becomes smoother.
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NobleRottersSydney - Current Release Reds (Alio's, Surry Hills): [13%, screwcap, A$35] {Graeme} Youthful nose of pepper and spice and sand. You can’t smell sand; it’s more like clean earth. Wholesome. Another medium-bodied palate here, with intense spiced cherry fruits, no evidence of oak, some gritty but fine grape tannins, and a sinewy, savoury texture. All of the front, mid and back palate are engaged with the perfectly ripe fruit; the finish is long and dry and just waiting to develop. This confirms my tasting from 6 months ago, and supports my theory to buy all the medium-weight 2009 Hunters you can find. Will be transcendent with time.
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Notes from the second night. Medium in colour. Nice earthy nose, with a hint of barnyard, leather and pine. 'graemeg' nailed the palate: there's a nice silky texture, slight tannins, good acidity, medium bodied, with nice elegance, but good purity and concentration as well. Plums, leather and blackberries are the main features. Definitely not a South Australian style. I voted with my wallet - went out and bought more (on sale) (A-)!
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I like this wine. Nice fruit - hints of blueberry and red fruit. Very smooth. It is restrained and elegant - not your typical in-your-face Australian Shiraz. Label reports 13% alcohol and this seems in the ballpark. Oak is integrated. An unexpected pleasure.
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Tyrrells Private Bins - 2010 reds & 2011 whites (Epping RSL, Sydney): {screwcap, 13%, A$36} Trailing a vintage behind, this is from the remaining fruit in the clay/loam soils of the Old Hillside vineyard, and represents a more modern take on Hunter shiraz, with 30% seeing new oak barriques, and the rest in large newish casks. The nose is considerably more intense than the 2010 wines, with dark currant and blackberry aromas. The palate is silkily-textured, courtesy of medium powdery tannins and a seasoning of oak, but the acid is always present, keeping things lively and fresh. At least medium-bodied in weight, but never hot on the palate, this has a balanced, dry, medium-long finish. An impeccably-sized wine, and excellent value for money. Ought to sail through ten years in the cellar and be better for it. A buy for me.
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Three days in the Hunter Valley, 13 Cellar Doors, 115 wines; 2/24/2011-2/26/2011 (Hunter Valley, Australia): 13% and $45 for this one. Rich and big aromas of reduced blackberry, but not over the top at all. Pretty toned down, also expressing some mild chocolate. Bigger again on the palate, but some soil dryness keeps this in check. Gets quite good as it stays on the palate, which is complex and drying. The finish is big and drying, a bit rich, but it does balance out with some rocks as well. 90+
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6/10/2021 - mphatic wrote:
Screwcap. Bright and dark magenta, retaining a strong purple hue. No bricking.
Some blocky reduction at first, then the wine opens up quickly with a fresh cherry and raspberry aroma. Almost a menthol-like lift, but not exactly menthol or mint. A delicate nutmeg earthiness in the mix as well.
The somewhat delicate, fruit-driven, palate is pure, fine, and long. The tannins are fine and grippy, yet the wine is primarily framed by acid, finishing with genuine fruitiness and freshness.
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6/6/2019 - fizz wrote:
Good showing. PnP. Bright red fruits lead to a mid-weight palate which has a nice mouth feel leading to a decent length on the finish. There are sweet fruit flavours on the palate which are balanced against the overall structure. Drink or hold.
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4/10/2019 - NoDivision Likes this wine: 90 Points
There's not a great deal there on the nose. Colour is burgundy red. Its in pretty good shape with barely any visual signs of aging. Small amount of very light sediment in the bottle. Slight leather and cherry/raspberry red fruits coming through with medium intensity which feels right. Not overly complex on the pallet but the finish has some interest. Still very much medium bodied with the leather and left over tannin giving enjoyable texture and mouth feel. I was initially disappointed but it kept getting better through the night. Definitely needed the decant, seemed to show well after around 2 hours.
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8/8/2018 - Gritty Likes this wine: 92 Points
Delicious midweight Shiraz. Agree with others, might still be a bit too early for this.
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9/10/2017 - Julian B Likes this wine: 94 Points
Day 2 this was superb and still very primary. So either a long decant or at least another five years+
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5/13/2017 - Jimmy_D wrote: 91 Points
Stevens is always really good value. This '09 is already starting to show some signs of tertiary development. Leather, red, raspberry-esque fruit and some subtle spice. Not groundbreaking but solid performer year on year
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9/10/2016 - JohnSh wrote: 89 Points
Agree with grameg's and David Cooper's notes, this was shut down a bit. Still quite tasty last night, with wonderful balance and flavours but not the intensity of the past. Unfortunately, I don't have another bottle left, so I'll never know if it blossoms again (and I expect it will) (B+).
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9/9/2016 - graemeg wrote:
{screwcap, 13%} Well, this saw plenty of air, but never really emerged from a fairly sullen shell. Everything about it said outstanding; nicely balanced structure, ripe - not too much - red fruit with a faintly earthy twist, finest of gritty tannins. It just refused to blossom. Makes me think the 09 vintage needs a lot of time, and then a decent decant. The wine will only ever be medium-bodied, but on this showing there was a distinct sense of meeting a supermodel at aged 9...
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6/7/2016 - David J Cooper wrote: 89 Points
Medium red. Purple fruit, burnt earth, not ripe or too intense. Delicious mid weight flavours and a dry precise finish. Very restrained 13% alc.
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1/31/2016 - ProfByron Likes this wine: 90 Points
Lovely style, Tyrrell's really are quite masterful in the Hunter, but some over-ripe fruit in the mix, although the overall wine is fresh and medium bodied. Starting to show signs of maturity, more than I expected for a barely 7 year old Hunter (under screw cap). Seems like a warm-hot climate wine in a lithesome body. But then I was eating risotto primavera, with bolder food the wine would no doubt seem fresher.
Enjoyable now, and over the next 10? years.
13% ABV.
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12/13/2015 - fizz wrote: 90 Points
Decanted 30mins. Lifted red fruits on the nose. The palate is mild mannered, but well poised. Balanced. Lovely mix of red fruits, acids, mild oak, and soft tannins. There'a a savoury element which adds complexity. Happy to drink or hold further.
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9/20/2015 - azzah Likes this wine: 91 Points
A very interesting wine - it almost smells and tastes with its lifted raspberry aspects like it has had some grenache blended in. Raspberry, boysenberry, plum, spice, earth and vanilla. Elegant and pure but perhaps lacking a little length and fruit intensity. Soft tannins. Very pleasant and easy to drink - needs some food to be at its best - but a bit forgettable.
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7/3/2015 - penguinoid Likes this wine:
Colour:
Nose: black cherry, raspberry, damson plum. Sour cherry. Cherry syrup. Sweet spice. Old oak. Rich, complex.
Palate: black cherry, raspberry, plum. Cassis, cherry syrup. Molasses. Lots of rich black fruit. A touch of sweet spice and old oak. Savoury, with a tobacco and earthy notes. Medium bodies and elegant. Fresh very lively berry like acidity, smooth mild fine grained tannins - v soft. Complex, and very long on the palate.
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2/14/2014 - Yankee wrote: 90 Points
On the nose there's charred wood, leather, cassis, eucalyptus & ripe berries ~ The palate is full bodied with moderate tannins & moderate acidity but this wine is juicy with flavors of ripe strawberry, dark cocoa, plums, iron & coffee ~ Great length & intensity
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11/10/2012 - Bearbus wrote:
18C seems too cold for this - somewhat sweet red berry fruit that seems muted, lavender;loads of sweet oak on the palate - not crass vanillin, it's good vanilla, but it overwhelms the fruit - absolutely smothered in oak. Good acidity, gentle slightly silty tannins. What a shame that the intrinsic Hunter Valley character of the Stevens Old Vine vineyard Shiraz has been drenched in the flavours of a French oak forest.
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10/7/2012 - penguinoid wrote:
Colour: purple red, almost fading to brick red at rim, v.dark.
Nose: warm flinty stones, warm plums. V.subtle cedary oak notes with air. Dried spice (cinnamon?), leather. Earthy. Plum stones. Stern & stoney, powerful but elegant.
Palate: Plums, warm stones, rhubarb, cranberry?, savoury dark fruit. smokey tobacco (esp in empty glass). Stern but elegant. V.young, will probably age well? Med bodied.
Acidity fresh & minerally. Tannins firm but not obtrusive. Opens up with air, becomes smoother.
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9/7/2012 - rbergy Likes this wine: 86 Points
bit too acidic, otherwise very nice
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3/5/2012 - graemeg wrote:
NobleRottersSydney - Current Release Reds (Alio's, Surry Hills): [13%, screwcap, A$35] {Graeme} Youthful nose of pepper and spice and sand. You can’t smell sand; it’s more like clean earth. Wholesome. Another medium-bodied palate here, with intense spiced cherry fruits, no evidence of oak, some gritty but fine grape tannins, and a sinewy, savoury texture. All of the front, mid and back palate are engaged with the perfectly ripe fruit; the finish is long and dry and just waiting to develop. This confirms my tasting from 6 months ago, and supports my theory to buy all the medium-weight 2009 Hunters you can find. Will be transcendent with time.
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2/8/2012 - JohnSh wrote: 92 Points
Notes from the second night. Medium in colour. Nice earthy nose, with a hint of barnyard, leather and pine. 'graemeg' nailed the palate: there's a nice silky texture, slight tannins, good acidity, medium bodied, with nice elegance, but good purity and concentration as well. Plums, leather and blackberries are the main features. Definitely not a South Australian style. I voted with my wallet - went out and bought more (on sale) (A-)!
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2/4/2012 - saturnaisland wrote: 93 Points
I like this wine. Nice fruit - hints of blueberry and red fruit. Very smooth. It is restrained and elegant - not your typical in-your-face Australian Shiraz. Label reports 13% alcohol and this seems in the ballpark. Oak is integrated. An unexpected pleasure.
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9/17/2011 - graemeg wrote:
Tyrrells Private Bins - 2010 reds & 2011 whites (Epping RSL, Sydney): {screwcap, 13%, A$36} Trailing a vintage behind, this is from the remaining fruit in the clay/loam soils of the Old Hillside vineyard, and represents a more modern take on Hunter shiraz, with 30% seeing new oak barriques, and the rest in large newish casks. The nose is considerably more intense than the 2010 wines, with dark currant and blackberry aromas. The palate is silkily-textured, courtesy of medium powdery tannins and a seasoning of oak, but the acid is always present, keeping things lively and fresh. At least medium-bodied in weight, but never hot on the palate, this has a balanced, dry, medium-long finish. An impeccably-sized wine, and excellent value for money. Ought to sail through ten years in the cellar and be better for it. A buy for me.
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2/25/2011 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 90 Points
Three days in the Hunter Valley, 13 Cellar Doors, 115 wines; 2/24/2011-2/26/2011 (Hunter Valley, Australia): 13% and $45 for this one. Rich and big aromas of reduced blackberry, but not over the top at all. Pretty toned down, also expressing some mild chocolate. Bigger again on the palate, but some soil dryness keeps this in check. Gets quite good as it stays on the palate, which is complex and drying. The finish is big and drying, a bit rich, but it does balance out with some rocks as well. 90+
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