2022 Agricola Vintners Theel's Handfibel

Community Tasting Notes (2) Avg Score: 94.5 points

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View Cbanks's profile
  • Report Issue

  4/10/2024 - Cbanks wrote:

  SWIG - A blend of Ebenezer - from the Hoffman Dallwitz block vineyard that goes into Sami-Odi's wine - and the 158 year old vines of Asbroek's "Ancient" block (1864 vines), that has been historically tightly held by St. Hallett for decades as a core component of their Old Block Shiraz. Both outlined above. The label is an old alphabet chart from from the 1880s from a local school. Still settling into itself, this is a phenomenal blend of these two great, historical vineyards.
  2436 bottles made 13.5% alc. Drink now to 2045.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View Rote Kappelle's profile
  • Report Issue

  1/4/2024 - Rote Kappelle Likes this wine: 94 Points

  I will be very cautious about 2022 wines from pretty much anywhere in SE Oz but they may offer something interesting in commonly hotter areas like the Barossa. The vintage was basically cool, cloudy and damp. Cool in the Barossa is a relative term.
  
  I read some interesting things about this maker, including pedigree in the region and also a commitment to making wines expressive of their place and variety. They offer 3-4 wines, in very small quantities, all are Shiraz, all are 100% whole bunch and oak is very limited - about 10% new oak in this wine, in some others there is no new oak at all. This wine is a combination of several sites and features an extremely attractive and intriguing label.
  
  I was reading some Hemmingway Spanish Civil War stuff whilst I drank this and like the wine this was strong, beautifully crafted, memorable stuff. I was also put in mind of a friend of Hemmingway's in Spain, the former Saxon nobleman and WW1 veteran, author and art expert, Ludwig Renn. There is something enigmatic about this wine as there was about Renn and there is also something joyous and Bohemian, also like Renn.
  
  Renn had been imprisoned following the Nazis rise and as soon as he was released he went straight to Spain to join the fight, despite knowing what capture would mean for him. There is the uncompromising boldness of the man in this wine.
  
  This is a massive wine as you open it. There are ripe plums and some blackberry but a wonderful black pepper, roast meats and - if you like it- dark chocolate along with a lovely lick of crushed leaves and green tea. Tannins are certainly present, but they are supple and tasty. You don't often get these kind of tannins in Oz. The nose also has a gorgeous lift to it.
  
  Barossa with complexity and verve. Memorable. Like Hemmingway and Renn.

  5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment

Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.