| Community Tasting Notes (average 93.8 pts. and median of 94 pts. in 19 notes) - hiding notes with no text |
| | Tasted by djn63 on 9/2/2023 & rated 94 points: Getting better with life left in it (601 views) |
| | Tasted by chrisb2096 on 5/7/2023 & rated 94 points: On first opening showed quite a bit of earth & leather. Almost bordering on what seemed like Brett. After an hour or so however the fruit came to the fore. In a good spot with still some upside i reckon (536 views) |
| | Tasted by KiVi on 4/30/2023: Wonderful Shiraz with good concentration and length. Plenty of fruit still but drinking well now. (775 views) |
| | Tasted by aarone3333 on 4/23/2023 & rated 95 points: Bright crimson, slightly darker than most vintages of this wine. Starting to show some classic Hunter earthy notes, leather, red berries, mulberry.
Powerful and intense but medium bodied, just entering its drinking window for me. A perfect example of the extra power and intensity of the14 vintage, but kept in check- no excess of fruit, oak or alcohol.
Long savoury, deliciously silky with a soft acid finish.
This will be a very long term wine, but glorious now, hard to fault. (582 views) |
| | Tasted by graemeg on 2/2/2022: NobleRottersSydney - blind 17 Chard & 14 Shiraz (Fix, St James, Sydney): {screwcap, 14.2%} Fairly light nose, and bit sappy and glue-like. I picked it for a McWilliams Hunter. Tight and earthy palate, low in powdery tannins but with medium/high acidity. Oak is condiment, not ingredient. Cherry-style fruit. Barely medium in weight. Wants time. Votes: one 1st (Aaron) (1231 views) |
| | Tasted by cogo44 on 9/27/2021 & rated 96 points: An intriguing nose showing hints of cocoa milk chocolate and a lovely note of violets and spice. As the wine opens up, a more evident note of cola comes through. I would have picked it as a Great Western shiraz especially when tasted. It is medium bodied with a long palate of seemless tannins supported by a very good acid profile. The fruit is well rounded with a lovely silky plum and spice flavour burst. What a difference to the more anaemic 2013 version! Not a traditional Hunter but not any the worse for it. (1177 views) |
| | Tasted by Bouddi26 on 7/31/2021 & rated 93 points: Medium dense red colour. Rich spicy Shiraz fruit nose. Luscious rich red fruit with a lingering long but mellow dry finish. Fruitier and more intense than I expected but great! Perfect with Peking Duck. I decanted half the bottle for 2 hours which resulted in more mellow characters but I think today I preferred straight from the bottle being more robust with greater fruit richness which probably matched the duck dish. (1177 views) |
| | Tasted by Bouddi26 on 7/8/2021 & rated 93 points: Bright light red colour. Simple clean red fruit nose showing slight aged characters. Light and lean with a rich spicy dry finish. Uncomplicated but enjoyable. Half the bottle decanted for 30 minutes which makes the wine more mellow compared with direct from the bottle. Good match with dinner of rich duck under Covid lockdown! (1181 views) |
| | Tasted by djn63 on 8/16/2020 & rated 93 points: Smooth. Length excellent. Soft tannins and decent soft fruit what vale this was/is (1237 views) |
| | Tasted by Jimmy_D on 4/4/2020 & rated 92 points: The intensity of the ‘14 vintage is immediately on show here. The nose on this is brooding to begin. So much more depth than the ‘11 tried last month. Rich black plums against a spicy backdrop. Great balance and length. Plenty of potential for improvement too. 92+ (1164 views) |
| | Tasted by Bouddi26 on 3/29/2020 & rated 95 points: Dense red/purple colour. Firm strong shiraz fruit nose. Rich red fruit, nicely balanced with a pleasing round dry tannin finish. Quite a big wine but with good credentials. Perfect with simple takeaway pizza in the era of COVID-19! (953 views) |
| | Tasted by Bsmith457 on 12/11/2019 & rated 95 points: Crimson purple colour. Medium aroma, More sweet then dry, plum and dark berries dominate, followed by sweet spice. Blackberry flavours with plum and raspberry. Milk chocolate with light spice. Tannins are extra fine, smooth and delicate. Acid is perfectly balanced. Not quite full bodied but close, long slightly dry finish.
A very nice wine and worthy of the 14 Hunter vintage. I haven’t tasted this wine from any other vintage so I am not sure how this stands out but it is a great wine. I will have to find some more. Still fresh and young, many years ahead of it. (858 views) |
| | Tasted by BPej on 4/9/2019 & rated 94 points: Really shines with air and was at it's best on day 2. It didn't make it to day 3. Showing plum, blackberry, terracotta pot, white pepper and violets. Not much more than medium weight with silky tannin and beautifully balanced acidity. Structure seemed to build over time. Great length. Beautiful now but I have no doubt it will a stunner in 15. (1251 views) |
| | Tasted by VinCapitan on 5/18/2017 & rated 91 points: boom bash whack, blackberry, little milk choc, cola , surprising. A little mechanical in the winemaking sense (1384 views) |
| | Tasted by Bouddi26 on 2/7/2017 & rated 94 points: Pretty bright red/purple in colour. Spicy fruit nose. Again spice on the palate, with a firm long dry finish. A wine with heritage reflecting "traditional" Hunter Shiraz. Needs more time to mellow and develop complexity. (1268 views) |
| | Tasted by Wozza on 2/22/2016 & rated 94 points: A classic in the making 94/100 (4.0/5.0) from me. I dipped my toe, buying two of these from myCellars at $35 a bottle purely on the strength of the winemaker, the 2014 Hunter Valley vintage (which many are saying is amazing), and on Gary Walsh's expert rave review (he scored it a 95+). It hails from the red volcanic soils of the 1968 Steven Vineyard in the Hunter, and you can tell.
There's boysenberries, spice and sweet ripe cherries on the bright smelling nose. The light to medium bodied palate follows those flavours with added plums and blackberries. And there's a light white pepper zing to the elegant finish. Michael De Iuliis says this will drink well young and reward the patient who can hold out for 10 yrs. I totally agree. That's me in for another 6 ... (1767 views) |
| | Tasted by tlm66 on 12/27/2015 & rated 93 points: PnP and consumed over 3 hours. Lovely wine. Medium bodied with a nice balance of red and dark fruit and acid and tannin. Pretty smooth right out of the bottle and mellowed a bit further over the hours. Ready to drink now with a little air though will certainly improve with some time (2-5 yrs). I do not think this is a long term ager though. These slightly lighter bodies spicier Hunter shirazes are really coming into their own. (1522 views) |
| | Tasted by catchnrelease on 11/24/2015 & rated 93 points: Medium bodied and a bit acidic at first but after an hour or two it settled and opened up to be a fantastic Hunter-ish red. I say Hunter-ish as the Hunter essence is only faintly there in the background. Far more purple than expected, with rich red and purple fruits and a bit of earth and olive. But regardless a well balanced, delicious red that will reward patience. Bottle was finished very very quickly! Add a few +++ to the score. (1330 views) |
