“94 points”
“One for the cellars. Has supreme depth and carriage of flavour, grooves of tannin, supple finish. Stains the palate with its powerful, inky, dark fruit and dried fruit spice. Oak gives structure and more depth. A rich, potent wine of balance and magnitude.”
Mike Bennie, WBM, Jan/Feb 2016
“92 points, 4 stars”
“Big rich shiraz from old vines is the Aberfeldy style, but this one is also balanced and elegant with acidity keeping it light on its feet. Softly ripe chocolaty bouquet red berry fruit flavours dominating the palate. Great structure.”
Huon Hooke, Gourmet Traveller Wine, 100 Top New Releases, Feb/March 2016
“94 points”
“I often think of The Aberfeldy as being like the Clare Valley’s Grange. Aside from the fact that it’s from a single region, and much less than one tenth of the price. It’s a flagship wine that’s easy enough to enjoy now, or much later. Blackberry, dark cherry, cloves, sage, coconut, dark mint chocolate, spice – it’s all go. Full bodied, lush smooth tannin, silky feel with rich fruit, backed with toasty spiced oak. Smooth powdery tannin carries the finish long, and while there’s a little warmth, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Does that make sense? Well, at least it sounds impressive. As is the wine. Closure: Screwcap. Drink: 2015 – 2028.”
Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, www.winefront.com.au, 20 Oct 2015
“Langton’s Classification VI: Excellent”
“The intensely-perfumed and muscular Aberfeldy Shiraz reflects the character of vineyard site as much as the personality of winemaker Tim Adams. The 1.6 hectare Aberfeldy Vineyard includes a large proportion of dry-grown, colonial vine stock planted by Wendouree’s Alfred Percy Birks in 1904. This ancient genetic material produces large berries and very high seed content. Vinification takes place in closed fermenters and is followed by 24 months maturation in new American oak. The rich, buoyant and spicy Aberfeldy Shiraz is a deeply-concentrated, opulent style with blackberry aromas, malty/cedary oak and a firm tannin kick. The under-lying muscularity of structure is reminiscent of the Wendouree style.”
“One of Best Wineries of the Regions, 5 black stars”
James Halliday’s Wine Companion 2016
“One of the Best Producers of Syrah/Shiraz”
Oz Clarke’s Pocket Wine Book 2015
94 points, 5 stars
Clare Valley, A$60
“This is a seriously old-vine shiraz that’s generous and characterful but not a blockbuster. While concentrated, it doesn’t labour the point. Dried herbs over blackberry and savoury oak-matured aromas; great density and subtle power. Cellaring: 15 years.” Huon Hooke
93 points – Jeremy Oliver says: Tim Adams Aberfeldy Shiraz is long and elegant, with a musky bouquet of intense, jujube-like black and red berries, dark plums and briar, with fresh cedar, vanilla and bubblegum-like oak lifted by a whiff of violet and backed by notes of mint and animal hide. Generous and juicy, it’s smooth and chocolatey, with a deep presence of dark berry, cherry and plum-like flavour framed by fine, silky tannins and backed by nuances of dried herbs and menthol.Tyson Stelzer
The Aberfeldy vineyard is a unique site – friable red loam over limestone nestled at the bottom of the easternmost hills of the Clare Valley, just five kilometres south-east of the township of Clare. When the Birks family of Wendouree fame settled the area they planted this site with shiraz in 1904. Many of these vines remain and those which have perished have been replaced with rootlings of the same clones. The cropping level in the vineyard is never more than 1.5 tonnes per acre, producing grapes with intense colour, flavour and tannins. This fruit is the backbone of The Aberfeldy Shiraz.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.