Robert Oatley Limited Release Barossa Valley Shiraz 2018

"This is a superb Shiraz from a top year. It just oozes chocolate and class."  Ken Gargett
"Full-bodied and decadently rich. A totally delicious shiraz."  Huon Hooke
"A rich and lavish palate. This has great ageing potential."  Ray Jordan
"A wonderfully balanced and textural release."  Dave Brookes

Acclaimed vigneron Larry Cherubino and his team source fruit from a myriad of vineyards across key Australian wine regions for wines to be bottled under the Robert Oatley label. The 2018 Limited Release Barossa Valley Shiraz 2018 comes from a mix of vineyards in the Barossa and Eden Valleys with vine age ranging between twenty and sixty years.

"There is a gloriously decadent nose, plush with black fruits, black olives and chocolate. Finely balanced with serious concentration, a joy now but if you have good cellaring conditions, twenty years will be a doddle. Seamless, with an ideal acid/fruit balance, velvety tannins and great length, this is a superb Shiraz from a top year. It just oozes chocolate and class."  Ken Gargett

"Full-bodied, richly textured, densely flavoured. Selected low-yielding hand-harvested sites comprise this superlative regional blend, open fermented on skins for 4-6 weeks and aged for twelve months in new and 1 year old tight grained low toast French oak, prior to rigorous barrel selection to compile the ultimate Barossa Shiraz. Cellar: 15+ years."  Robert Oatley 

Expert reviews

"Always fascinating to compare the same wine from different vintages and the release of these two Barossa Shiraz, from 2017 and this one from 2018, allow us to do just that. As thoroughly impressive as the 2017 is, this wine wins hands down. But then, with 2018 such a superb vintage for the region, that is exactly what you’d expect. The sources of fruit for this wine, and the techniques employed by Larry Cherubino to make it, are the same for both vintages (a mix of vineyards from both the Barossa and Eden Valleys with vines ranging between twenty and sixty years of age, open fermented on skins for 4-6 weeks, and then aged in a mix of new and one-year-old tight-grained, low toast French oak barriques). The wine is black/purple in colour. There is a gloriously decadent nose, plush with black fruits, black olives and chocolate. Finely balanced with serious concentration, a joy now but if you have good cellaring conditions, twenty years will be a doddle. Seamless, with an ideal acid/fruit balance, velvety tannins and great length, this is a superb Shiraz from a top year. It just oozes chocolate and class. Drink: 2024-2036."  Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot - 97 points

"Very deep, youthful, rich red/purple colour and a similarly rich, ripe, layered bouquet of dark plum, pepper-spice, blackberry and dark chocolate, with a high note of oyster-shell. Full-bodied, decadently rich and supple in the mouth, the texture sliding gloriously across the palate. Long, harmonious follow-through. A totally delicious shiraz. Drink: 2021–2038."  Huon Hooke, The Real Review - 96 points

"The fruit for this refined example of Barossa shiraz from a marvelous vintage has come from a number of low-yielding sites in the Barossa and Eden Valleys. It would seem the cooler Eden Valley has contributed to the overall structure and graceful lines of the shiraz, while taking nothing from the traditional flavour profile that is Barossa. The wine went through largely traditional winemaking before heading into 12 months of low toast and significantly, very fine-grained French oak. Rich and lavish palate held with a fine focus as it extended effortlessly to a very long finish. This has great ageing potential. Drink: 2024 - 2036."  Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot – 96 points

"Larry Cherubino heads to the Barossa and Eden Valleys to source fruit for this deeply flavoured, limited-release wine. Glossy and elegant, the wine resonates with ripe satsuma plum, blackberry fruits and classy French oak nuance. The Barossa Valley provides the richness and horsepower and the cooler Eden Valley the graceful line. Tight fine tannin and drive. A wonderfully balanced and textural release."  Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion - 95 points