Wolf Blass Grey Label Cabernet Shiraz 2018

Wolf Blass moved to Australia in 1961, accepting a job offer at Kaiser Stuhl. Wolf Blass Wines was born in an old shed on a hectare of land in the Barossa in 1973 and the wine industry in Australia changed overnight. That year, he produced his first Black Label red wine, the beginning of an extraordinary story. The Black label won the fabled Jimmy Watson Trophy three years in succession in 1974, 1975 and 1976, a feat still unequalled today. It is arguable whether Wolf Blass made the Jimmy Watson trophy famous or the Jimmy Watson trophy made Wolf Blass famous! 

"No winery has taken greater advantage of the quality fruit grown in Langhorne Creek than Wolf Blass, and nor has that fruit returned more impressive rewards than with the old master. Supple, delicious bright red berry notes, chocolate, raspberries, florals, warm earth and an overlay of well integrated, slightly toasty oak plus a hint of cassis. The wine shows impressive balance, lovely length and very soft tannins for drinking any time over the next decade. Terrific value."  Ken Gargett

The 2018 Wolf Blass Grey label Cabernet Shiraz is a blend of 51% Cabernet Shiraz and 49% Shiraz from Langhorne Creek. Matured in oak for fifteen months; 15% new French, 49% older French, 10% new American and 26% older American.

Expert reviews

"Very deep, dark purple/red colour. The aromas are shy but powerful and fresh, youthful, loaded with dark berry fruits and mocha. It's full-bodied and firm, with abundant tannins which are ripe and supple, running the full length of the palate. Rich, full-throated, loaded with raisin, fruitcake and panforte flavours. A very impressive, high-quality red destined for a long life. 2020–2038"  Huon Hooke, The Real Review - 95 points

"Langhorne Creek has been a key part of the Blass style from the time Blass the man himself started his first blends in the early 70s. The smooth supple elegance of the region is perfectly imparted on the palate while the ever so faint leafiness on the nose is a distinct regional character. It all comes together beautifully in a harmonious integrated wine. Drink: 2020-2034."  Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot – 95 points

"Langhorne Creek’s reputation for this classic Australian blend is well established, with Wolf Blass’s Grey and Black Label variations important contributors to the history. This is a 51:49 cabernet/shiraz combo that has spent about 15 months in a range of seasoned and new barrels, 2/3 French and 1/3 American, a key to the Wolf Blass house style at this more elite level. Of course, the result of that is here for all to see, but the intensity of the fruit does a great deal in balancing the impact. Langhorne Creek cabernet is highly regarded in its own right and leads the way here, black fruits with great depth of varietal character, developing savoury layers of olive and mocha. How, with so much going on in its structural department, this wine still has energy and fruit vitality is astounding, its fine finishing tannins teasing out further pleasure. A big bugger and played very well. Drink: 2022-2032."  Tony Love, Wine Pilot – 94 points

"No winery has taken greater advantage of the quality fruit grown in Langhorne Creek than Wolf Blass, and nor has that fruit returned more impressive rewards than with the old master. They have been linked since the 60s and 70s. This example of the traditional Aussie red blend, 51% Cab and 49% Shiraz, offers the usual supple, delicious bright red berry notes, chocolate, raspberries, florals, warm earth and an overlay of well integrated, slightly toasty oak plus a hint of cassis. The oak is 15% new French, 49% older French, 10% new American and 26% older American, for fifteen months. The wine shows impressive balance, lovely length and very soft tannins for drinking any time over the next decade. Terrific value."  Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot – 93 points

"Supple texture with a web of gummy, firming tannins. Sweet berries, plummy notes, black olive and faint eucalyptus characters with faint salted liquorice characters. Silky upfront, builds into that sense of pucker and chew to finish. Seasoned with clove oak judiciously and finishes slightly minty/eucalyptus lifted and also faintly salty. Feels fancy. Drink: 2020-2030+."  Mike Bennie, The Wine Front - 93 points

About Wolf Blass

Wolfgang Franz Otto Blass was born in Germany in 1934. After Wolf ran away from school, his parents gave him an ultimatum: start a 3-year winemaking apprenticeship or get back to class. And so began a journey that changed the winemaking world.

At the age of 20, Wolf graduated with a Master's in Oenology from Veitschoechheim-Wuerzberg and travelled to France to study champagne making. In 1959, he moved to England to study the art of blending. With his talent in winemaking discovered, Wolf Blass received job offers in Australia and Venezuela. He chose Australia, accepted a 3-year contract with Kaiser Stuhl as Sparkling Wines Manager, and moved to the Barossa Valley in 1961.

When his contract was complete, Wolf started working as a consultant to well-known wineries such as Woodleys, Normans, Basedows and the Clare Valley Co-operative for the princely sum of $2.50 per hour. In 1966, he also started making small parcels of his own wine, the first being 2,500 bottles of a blend of Shiraz from Langhorne Creek and a hogshead of Malbec from Best’s Great Western in Victoria – a wine he’d tasted and bought at the winery on the drive back from watching an AFL League Grand Final in Melbourne. The same year, he registered the business name "Bilyara" (the aboriginal name for "Eaglehawk").

In 1969, Wolf stopped consulting and took up a contract as manager/chief winemaker at Tolley Scott and Tolley. Within three years, Tolley’s became the most successful red wine producer in Australia. While working full time for Tolley’s, Wolf continued to make his own wines after hours, which eventually led to a confrontation with Tolley's management who saw this as a conflict of interest. In 1973 he was given an ultimatum: "Do you want to keep making your own wine, or do you want to work 100% for us?" He replied, "Give me one hour", got on the phone to his mates and said, "Look, I’m under pressure, vintage is coming up, they’re forcing me to decide. Can I crush grapes at your place?" His friends said, "Yeah, we’d love to help you", so he went back in the boardroom and told them to 'stick it up their arse.'

Wolf left Tolley's and, with a $2,000 overdraft, Wolf Blass Wines was born in an old shed on a hectare of land in the Barossa. That year he produced his first Black Label red wine, the beginning of an extraordinary story. The Black label won the fabled Jimmy Watson Trophy three years in succession in 1974, 1975 and 1976, a feat still unequalled today. It is arguable whether Wolf Blass made the Jimmy Watson trophy famous or the Jimmy Watson trophy made Wolf Blass famous!

 By 1975, Wolf Blass was dominating the wine shows, with a show success rate of approximately 80%. By 1996, Wolf Blass Wines had received over 3000 awards nationally and internationally, 170 trophies and over 900 gold medals. In his own style, he was quoted as saying. "My wines are sexy, they make strong men weak and weak women strong!"

In 1992, at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London, an independent panel of peers from the wine industry awarded Wolf Blass the Robert Mondavi trophy for "International Winemaker of the Year". This award was a fitting tribute to his success and focused attention on Wolf Blass Wines and the quality of the Australian wine industry. Eight years later, he won the prestigious Maurice O'Shea award for his contribution to the Australian wine industry.

On the eve of his 60th birthday, Wolf Blass established the Wolf Blass Foundation with an initial contribution of $1 million. The purpose of the Foundation is to facilitate study and reward achievements in all fields of the Australian wine industry: viticulture, winemaking, wine marketing, promotion and wine education.

"I was six feet tall when I came to Australia," he told the audience at his 80th birthday party, "They knocked me down to the jockey size I am today." It's a line he's been using for years. Always gets a laugh. Blass doesn't mind giving as good as he gets, and then some. At over 90, he's still sharp. "The critics are all gone and I'm still standing here."

As one of the true characters of the wine industry, Wolf is as famous for his snappy dressing and bow tie as the winery he founded! In his own style, he was quoted as saying. "My wines are sexy, they make strong men weak and weak women strong!"

The following article by Alicia-Lüdi Schutz appeared in The Barossa Mag (https://www.barossamag.com/thepeople/wolf-blass-the-maverick-the-mogul-the-man/)

He’s the name behind one of the most famous wineries in the country, an industry mogul whose personality is as big and bold as the internationally recognised wines he puts his name to.

Winemaking maverick, Mr Wolf Blass AM sits in the board room of his Hindmarsh Square Office, walls lined with accolades and images of memorable moments captured time.

It’s obvious he has earned the utmost respect from his peers.

On the board room table is memorabilia showcasing an incredible life, from a humble birth certificate dated September 2, 1934 Stadtilm, East Germany, through to extravagant 80th birthday celebration photographs and publications.

The collection is massive and tells the story of a wine industry character whose innovation and determination has helped bring the Barossa to the world stage alongside the likes of Penfold’s Max Schubert, Orlando’s Guenter Prass and Peter Lehmann whom he proudly called friends.

"Considering my age, there are not many of us around anymore!" Wolf says in his thick German accent, adding to his already larger than life personality.

Paging through hand written notes, he’s about to tell the story of his life in Australia, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm because he knows it’s a great tale.

It begins with a highly trained young German winemaker with a "Kellermeister" Diploma from Wurzburg Wine University, working in Bristol, England.

The year is 1960.

"I had an offer from Kaiser Stuhl or The Barossa Valley Co-operative. They were looking for somebody to generate the sparkling wine business in competition against Orlando’s Barossa Pearl," he explains. "That was the in thing at the time.

"I could have gone to Venezuela, I had an offer there… I was a bachelor, I thought there were some hot birds there but a revolution broke out and I looked at the Kaiser Stuhl, it appeared to me that it was a good jump professionally to gain another momentum in my life. I was 27 years of age, I thought probably Europe isn’t big enough for me."

In 1961, return ticket in hand, he set off to Nuriootpa having signed a three year contract as Sparkling Wines manager,

"The decision was right and I’ve still got the return ticket in my pocket – I’ve never used it!" a hearty laugh fills the room.

"I signed the contract not knowing what the company was all about, I thought it was a highly sophisticated technical company which it wasn’t. The company was broke, the co-operative was in big trouble.

"We had to build probably a fighting tank out of a sardine can because there was no money. You had to be really innovative as an individual to create things, that was a lot of fun suddenly.

"It was the beginning of a positive employment centre for the Barossa."

Wolf talks of the lack of co-operation between wine companies of that era, his monologue peppered with "bl***y" this and "bl***y" that, one of few words he says with an Aussie twang.

"As a winemaker, you weren’t even allowed to communicate with other winemakers, that’s how the industry was – you may exchange secrets! Of course, there was no such thing as a secret but it was an interesting period."

Enter the Friday night "Horse and Herring Club" – a social group Wolf instigated to create some camaraderie between winemakers from different wineries who would bring bottles of wine along to share.

"There was no delicatessen shops, nothing, the only thing was herring in tins and biscuits – that’s what we were eating and we had a punt on the horses at the weekend.

"We became socially engaged," he says, valuing the friendships made.

His three year contract now at an end, Wolf moved to Thebarton and worked as a freelance technical advisor seven days a week and clocking up thousands of kilometres in his 1957 VW Beetle serving well known wineries.

"I was working for $2.50 an hour!" says Wolf.

"I started as a consultant with overalls and rubber boots to convert these companies from port and sweet wines into table wines. It was a tough period."

The wines he was making for others were soon noticed by wine judges and critics.

It was on a wine tasting stop in Victoria’s Great Western region, during an annual trip to the Melbourne Football Grand Final with Nuriootpa Football Club friends, Peter Rosenberg and Brian Kalleske, that Wolf bought two hogsheads of Malbec. He would blend this purchase with Shiraz from Langhorne Creek to create his very first wine in 1966, the same year he registered the business name "Bilyara", the aboriginal name for "Eaglehawk" which would feature so prominently on labels and publicity in the future.

"That was a big deal….my first venture, 2,500 bottles.

"Brian Linke, the baker and my late friend, he lent me some money to buy some grapes."

In 1969, Wolf stopped consulting, taking up a contract as manager and chief winemaker at Tolley Scott and Tolley.

"Within three years, Tolley’s became the most successful red wine producer in Australia – unheard of! Against the total bl***y lot!"

Meanwhile, Wolf continued his own production after hours with assistance from grape growers and wine industry colleagues, particularly Darkie Liebich from Rovally Wines who bottled Wolf’s "first big" vintage in 1967, free of charge.

"I think it was 1,500 dozen, that was lots…. He gave this to me as a gift because I made sparkling wine for him which was called Charmane and it became the number one sparkling wine in South Australia."

Wolf bought an "old army shed" on the Sturt Highway and together with "another chap called Bob Cundy" worked tirelessly on a bold new venture.

"Then came the confrontation between Tolley Scott and Tolley management and me, Wolf Blass," he says with fire in his eyes, his hands now clenched tightly on the board room table.

"Are you going to maintain your own production or do you want to stay in our company 100 per cent? You cannot have both ways.

"I went to the telephone and phoned up all my friends which I helped in the past and they said we’ll help you… I went back into the board room and I told them in the Australian language – you can stick it!"

Having built up his stock since 1966, he began Wolf Blass Wines International in 1973 with a $2,000 overdraft arranged by his bank manager at the time, Kapunda’s Bill Adams.

"My stock was stored in Greenock at the garage from Norton Schluter!" he says, dropping the name of another local identity

"John Glaetzer’s wife was in charge of hand labelling and Elsie Tamke, they did the hand labelling for the ’66, ’67 and ’68."

"Nothing went wrong… I won the packaging award, I won three Jimmy Watson, John Glaetzer joined me. I could have jumped off the sixth floor of the Hilton Hotel and I wouldn’t have broken a leg!"

Sensational publicity with Wolf quoted as saying, "My wines make weak men strong and strong women weak!" captured people’s imagination along with the barrage of medals and trophies from national and international wine shows which Wolf says was described as "obscene".

He coins the phrase, "No medals – no job" and provides employment and success to associated local businesses as wine production soared to dizzying heights to meet international markets in 30 countries.

"We were selling bl***y wine everywhere!" says Wolf who was spending months overseas expanding a powerful distribution network.

But something had to give.

"I got a little bit toey because my marriage broke up…The company became pretty big and I started worrying about it so I said I better become a public listed company."

The company would eventually merge with Mildara to form Mildara Blass which would be acquired by Foster’s five years later for $560 million.

Today, the Wolf Blass label continues to be a key brand in the Treasury Wine Estates portfolio.

Wolf describes, in gripping detail, a cut-throat business world with chance meetings in hotel foyers, amalgamations, takeover bids, life changing decisions and deal sealing handshakes.

Looking back, there are "no regrets" and whilst he is no longer an executive of the company, he is still working five days a week.

"My job is now looking at the Wolf Blass Foundation project and from the $1 million which I put in when I was 60 years of age, I’ve developed the finance up to $7 million – I must know how to run a business!" he says.

There’s a flashy new project on his mind and he reveals the plans for his latest venture.

"Now I’m putting a $3.5 million project up in Hahndorf – the Wolf Blass Gallery and Museum.

"I will not say this is my last one, but it is a big project – it’s going to be huge!"

The Wolf Blass legend will live on.

"Never stop, just keep going…that’s my motto!"

"I turned the bl***y place upside down", says Wolf Blass describing his arrival in the Barossa.

He cheekily selects a book and flicks to the preface written by the late Len Evans to answer the question of how he would describe himself.

"I found him determined, argumentative, ebullient, assertive and idealistic," Wolf reads out loud.

He doesn’t disagree.

"That’s how he saw me, I do not judge myself, I leave it to others!" he laughs.

There is no doubt Wolf has worked hard all his life, but there was fun to be had along the way.

He enjoys, and has sponsored, the Nuriootpa Rover Football Club, Barossa Car Club, horse racing, snow skiing and pistol shooting and has revelled in the traditions and supported the Adelaide German Club and Barossa Vintage Festival over the years.

He even played the drum kit, honing his skills on one he kept in his wine cellar at home.

"When I was young I liked jazz, I was sponsor of the Kit Kat Club – you’ve got no idea! Anything with action, I was there!"

Currently the "number two" member of the Greenock Business Luncheon Club, a social group which he says has been "sticking together" for more than half a century, he says, "This is when you make business".

"Initially it was a group of people who also promoted the Barossa Valley and we invited distributors… It was all part of a very happy luncheon arrangement with a lot of fun. Today you don’t do that, you don’t look in each other’s face, you are playing around with a bl***y mickey mouse machine!"

Happily married to his third wife, Shirley, Wolf says, "She put the white flag up!"

As one of the true characters of the wine industry, Wolf is known for his snappy dressing and bow tie which is as famous as the winery he founded.

"It had something to do with when I was a consultant. I had a normal tie and had overalls… running around. The tie was always dangling around! So I said, even if I’ve got rubber boots on, I like to be well presented so I put the bow tie on – it may sound crazy but it is as simple as that – a touch of class."

Within every legend there is a little larrikin and Wolf describes the fun-filled rivalry between wine makers of the time.

"Peter Lehmann, at the Bacchus Club, presented a wine made out of apples… He fooled everyone, nobody knew what it was.

"What I did, next vintage, I had some peaches and one of the girls at the office, she came in and had to throw peaches into the crusher. We had made a red wine with a lot of peaches in the stuff and left one hogshead fermenting, processing in a different manner. I was trying to get back at Peter Lehmann….it turned out a bl***y sensation!

"I think the wine industry is fun…it’s all there for enjoyment. Now, if you don’t enjoy this, how can you make other people happy?"

The winemakers

John Glaetzer

Wolf Blass himself was never really the hands-on winemaker in the early years; the wines were made in other people’s wineries and Wolf proudly boasted that he didn’t even own a crusher.

In 1974, John Glaetzer moved to Bilyara to become senior red winemaker for Wolf Blass, a position he held for over three decades. He became an international winemaking superstar and the uniquely successful relationship that developed between Wolf and Glaetzer is well documented as one of the greatest success stories in the modern Australian Wine Industry.

Glaetzer was the power behind the throne of four Jimmy Watson trophies awarded to Wolf Blass in 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1999, eleven Montgomery trophies for Best Red Wine at the Adelaide Wine Show (7 of which were consecutive), 83 other trophies and 3,600 medals.

In 1996, Glaetzer was made an official "Baron of the Barossa" alongside legends like Wolf Blass, Peter Lehmann and Stephen Henschke, and in 1999, was made a Legend of Langhorne Creek.

From the outset, Glaetzer concentrated on applying his special skills to the oak-maturation and blending techniques synonymous with the Wolf Blass style. "No oak, no good," John used to say. However, Chris Hatcher, who joined Wolf Blass in 1987, believes the reliance on oak had more to do with the lack of good fruit sourcing, given that Blass for many years owned few vineyards and bought from growers. "John and Wolf didn't have the fruit, so they relied on oak for freshness and brightness."

Chris Hatcher

In 1974, Chris Hatcher completed a Science Degree at the University of Adelaide before studying winemaking at Charles Sturt University. After working in Orlando and Kaiserstuhl in the Barossa Valley and SIMI Winery in California, he joined Wolf Blass in December 1987.

Chris was responsible for Wolf Blass' white and sparkling wines for nine years. In that time, his wines won 39 trophies and 218 gold medals. In 1996, he was promoted to chief winemaker, overseeing all of the winemaking at the winery. 

After working with Wolf Blass for 35 years, Chris retired in July 2023. He will continue making wine in the Barossa Valley where he lives, having set up his own brand named HATCH (his nickname). 

About the winery

Wolfgang Franz Otto Blass was born in Germany in 1934. At the age of 20, he graduated with a Master's in Oenology from Veitschoechheim-Wuerzberg and travelled to France to study champagne making. In 1959, he moved to England to study the art of blending. In 1961, he accepted a 3-year contract with Kaiser Stuhl as Sparkling Wines Manager and moved to the Barossa Valley.

When his contract was complete, Wolf started working as a consultant to a number of well-known wineries for the princely sum of $2.50 per hour. In 1966, he also started making small parcels of his own wine, the first being 2,500 bottles of Malbec Shiraz. The same year, he registered the business name "Bilyara", the aboriginal name for "Eaglehawk" (wedge-tailed eagle). Since the eagle is also the heraldic creature of his home country of Germany, Blass decided that his wines would have the eaglehawk on the label – a tradition that continues today.

In 1969, Wolf stopped consulting and took up a contract as manager/chief winemaker at Tolley Scott and Tolley. Within three years, Tolley’s became the most successful red wine producer in Australia. Wolf continued his own production after hours, which eventually led to a confrontation with Tolley's management in 1973. 

Wolf left Tolley's and, with a $2,000 overdraft, Wolf Blass Wines founded Wolf Blass Wines International and Wolf Blass was born in an old shed on a hectare of land in the Barossa. That year he produced his first Black Label red wine, the beginning of an extraordinary story. The Black label won the fabled Jimmy Watson Trophy three years in succession in 1974, 1975 and 1976, a feat still unequalled today. 

Business boomed for Blass over the next couple of decades. By 1975, Wolf Blass was dominating the wine shows, with a show success rate of approximately 80%. By 1996, Wolf Blass Wines had received over 3000 awards nationally and internationally, 170 trophies and over 900 gold medals (today, the tally of trophies and medals is over 10,000). 

He also explored export markets in Asia in the mid-1970s, many years before other wine companies did. In the early 1980s, Wolf Blass dominated the then-enormous Australian market for 'Rhine Riesling', producing a Riesling a touch sweeter than most and selling close to two million bottles a year. In 1984, Wolf Blass became a public company with a market capitalisation of $15.2 million. 

In 1986, Wolf Blass Wines acquired Quelltaler, one of the Clare Valley’s most famous and historic wineries. In 1991, Wolf Blass Wines merged with rival company Mildara Wines to form Mildara Blass. The new company was worth $125m and Wolf Blass became the major shareholder of the group and Deputy Chairman of the Board. In 1996, when beer giant Foster’s Group (later renamed Wine Treasury Estates) acquired Mildara Blass, it paid $560 million. Wolf Blass was retained as statesman for the group, being deeply involved in vintage and winemaking procedures and actively promoting his wines around Australia. By 2016, Wolf Blass was selling around 60 million bottles a year, 70 per cent overseas to markets including China, Singapore, Hong Kong, the US and Britain.

To produce their wide range of red, white, rosé and sparkling wines, Wolf Blass obtains its grapes from all the renowned winegrowing regions of Southern Australia: Clare Valley, Eden Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills and Langhorne Creek.