2015 Woodhenge James Halliday 2018 Wine Companion - AUG 2017 96 POINTS This is very good. A plush pasture of black fruits of every description, liquorice, bonbon and bitter chocolate, is deftly pruned by firm framing tannins, each impeccably detailed. The oak is beautifully integrated, tucked in behind the veneer of polish. This boasts the Vale s telltale richness married to restraining structural pillars. 2017 McLaren Vale Wine Show - OCT 2017 TROPHY - Best, Two Years Old 2017 Sélections Mondiales des Vins Canada Wine Competition JamesSuckling.com, Nick Stock - JUL 2017 Aromas of blackberry, black licorice and blueberry follow through to a full body, tangy fruit and vanilla with oak at the finish. Juicy and uplifting. Drinkable now but better in 2019. HuonHooke.com, Huon Hooke - MAY 2017 Deep, dense red/purple colour. The aromas are fragrant and oak-lifted, with a hint of coconut and slight sweatiness. The tannins are dense, thick and chewy. It s a big, extracted wine but not astringent. A more traditional Aussie shiraz, which will cellar well.
2014 Woodhenge James Halliday 2017 Wine Companion - AUG 2016 95 POINTS Darkly coloured and jam-packed with blackberry, tar, anise and a lick of dried herbs. Plush and expansive, with finely grained tannins holding everything in check. Long, and requiring many years. Weekend West, Ray Jordan - JUN 2016 You have to love this classically defined McLaren Vale shiraz from one of the best producers in the region. Deep, dark and concentrated, with powerful dark fruity shiraz driving through to a very long finish. This is the only Wirra wine still getting a significant amount of American oak but it s balanced with French to get the best from both. Layered and plush. Australian Wine Review, Andrew Graham - APR 2016 Intended to be a classic McLaren Vale, this is dark purple/maroon coloured and Vale to the core. It smells of fig, fudge and both cooked and fresh plums, with the open-knit, mid weight palate drenched in purple fruit with vanilla oak sweetened edges and lovely fine tannins. There s a real composure here shows all that is good about riper styled McLaren Vale without going too far. It s not profound but gosh this packs plenty of genuine regional flavour 2016 Royal Melbourne Wine Awards 2016 Royal Adelaide Wine Show 2016 Sélections Mondiales des Vins Canada Wine Competition 2016 China Wine & Spirits Awards - Best Value
2013 Woodhenge James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2016 - JUL 2015 95 POINTS Maturation in French and American oak of various sizes (35% new) for 17 months with rack and return every 4 months might seem a lot, but it s part of the standard procedure at Wirra Wirra, and you can t argue with the result, for this is of Stonehenge/Woodhenge dimensions. It is only because of the balance between its components that the wine can be enjoyed soonish, but it needs more than a decade to come into full flower. Jeremyoliver.com, Jeremy Oliver - JAN 2016 Smooth and approachable, this complex and finely balanced shiraz has a violet-like scent of cassis, blackberries, dark chocolates and mineral. It s medium to full-bodied, with a generous, chocolatey presence of cassis, blackberries and dark plums complemented by tight-grained vanilla oak and supported by fine, velvety tannins. It s long and elegant, finishing with a lingering core of sour-edged flavour. Jamessuckling.com, Nick Stock - JUL 2015 91 POINTS that s trading on the bold yet soft combination that really defines Mclaren Vale. It has a gently spicy layer, plenty of blackberry and plum fruits and a style of tannin that has enough authority but remains approachable. Drink now. 2015 Korean Wine Challenge - JUL 2015 2015 China Wine & Spirits Awards - JUL 2015
2012 Woodhenge James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2015 - JUL 2014 96 POINTS This is serious stuff, a densely coloured, rich tapestry of blackberry, licorice, oak, tannins and leather. The texture, structure and balance are those of a great wine with a great future. Weekend West, Ray Jordan - OCT 2014 Such a good vintage and such a good wine to come from it. Dark black fruits with a lift of blueberry. Palate displays mocha and licorice characters, with a decent lick of oak worked into the sumptuously concentrated dark fruit. Powerful with a syrupy delicious flavour profile. Love drinking it young but will cellar for a few years. The Australian Wine Annual 2015, Jeremy Oliver - NOV 2014 Elegant and stylish, with a sweet, chocolate-like bouquet of cassis, blackberries and dark plums backed by a faint smokiness and a hint of mocha. Its palate-staining core of deeply ripened dark fruit, fresh oak and fine, pliant tannins extends towards a finely balanced and lingering finish. A charming contemporary McLaren Vale. Australian Wine Review, Andrew Graham - JUL 2014 93 POINTS Wirra Wirra s mid-tier McLaren Vale and a nod to the classic style. Good rendition too. I took it to the AFL on Saturday and can confirm that it still looked good out of a thermos the ultimate test for any full-bodied red. It pours rich, purple/black, the nose full and thick with that resounding Vale tarry black fruit thickness. Promise. The palate too us utterly regional, resplendent in choc bullet, milk chocolate and tarry fruits. Its mid weight and tending more towards fruit rather than structural expanse, the oak cleverly enfolded in to what is a concentrated red of weight, just needing a little more length to be a star. Enjoyable Vale red of some style and unquestioned deliciousness. Decanter - JUL 2014 91 POINTS This is true and honest McLaren Vale whose freshness has elevated it to a lithe and vibrant expression of the variety. Aromas of raspberry and plum, hints of coconut and vanilla and some brambley and earthy complexity. The palate s cut neatly within a sturdy tannic frame, and the fleshy red fruit flavours remain fresh and bright all the way to the upbeat finish. The Wine Front, Campbell Mattinson - JUL 2014 91+ POINTS The guts brings the glory. This is all coal and dark olive, tar and blackberry fruit flavour with a warming, slightly brandied finish. Freshness isn t its strong point but concentration of flavour sure is. Leather, brine and beefstock notes are also present here. Tannin is the clear sighter to the future here: firm, fingers outstretched, reaching out through the finish International Wine Challenge - MAY 2015
2011 Woodhenge James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2014 - JUL 2013 Good depth to its healthy colour; neatly fills the gap between Catapult and RSW, with layers of black fruits, dark chocolate and licorice, supported by persistent, dry tannins that still retain line and balance. Cuisine Magazine New Zealand, Ralph Kyte-Powell - JUL 2013 - TOP TEN OZ SHIRAZ Who said 2011 McLaren Vale reds were lighter than usual? This blackish-purple drop has plenty of butch appeal. Inky powerful, blackberry jam, enormous extract, oak tannins the lot! said John Belsham. Full-on Aussie shiraz, added Rod Easthope. A big, mouthcoating South Australian red, made for a roast rib of beef. Hooked On Wine, Huon Hooke - SEP 2013 A really excellent 11 shiraz from an ultra-consistent winery. Terrific colour; rich and fruitsweet on nose and palate with some charred oak and blackberry, licorice, coconut and toasted-hazelnut characters. Fleshy, succulent and almost luscious: a delicious glass of Big Aussie Red. Winefront, Campbell Mattinson - AUG 2013 Fair to say that if you shop around, you may well find this at a sharper price than the RRP listed. Or so I noticed on a look-see mission just now. It s a wine for lovers of smooth, syrupy reds. An old-fashioned crooner of a wine. If this was any smoother it would be working in PR. Or as a real estate agent. It doesn t taste particularly of the season; it tastes of a Wirra Wirra, and McLaren Vale. Chocolatey oak, boysenberries and blackberries, a fraction of pepper spice and a musky vanillin finish. There s an easily-ignored itch of bitter-brineyness as you swallow but all round its just plain rich and satisfying. 2013 McLaren Vale Wine Show - OCT 2013
2010 Woodhenge James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2013 - JUL 2012 Deep colour; loaded with sweet black fruits, cinnamon spice, fruitcake and orange rind; the palate is fleshy and fresh, then drying tannins prevailing on the finish. Decanter - APR 2014 Classic McLaren Vale balance of tomato leaf and ripe berries supported by quality oak. Lots of sweet black fruitiness that s almost luscious with some peppery and liquorice spicy notes. Oozes black fruits. The Wine Advocate, Lisa Perotti-Brown - 2013 90 POINTS Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2010 Woodhenge offers delicate floral notes of roses and lavender over a core of blackberries, black cherries, mocha, baking spices and cedar. Firm, muscular and still relatively taut on the medium to full bodied palate, it has a solid structure of grainy tannins and crisp acidity and a long finish with a little vanilla and cedar poking through. Approachable now, it should drink best 2013 to 2018+. Wine Spectator, Harvey Steiman - JUL 2013 90 POINTS Firm in texture, with pretty blueberry and currant fruit at the core, finishing with a touch of cream on the medium frame. Best from 2014 through 2018. 2012 Royal Adelaide Wine Show 2011/2012 McLaren Vale Wine Show TROPHY - BEST MCLAREN VALE SHIRAZ $25 - $50 2012 Great Australian Challenge 2012 Advertiser SA Wine Of The Year CONSUMER AWARD