Barossa Shiraz 2023: Vintage report and 40 top-scoring wines

Serious old-vine Shiraz doesn’t have to be weighed down by bulk – and Alkina has a sprightly championship contender here, showing tight, lean muscle but...

A fusion of two Polygon components within Alkina’s Greenock vineyard pulls together a sublime chorus of subtle notes. Showing a shade less body weight than...

Winemaker Alex Head says this single-block expression is his homage to finesse – which clearly shows on the palate, although there’s still a formidable, sharp...

When the conductor strikes up the orchestra for this big concerto, every instrument is perfectly in tune, and immediately strikes up the sweetest harmony. A...

A cooler, longer vintage had a telling effect on fruit from this Eden Valley vineyard. It’s surprising that the flavour profile leans into the darkest...

The Stone Well vineyard that winemaker Belinda van Eyssen sources this fruit from is showing remarkable consistency – its harmonious mix of fresh blueberry, redcurrant...

A smart, cohesive wine from a complex meld of components: 81% Shiraz co-fermented with 2% Viognier, augmented by 11% Grenache and 6% Mataro. Most of...

All hail the modern! Jason Schwarz is leading a convincing argument for new Barossa style with his Meta Shiraz, containing fruit sourced from four Barossa...

The cooler climes of Eden Valley can show many personalities – especially in a longer, slower vintage such as 2023 – and winemaker Samantha Chandra...

The Scholz family has tended this fine vineyard in the Light Pass subregion of the Barossa for seven generations, with young winemaker Jack Scholz taking...

Fine-boned and delicately framed, the spicy notes of Shiraz are thrust to the foreground here, with a feisty savoury character attached to lean, sinewy fruit....

With a sturdy black-fruited core, this is a more formidable monument than its Head Wines stablemates. Sourced from the Fechner vineyard, planted in 1908 at...

Designed with a specific focus, using only pre-phylloxera 'sélection clonale' Shiraz that originates from Hewitson’s 1853 Old Garden Vineyard, this shows remarkable balance and poise...

Rare depth of colour and lush purple-fruited intensity illustrate the power in this wine, although it looks especially vibrant and alive rather that overly weighty....

A consistent focus of John Duval Wines is to show the depth of concentrated and complex influences. Here, that approach shows immediately in the glass,...

Rich perfume, vibrant colour and enthusiastic fruit flavours all underline the distinctive character of this single-vineyard expression from the Kalleske family’s Moppa region farm, which...

Incredible liveliness and vibrancy to a vivid purple colour and sprightly nose of mulberries and wild herbs suggests a big flavour attack, but the opposite...

Always pursing the intensity of dark fruit profiles, Rusden drills hard into the black soul of intense Shiraz for this cuvee, but never tumbles into...

An organic northern Barossa vineyard in the Ebenezer subregion, with hard brown soil that is rich in ironstone, provides Shiraz with gnarly, concentrated flavours that...

Rich, plush and confident, this makes a lavish statement about celebrating opulent velvety texture. The marriage of mostly old-vine Shiraz from 10 different sites highlights...

What was once a wine defined by specific location is now a regional melange, though its intention to be a harmonious crowd pleaser remains. The...

Sourced from 15 vineyards, mostly from Eden Valley, with vines aged between 30 and 130 years old, this wine chases winemaker Alex Head’s vision of...

Power and concentration are defining factors from the outset; impenetrable purple colour, an imposing high tide of plump purple, blue and black berries on the...

The characteristic bulky muscle and bombastic drive of this big wine is subdued in this vintage, without surrendering its formidable big Shiraz stature. Yes, it’s...

Tight-fisted Shiraz power can still have grace and measured decorum. This single-estate wine from an 1899 block in the Marananga subregion has the customary deep...

This single-vineyard expression from the Marananga subregion is delightfully surprising. Its massive aromas, colour and structure suggest it’s all about deep earthy power, yet the...

The robust blood red colour is serious; so too is the fleshy red fruited entry, spiked with rich red earth tones and a heady whiff...

A single-vineyard expression from the Hampel family’s northern Ebenezer subregion, which maintains steady focus along its palate line, showing controlled intensity. The flavour meld is...

As a composite of many different Barossa Shiraz parcels, with barrels selected for their power, concentration and depth of flavour, the focus has remained on...

Thick, dark and concentrated – yet after opening up in the glass, the palate shows more vitality through dense, textural layers and interlocking flavours. There...

With lively purple fruit sourced from Eden Valley vineyards planted on gravelly soils, this wine boasts a solid line of acidity that provides the key...

Expressive, in so many ways, starting with a lively, juicy purple glow in the glass, showing the influence of whole bunch fruit in the ferment....

Shining a light on Eden Valley Shiraz character, this single-site wine, from the Fechner Vineyard in Moculta, makes a bold purple fruit statement. It has...

Cheeky and affable, this is Shiraz with an engaging red-fruited smile but also some boisterous black-fruited muscle. Sourced from vines aged from 34 to 69...

Veteran winemaker Rob Gibson holds a fixed vision of what he defines as classic Barossa Shiraz; big-bodied, dense and concentrated, and amplifying a big personality....

This presents a dense labyrinth of black-fruited intrigue, requiring furrowed-brow concentration to dig through all the layers. On the nose, there’s tar, olive, black liquorice...

This wine clearly illustrates striking differences between three single-block Shirazes from the same producer. Seven Acre shows excellent balance, with its clean fruit profile shining...

A single vineyard site on red-brown soils at the Barossa’s western ridge produces dark fruits that tumble with olive, cedar and a leathery chew, all...

The decision to separate a single parcel from the 2023 vintage pays smart dividends for Thorn-Clarke, with rich fruit character showing a focused personality and...

Coming from vines planted during 1960, off the Old Bamboo vineyard in the Greenock subregion, with sandy loam over red clay, this rich fruit offers...