Wine Front 94 Points!
“This release is very much in the established Filsell style, but it’s a better rendition of it than we’ve seen from recent vintages. This is rich, plush, dark and hearty, all of which you’d expect from Filsell, but it’s also well balanced and velvety. There’s a lot of toasty, coffeed, almost milky oak, but it’s matched to a dark vein of plum-drenched fruit. Saltbush notes add an extra element. Tannin is modest but just assertive enough. In short, if you enjoy old school Barossa shiraz; this nails it.” - Campbell Mattinson, Wine Front, July 2016
"Different batches of fruit were crushed and fermented separately. Primary fermentation on skins occurred for approximately eight days, with a couple of small batches undergoing natural yeast fermentation in small open fermenters for a further week. The wine was pumped over three times a day and the skins were pressed gently before the free run and pressed wine was transferred to oak to finish fermentation. The wine was matured in a combination of new (30%), one, two and three year old (70%), French (46%) and American (54%) oak for 20 months.
The 2014 Filsell Shiraz is a rich, luscious and thoroughly decadent Old Vine Shiraz that perfectly embodies this classically powerful Barossan style. Dark ruby red in colour with hints of purple, the nose is a symphony of dark forest berries, couverture chocolate, fresh blood plums and vanilla bean with hints of dark roasted coffee, earthy spices and cherry liqueur. The palate is silky soft yet incredibly dense and richly flavoured with sweet raspberry and black cherry fruit flavours, warm chocolate lava cake and sweet Chai spices, with an undercurrent of savoury toast and earthy characters. The palate, while unashamedly rich and powerful, has length and structure imparted by a foundation of ripe, supple tannins that carry the wine through to a long, lingering finish; where the flavours persist long after the wine is consumed. An exceptional addition to the proud lineage of Filsell Shiraz that will delight on release and age gracefully for 15 to 20 years." - Grant Burge
