[SOLD-OUT] Noon Winery Reserve Shiraz 2016

RobertParker.com 96 Points!

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"Drew Noon's wines are not for lovers of delicate, shy wines. Nor are they for those who favor straitjackets of acidity and restraint. They're unashamedly bold, often relatively high in alcohol and full of flavor. The word "hedonistic" even comes to mind. In some ways, they're the poster children for Parker haters, those folks who like to point fingers at certain wines and say things like, "It's overripe. It's too high in alcohol. It's too much. It'll never age." It's unfortunate, because Noon is a quiet, thoughtful man, one of Australia's few Masters of Wine to actually grow and make wine, and it's clear he has a vision for his wine that is based in his understanding of what the vineyards provide; he doesn't chase ripeness or extraction.

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To be fair, I think there has been some tempering of the extremes in Noon's winemaking over the years, but these wines remain big, flavorful and generous expressions of the South Australian regions in which they're grown. Noon doesn't own the Langhorne Creek vineyards that provide the fruit for his Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and Reserve Shiraz, but he has been working with the same grower for decades.

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Historically, it often surpasses 15% alcohol, yet checking in on a couple of older examples on my last trip, it was clear that the wine ages beautifully. The 2016 Shiraz Reserve is a star, marrying hints of mint with dark chocolate, blackberries and black olives. Full-bodied and plush, it features a lovely velvety texture that persists right to the end of the long finish. Big, powerful and intense, it retains a sense of softness and elegance, driven by the fineness of the tannins and notions of red raspberries that appear on the finish."

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Joe Czerwinski, RobertParker.com, September 2018

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100% Shiraz from the ‘20 Rows’ block in Langhorne Creek. Matured in both French and American oak, 30-40% new. Balance is the key. This is sweet and ripe – and warm – but it’s remarkably well balanced. Raspberry, plum and darker berry flavours move into tar and sweet, meaty spice. A lick of coffee-cream too, though fruit has both hands on the steering wheel. 15.5% alcohol and yet it wouldn’t be hard to use the word ‘delicate’ here, as strange as that may seem.

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 Campbell Mattinson, Wine Front, November 2017

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Produced from Shiraz grown on the 20 Rows block in Langhorne Creek by the Borrett family. Much more than a simple fruit bomb, this wine is intriguingly subtle at first, with complex, savoury aromas (soy sauce, nutmeg and green tea) emerging with time in the glass. The palate is medium to full bodied and has a gentle mouth feel with persistent firm tannin to finish. It comes across as a strong silent type which will have a lot to say if you take the time to get to know it. This is a wine which should evolve nicely in the cellar over the next 10 years and more.

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Noon

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 Opulent nose with blackberry juice flavours and full-on richness. Expansive, confident and intense. Drink 2019-2029

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Richard Hemming, JancisRobinson.com, February 2018, 17/20 Points

 

  Vegan-friendly   Sustainably-made  

Country:

Australia

Region:

SA- McLaren Vale

Variety:

Wine Red - Shiraz

Size:

750mL