“These wines are simply incredible…” – Robert Parker

HOLD UP, BOB.

97-point Shiraz (plus a 96 Halliday) that rivals the very best? Yes, we’re putting Penfolds’ Grange ($850) or Henschke’s Hill of Grace ($1,000) + and such highly treasured examples squarely in our sights. As a matter of fact, the most recent vintages of both those icons DID NOT rate as highly as this per the latest Wine Spectator issue.

Did we say this is another Wine Spies exclusive as in you will not find this elsewhere?!

In the small but mighty fine realm of cult Aussie Shiraz, you can spend hundreds, if not thousands, to source extraordinary examples like this. In a recent article we saw listing the 15 best to try, only two came in at, or below the price you see here today.

Ron Laughton left his corporate job to pursue winemaking, and thus Jasper Hill was born back in 1982. Years earlier, he had found what he was looking for - a site with deep red Cambrian soils, tucked away in a rugged fault line in Heathcote. With two vineyards named after his daughters, Emily and Georgia, Rob laid the foundation to become a force in the region. The fruit here grows just barely larger than a ball bearing and bears incredible concentration and intensity. And that’s evident in the final result.

Inky purple in the glass, it hints at the big, bad, high-octane goods heading your way. It’s tightly wound at first, but slow decanting unravels the head-spinning complexity. With violets, blackcurrant, plum jam, Bacon fat and smoked meats, dried tobacco, black pepper, roasted nuts, cedar, and vanilla bring heaps of depth. A rockstar for sure! Polished. Muscular. And ready to ride out another 10+ years with ease.

Robert Parker famously wrote that “Jasper Hill remains at the top of the pyramid. It is a no-frills winery with all of the Laughton family’s energy devoted to viticulture. The vineyards are dry-farmed and organic… It goes without saying that these impeccably made wines age beautifully.”

Why wait one asks when it drinks so good now. And why wait with a high chance of missing out when only 600 bottles made it into the country.

97 Points – Wine Spectator “This stunner oozes with fresh and preserved fruit flavors of blackberry, huckleberry and blueberry, followed by wave after wave of details including spices, rosemary, date-nut bread, mocha, tobacco, palo santo, salted black licorice and tapenade on a plush, creamy frame, with a long, expressive finish. Drink now through 2037. 100 cases imported.”

96 Points – James Halliday “Georgia’s Paddock is back, no longer supplemented by fruit grown by friends following some challenging vintages. Sports slightly higher alcohol than usual, but it’s carried well, managed by firm structural tannins. A youngster, it deserves a thorough slosh before serving, time to release those captive aromas and flavors of briar, blackcurrant, plum, blueberry, savory olive, and spice. Full-bodied but lively, it delivers a powerful presence in the glass, seamless and firm, dark fruited and spicy, running deep and long to the finish.”