2022 Ravensworth Shiraz Viognier

94 POINTS

Mike Bennie - The Wine Front

It’s loaded with spice and florals, not overtly viognier-flexed but there’s pretty, sweet elements and a glossiness to texture that gives you an idea about the white grape inclusion. The perfume, cinnamon-clove-cardamom brown spices on red cherry, dark plum, green olive and some bergamot tea and alpine herb notes. Flavours roll similarly, quite rich in a way but a brace of tightening tannins, dusty, powdery, do well. A succulence and depth in tow. It feels premium, fine, good, concentrated, complex. A richer expression from Canberra District would be the other comment. It does the trick and well.

94 POINTS

Mike Bennie - The Wine Front

From the organically grown, lovingly tended family farm that vigneron Bryan Martin lives on. This is a beautifully restrained and finely wrought wine. Sleek in its composition and texture, a filigree of fine, lacy tannin shaping things with underlying red currant, faintest apricot notes, dried herbs, white pepper, a touch of clove and some meaty, ferrous and cool, white balsamic elements in tow. There’s a youthfulness and succulence right now, tension and structure are words that come to mind, but in terms of the visceral, lots going on, freshness, finesse, interest are here.

94 POINTS

Mike Bennie - The Wine Front

From the farm, organic farmed, love applied liberally. A mere 3% viognier here. It’s loaded with spice and florals, not overtly viognier-flexed but there’s pretty, sweet elements and a glossiness to texture that gives you an idea about the white grape inclusion. The perfume, cinnamon-clove-cardamom brown spices on red cherry, dark plum, green olive and some bergamot tea and alpine herb notes. Flavours roll similarly, quite rich in a way but a brace of tightening tannins, dusty, powdery, do well. A succulence and depth in tow. It feels premium, fine, good, concentrated, complex. A richer expression from Canberra District would be the other comment. It does the trick and well.

93 POINTS

Jane Faulkner - Halliday Wine Companion

Co-fermented with 3% viognier, and 10% of the shiraz comes in as whole-bunches. All-up six weeks on skins then aged in French oak barriques, 40% new, for the first year then popped into two 3000L foudres for another year. While there’s some flesh to its bones, it’s one of the leanest styles I can remember; not a bad thing, just an observation, as it’s a reflection of the cool/wet vintage. A little floral, plenty of black pepper with a dash of Sichuan pepper, a neat combo of plums with some soy sauce/umami flavouring. The palate is lighter framed, awash with tangy acidity and feathery tannins.

93 POINTS

Erin Larkin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2022 Shiraz Viognier is co-fermented and ripe, with raspberry jam, oxalis, white and black peppercorns, apricot blossom, fennel seeds, sweet roasted bone marrow and lashings of umami-laden spice through the finish. The wine is detailed, capacious and airy, with a lovely intense flavor that is only just-ripe. I like it. Murrumbateman has a number of addresses that nail this style, and one could go so far as to say that it has become known, loved and respected for its prowess in this space. It's a different style from the Barossan iterations but very welcome indeed. Super. 12.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.