Arila Gardens Single Vineyard Shiraz 2023

97 POINTS

Sam Kim - Wine Orbit

Offering gorgeous fruit purity with stylish complexity, the bouquet shows black and blueberry, rich floral, warm spice, and cedar characters, followed by a concentrated palate displaying outstanding depth and persistence. It's superbly structured by fleshy texture and finely pitched tannins, finishing impressively long and engaging.

96 POINTS

Steve Leszczynski - Q Wine Reviews

These single vineyard wines from Arila Gardens don’t miss. Another cracking release from winemaker Adam Clay that he just seems to peel off with ease, it’s worth getting familiar with this Ironstone and Quartz if you adore Barossa Shiraz. From the latest picked Barossa vintage for some time due to plenty of rain in autumn and spring from the previous year, veraison was delayed until February. Harvested on 14 April from Arila Gardens’ 1940 planted dry-grown vineyards in Moppa, a small percentage of whole bunches were used. Maturation took place for 16 months in French oak, 15% new. Elegant density could best describe previous releases of this wine, but the 2023 takes on the charm of the cooler vintage and offers a different shade of its personality. Baked raspberries, raspberry rope, morello cherries and soft red plums are the key players. A day on and it shifts gears to deliver more of those blue and purple fruits we’ve become used to with mulberries and blueberries shining bright. Some beef stock and dark chocolate rise up with time. Silky and detailed with fine spices woven into its fabric, dusty and brick dust tannins reach out on an elongated finish. The feel and flow ensure this is yet another killer wine from this label that deserves a place in your black book

95 POINTS

Ken Gargett - Winepilot

This represents the very best Shiraz from their Arila Gardens vineyard in the Moppa sub-region, with the vines dating back to 1948 in some cases. A small percentage of whole bunches with the remainder all whole berries, for the ferment. Maturation was for sixteen months in French oak hogsheads, 15% of which was new. A deep purple hue, the nose weaves through a range of fragrances, including sour cherries, mocha, blackberries, plums, kirsch and tobacco leaves. The wine exhibits excellent length and balance with some early complexity, supported by silky tannins and a seductive texture. A wine for enjoying over the next ten to twelve years.

95 POINTS

Dave Brookes - Halliday Wine Companion

Deep crimson with notes of juicy satsuma plum, blueberry and boysenberry fruits daubed with spice, hints of citrus blossom, cherry ripe, gentle oak spice, olive tapenade, Christmas cake, violets and pan juices. Luscious and bursting with pure fruit, this is a lovely 'modern' Barossa style with structure below, but the main focus is on the quality of the fruit rather than winemaking artefact.

95 POINTS

Angus Hughson - Vinous

The stunning 2023 Shiraz Moppa Single Vineyard has a beautiful flow of mulberry and violet, with a gentle dusting of spice. The fruit is even and detailed. It is vibrant and energetic, with tension and suggestions of Hermitage as lashings of blueberry and blackberry give way to a gravelly, tannic finish.