Brokenwood Shiraz 2023

96 POINTS

Toni Paterson MW - Halliday Wine Companion

An impressive wine of power, clarity and grace that proudly displays the Brokenwood signature. Exceptional fruit, classy, attentive winemaking, palate composure and depth make this one of the most reliable, satisfying, well-priced reds around. The gently spiced fruit is aromatic, dark and intense, with mulberry, damson plum and boysenberry notes, ripe but not overly so. The subtle French oak, evident on pouring, seamlessly integrates into the wine, with fine-grained tannins and balanced acidity providing shape and structure. It strikes a balance between modern and classical styles and is a masterwork in blending, with the grapes sourced exclusively from Brokenwood's managed sites: Graveyard, Oakey Creek, Mistress Block, Verona and the Tallawanta vineyards.

93 POINTS

Ken Gargett - Winepilot

Maturation for this typically fragrant and elegant Hunter Shiraz was in French oak, 25% new, with 25% puncheons. The grapes hail from a range of famous vineyards – Graveyard, Oakey Creek, Mistress Block, Verona and Tallawanta. A purple/mauve colour here, the nose offers notes of spices and dried herbs, raspberries, milk chocolate and bay leaves with florals and red fruits throughout. This is almost as good as the Reds beating the ‘tahs. Seamless, with good acidity, the oak impact is minimal and well handled, and there are very fine tannins. This is a wine of immense length. So much to like here, a wine for enjoying over the next eight to ten years.

93 POINTS

Campbell Mattinson - The Wine Front

Fine, lacey tannin spreads through ripe, cherry-plum fruit, with whispers of smoked meat character murmuring throughout. This is textbook in the best of ways; the Brokenwood winery is certainly in fine form. The extension through the finish is excellent, the weight of the body is medium, and while the quality of this wine is high it’s not aggressive about it; you have to meet it halfway, in a way. This is elegant, controlled, squeaky clean and very good. It will cellar beautifully.

92 POINTS

James Suckling

Aromas of dark bramble berries, spices, flint and graphite. Medium-bodied, crunchy and yummy. A fresh and enjoyable shiraz.

90 POINTS

Erin Larkin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2023 Shiraz is juicy and bright, with acidity spiraling through the dark-berry fruits. It's floral (rose petals) and a little bloody, with some sweet cocoa/vanilla notes from the oak. The fruit for this wine comes from the Graveyard vineyard and comprises the younger vines and the declassified 1968 vines that make the Graveyard Shiraz. It is light this year. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.