Bob McDonald

9.5

A perfect balance between oak and fruit (blackberry) from this Barossa Shiraz. Great winemaking from John Duval who has quite the CV. John was Chief Winemaker at Penfolds from 1986 until 2002 being only the 3rd custodian of Penfolds Grange after Max Schubert (creator of Grange) and Don Ditter. In 2020 this wine received Shiraz of the Year and 99 points from the James Halliday Wine Companion. The product of old vines in the Barossa. Luscious but in balance and overall - delicious. — 6 days ago

Jan de Weerd

9.1

Wow, this wine has a lot of oak. Spiced French oak that doesn’t quite allow you to taste more. Surprising after 10 years. It did get a little better after an hour of decanting. But had expected more from a high-end Penfolds wine. — 3 months ago

with Tammy

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.0

Woodcutter is entry level for Torbreck. For just under $20, a very good Shiraz for the money.

This is young and full throttle. Alcohol seems hotter than 15%. But their reds need time.

Lots of ripe; mulberries, blackberries to pie, gooseberries, black raspberries & dark candied black cherries. Anise into black licorice, sweet tarriness, black ground pepper, fresh tobacco, leather, barrel shavings, dark spice, vanilla, clove, nutmeg, dry crushed rocks, red flowers, lavender, violets, full round acidity and nicely balanced, big tensioned, well structured, lush, elegant, well polished finish that lasts 90 seconds and falls on spice and pleasant earthiness.

It needs to shed its baby fat. Let rest another 3-5 years before opening. In Australian Shiraz hard to beat at this price point. — 4 months ago

Neil Valenzuela

9.3

Incredible wine! Deep purple color- almost inky. Aroma of blackberries, cassis, vanilla and violets. Black fruit on the palate, plum, baking spices with a lovely finish.

🏅96 Points - Wine Spectator
🏅95 Points - Wine Advocate — 21 days ago

Bob McDonald

9.6

Red and black fruits - a savoury plum character - also a note of creosote and tar. A lovely medium to full bodied palate - reeks of old vine Barossa Shiraz. Drinks well now but will easily last until 2030. Malcolm Stopp is the Brand Ambassador for Peter Lehmann and his comments are worth repeating, particularly the last sentence, “The bouquet beautifully incorporates dark briary fruits, chocolate and a touch of aniseed, whilst the finish is firm yet finely grained. A wine of great dignity that will continue to improve with still many years of careful cellaring. If you don’t like this wine there’s bugger all we can do……!!! — 2 months ago

Rina

9.5

Delicious Shiraz. I wasn’t expecting much from it as it’s from the grocery store & was already 5 years old with a twist top instead of cork. I am pleasantly surprised that the taste isn’t sour. This was definitely a win — 4 months ago

Paula Strebig

8.9

Deep burgundy, moderate legs, medium body. (First half of the bottle) Subtle Raspberry with hints of pipe tobacco on the nose. Smooth, easy sipping, mild red fruit with smooth tannins on the finish. I want to think there is a touch of spiciness on the finish but I suspect it is the mouth feel of the tannins and not a spicy flavor. (Grilled top sirloin, cheese stuffed portobello mushrooms, broccoli with queso sauce - another lovely dinner on the lanai!) Great label! — 5 months ago

with Tim

Ed Chin

9.0

Full of dark fruit and acid to keep it fresh. A touch disjointed so it needs a few years to integrate. — a month ago

Jeroen Koenen

9.5

Wow… this is a wonderful Ozzie Shiraz in that typical, oldfashioned, high-octane, push-the-pedal-to-the-metal personality.
Beautifully aged, showing a mahogany rim plus great secondaries and tertiaries over the still abundant baked plum and blackberry goodness. I’m talking smoked meat, sweet licorice candy, cocoa nibs, caramel, black pepper and olives, espresso, damp forestfloor and BBQ sauce. Delicate hints of orange zest, uplifting balsamic acidity and soft yet palpable tannines make this quite a bold but very classy drink!
Deep, dark and dense. Last bottle of a sixpack and easily the best. Terrific!

I also like the clever, tongue-in-cheek message on the backlabel: “Your wish is our Command” 😁 — 2 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

See previous Delectable note from August 2024. A rich deep Ruby in colour. Traces of vanilla oak (coconut oak has toned down since initial tasting). Ripe red and black (plum) fruits. On the palate rich, intense and full bodied - sweet blackberry with hints of aniseed. As I said in the previous note, wines like this show the Barossa at its best. Will drink well through to the end of the 2020’s. — 3 months ago