Stephen Brook: Very deep red. Brooding but complex nose, with aromas of blackberries, mocha, and vanilla—intriguing and stylish. Lush and opulent, with a creamy texture and splendid weight of essentially black fruits. This is concentrated and supported by ripe tannins and fine acidity. It seems harmonious, seamless, and complete, and it has impressive length of flavor. Drinks well now, but the balance suggests it will age quite well 18

Alex Hunt: Interesting nose: While brimming with very ripe blueberry fruit, there are cool notes of mint, vanilla, and pepper that take it in a more typically Shiraz direction. The palate, though ripe, is relatively restrained. This is a neat wine, lacking a bit of that classic Zin exuberance 14

Anthony Rose: Youthfully deep-colored and vivid, this has an intriguingly complex nose in which sweet toasty oak and fruitcake mingle with more savory elements of licorice spice and even a touch of iodine; it’s richly concentrated and long on the palate, with a fine, spicy purity of dark-fruit flavors framed by a structure of substantial tannins and acidity. It’s an impressively powerful wine in which you don’t “feel” the alcohol but you know it’s there. Still youthfully vigorous, this is a style that could be drunk young—or with bottleaged maturity 18.5