Tyrrell's Vat 8 Shiraz Cabernet Hunter Valley
A blend of Shiraz and Cabernet from the Hunter Valley, with the Shiraz, sourced from premium vineyards on the Tyrrell’s property and Moon Mountain vineyard and the Cabernet coming from Pokolbin. All of the components were fermented and matured separately until blending. After blending the wine was put back into French oak barriques, 30% of which were new, until bottling. The wine was predominately matured in smaller 225L barriques. As always with Vat 8, we see much darker fruits and some chocolate characters in the wine, along with the extra element of spice from the higher percentage of new oak.
A little bread dough and toast, spearmint, black fruit, and sexy vanilla oak. Full-bodied (in context), with ripe forest berry fruit backed with creamy vanilla oak, round and supple tannin lends a ‘deluxe’ feel, spice and mixed berries roll onto a good finish. Some toasty oak in the finish, but well-measured and bolstering the style here. Here’s a wine that will make friends very easily.
94 points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, May 2018.
Deep, dark colour and a strongly smoky, charcoaly, sooty kind of bouquet overlying cherry-like fruit. The wine is full-bodied and well-endowed with sweet fruit, supple tannins and again those smoky, charcoal nuances riding over it all. It's hard to distinguish between the characteristics of charred oak and coal-dusty, sooty regional character. It's more likely the latter, as the wine's fruit (cherry, violet, spices) really powers through. A thoroughly delicious wine, very much a shiraz and very regional in style. (5% Cabernet Sauvignon).
95 points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review, May 2019.
The nose has composed red fruit with gentle spice. The palate is supple and medium-bodied with great energy and wonderful harmony coming from the varietal components. The wine has structure and power tucked within a medium-bodied frame. Technically perfect. Excellent intensity and travel.
95 points, Toni Paterson MW, The Real Review, May 2019.
