2017 Dalwhinnie Moonambel Shiraz Museum Release, Pyrenees

Deepish, bright red/purple colour, youthful. The aromas are fresh and bright, fruit-driven and spicy with some meaty-reductive notes and a suggestion of whole-bunch. The taste is of plum, blackberry and cherry pie, the palate medium-bodied and balanced, the tannins fine and assertive but balanced. A very appealing style of shiraz. 15 Mar 2020 Drink 2020–2034

93 points Huon Hooke therealreview.com

This Museum Release from the Pyrenees is a powerful, beautifully resolved expression of one of Victoria’s most revered cool climate Shiraz vineyards. Dalwhinnie sits at elevation near Moonambel, where cold winters, warm days and dramatic diurnal shifts shape Shiraz with depth, spice and longevity rather than sheer weight. The soils are ancient red basalt and quartz, low in fertility and perfectly suited to producing small berries with intense flavour and natural structure. As a museum release, this wine has been cellared at the winery since bottling, allowing time to soften tannins, integrate oak and reveal the layered complexity that defines mature Pyrenees Shiraz.

Dalwhinnie is a historic name in the region, founded in the early nineteen seventies and long admired for wines built to age. The Moonambel Shiraz has always been the estate’s cornerstone, fermented traditionally with extended maceration and matured in high quality French oak to frame the fruit rather than dominate it. Time has done the rest here, transforming youthful power into harmony and detail.

The aromatics are deep, savoury and wonderfully evolved. Blackberry, black cherry and mulberry remain at the core, now joined by leather, tobacco leaf and dried herbs. Notes of cracked black pepper, star anise and clove reflect both the cool climate and the site’s signature spice. With air, secondary complexity emerges: earth, graphite, dark chocolate, cured meat and a faint smoky note that speaks to long bottle age.

The palate is seamless and confident. Dark fruits have softened into a plush, integrated flow, carried by fine, resolved tannins that still provide structure and shape. Flavours of black plum, cassis, cocoa, savoury spice and ironstone earth build in layers, finishing long with warmth, balance and a distinctly Pyrenees mineral edge. The acidity remains fresh, keeping the wine alive and composed despite its maturity. It is drinking beautifully now, yet has the balance to continue evolving for another ten to fifteen years.

A superb match for slow braised beef, roast lamb shoulder, venison, mushroom dishes, aged hard cheeses or a quiet evening dedicated to mature Australian Shiraz. This museum release shows Dalwhinnie Moonambel Shiraz exactly as it was intended to be experienced: complex, expressive and deeply satisfying with time on its side.