2018 Gibson Australian Old Vintage Collection Shiraz, Barossa Valley

Deep red/purple colour, with a rich dark-chocolate aroma, red and darker fruits underlying, which leads into a similarly rich chocolaty palate with pleasing mouth-feel and length. It's good drinking now and it will take quite a few years of age well. Elegance and lusciousness in ample measure. A delicious shiraz. 14 Nov 2021 Drink 2022–2036

96 points Huon Hooke therealreview.com

Shiraz from 100-plus-year-old vines, with some plantings harking back to the 1840s. Geez, the Barossa is lucky to have these ancient old vines! Deep crimson with inviting aromas of ripe plum, black cherry and blackcurrant fruits, hints of baking spices, melted dark chocolate, violets, vanilla bean, cedar, licorice and earth. The initial swell of fruit is luscious and pure and that is immediately followed by some pretty percussive oak, which announces its presence and thankfully backs up into the plum and black fruits. Tannins are ripe, fine and sandy and there's good mineral energy for such a powerful wine. Traditional Barossa, done really well.

95 points Dave Brookes winecompanion.com.au

The Barossa region (which includes the Eden Valley) is home to some of the world’s oldest Shiraz, Mataro and Grenache vines growing on their own roots. Some of these vines are over 170 years old! This is a testament to South Australia’s strong biosecurity measures, which have prevented the movement of Phylloxera - a potentially devasting vine aphid, which killed off much of Europe’s grapevines in the 1800s.

Although low yielding, old vines produce intensely flavoured fruit with great concentration and depth of flavour. The Australian Old Vine Collection Eden Valley Shiraz showcases these characteristics beautifully. The fruit for this wine was largely sourced from our Burkes Hill Vineyard, with the Shiraz being 62 years of age.

The wine was vinified in small lot (0.5 - 1 tonne) open fermenters, with daily plunging or rack and return. It was matured for 18 months in new and matured French oak hogsheads and puncheons. 

Opaque purple hue. Lifted sweet Shiraz berry characters on the nose with notes of vanilla and blackberries. The palate is medium-weighted and very complex. It shows all the hallmarks of great Shiraz treated with good oak maturation to produce a great wine with ageing potential. Developing vinosity now with bottle age.