2022 Bremerton Old Adam Shiraz, Langhorne Creek

95 points I Gold I 2025 Langhorne Creek Wine Show

Ripe dark fruits with spice, mocha and vanilla are lifted by whisky-tinged cedar. Roasted tomato and salty liquorice adding a savoury edge. Full-bodied and concentrated, with a dense texture and firm tannins carrying through to a long, earthy finish. A traditional style with lots of oak that will have many fans. Drink to 2036.

95 points Melissa Moore for The Real Review, January 2026

In a way, Old Adam sticks to a formula – the best parcels of shiraz, lots of oak and a concentrated style. It works well for a red in this richer, riper vein. Nothing out of place: dark fruit, all ripe and fleshy yet fresh, with lashings of cedary, toasty, woodsy aromas and flavours. Everything has come together well, with ripe tannins coating the full-bodied palate. Obviously hearty fare is an essential part of the enjoyment factor with this red. Drink to 2035.

95 points Jane Faulkner for Halliday Wine Companion, June 2025

The family vineyards of Bremerton sit in the rich soil of the Bremer River flood plain in the Langhorne Creek region of South Australia. Known for its high and consistent quality of fruit, the region enjoys long growing seasons thanks to the moderating effects of Lake Alexandrina. Long sought after for blending, increasing amounts of the region’s wine is now bottled by family estates like that run by the Willson sisters, Rebecca and Lucy. They have built Bremerton over the last three decades from an old lucerne farm to a 120-ha vineyard, producing up to 40,000 cases per year and exporting to numerous overseas markets.

The Old Adam is the flagship Shiraz for Bremerton, and a result of a selection process that starts with vineyard parcels and continues through several stages at the winery. Vinified in open fermenters and matured for a total of 22 months in new and seasoned fine grain American and French Oak.  A further 12-month maturation in bottle allows the wine to reach customers close to its drinking window.

Made in a much-loved traditional style, the wine leaps out of the glass with aromas of ripe dark fruit with spice, licorice and vanilla notes. The flavours follow harmoniously to the dense, textured and full-bodied palate, the ripe tannins only a support frame to the rich fruit.

Perfect for a long evening with coal-roasted whole celeriac, dry-aged ribeye on the bone or baked camembert with walnuts and thyme.