2022 Harewood Estate Shiraz, Great Southern

Excellent value here for a very fine Shiraz from the Great Southern region in Western Australia, which already has several years under its belt. Deep blood red in colour, we have notes of florals, warm earth, black fruits, charcuterie, licorice, leather and coffee grinds. There is a fleshiness to this wine, with good concentration and a firm finish. The oak is well handled, and the intensity runs the full length, and it is certainly a wine with persistence. Attractive now it should drink impressively for at least the next six to eight years. Drink 2026 to 2034.

92 points Ken Gargett for Wine Pilot, April 2025

Winemaker James Kellie’s years as a contract winemaker for growers across the Great Southern region gave him unique insights into its diversity and potential. His love for the region led him to purchase a former client, Harewood Estate, in 2003 with his wife Careena. This commitment came with building a winery from scratch and a clear ambition: to make wines that reflect the full breadth of the Great Southern rather than a single corner of it.

This Shiraz brings together fruit from Frankland River and Mount Barker — the darker, fleshier character of Frankland River Shiraz alongside the cooler pepper and blackberry notes that Mount Barker does so well. Fermented in small open fermenters, the wine spent eighteen months in a mix of new and one-year-old French oak before blending and bottling.

Florals, warm earth and black fruits on the nose, with licorice, leather and a thread of coffee. The palate is fleshy and generous with good concentration and fine-grained tannins carrying through to a persistent finish.

Give it a little air before serving. Good company for a midweek roast, a pasta with a slow-cooked meat ragu, or anything coming off a grill on a Friday night.

Drinking well now and will continue to do so through the late 2020s.