2022 Yalumba Steeple Vineyard Shiraz, Barossa Valley

Deep ruby red with a rich purple rim. A heady nose of ripe blueberries and blood plums, star anise and hints of ironstone. Powerful and intense on the palate without overloading the senses. Blue fruits build majestically with notes of charred beef, iron and violets, all melded together in harmony. Tannins are pitch perfect, finely grained but with ample tension to ensure great length to the finish. It will evolve even further with patient cellaring. Drink 2025 to 2038.

95 points Stuart Knox for The Real Review, December 2025

A tiny 1.34-hectare block, with vines growing in sandy loam and red-brown earth at 280 metres elevation, the Steeple Vineyard in Light Pass is named after the Lutheran Church whose steeple has watched over these centenarian vines since they were planted in 1919.

The 2022 vintage was close to ideal. Good winter rainfall replenished groundwaters before a mild spring, a cool dry summer and a long autumn, all contributing to fruit of genuine complexity and natural acidity. Winemaker Kevin Glastonbury wild fermented the fruit in stainless steel with nine days on skins, before a seventeen-month maturation in mostly seasoned French oak barrels.

Vibrant and deep in the glass, the nose opens with blueberry, violet and liquorice spice, layering into purple berries with cinnamon and allspice as it breathes. The palate is focused and precise with dark cherry and crunchy red fruit, lively acidity, and a finish of fine ironstone tannins that speaks clearly of the age of these vines and the character of the site.

Drinking well now but built to cellar for a decade. Allow the wine some air before enjoying it with the best steak you can find.