2023 All Saints Estate Durif, Rutherglen

All Saints has worked long and hard to show another side of durif, the friendlier, aromatic, less scary side. The '23 embraces the 'other side', delivered with the grape's signature tannin presence and a strong cast of supporting actors. Dried herbs, violet, black cherry, black berries, dark chocolate, baking spices, tapenade and a splash of amaro-style bitters are dense and concentrated across the palate. Savoury, robust tannins guard and guide a wine that is still coming together, as tasted well before release. Drink to 2034.

95 points & Special Value Jeni Port for Halliday Wine Companion, August 2025

Rich and full-throttled, with aromas of blackberries, mulberries, dark chocolate, anise, cloves and toasted oak. The palate is full-bodied with robust, mouth-coating tannins and a dense, fruit-driven core that finishes with a savory, spice-edged note. Powerful but approachable. Drink or hold.

93 points James Suckling, July 2025

Impenetrable black/purple colour. Quite oaky nose at first sniff, cedar, walnut, black fruits and tapenade aromas. Intense flavour, concentrated and densely packed with tannin and youthful fruit, but there is a savoury aspect which helps dry the finish and take it into a level above the simple fruit bombs. A serious durif. Drink to 2038.

92 points Huon Hooke for The Real Review, December 2025

This wine was grown, made and bottled on site at the All Saints estate in Rutherglen.

The fruit was de-stemmed and crushed into traditional cement fermenters and inoculated with a neutral yeast to ensure fermentation to dryness. The must was hand plunged three times a day during the early stages of fermentation then reduced to two a day until the ferment was finished. The must was then pressed with a traditional, gentle 136-year-old hand cranked wooden basket press to avoid over extracting the tannins, which in this variety can be substantial if not handled correctly.

The 2023 matured for 18 months in seasoned French oak barriques and puncheons of second to fifth use before each barrel was assessed ahead of the final blending and bottling.

The result is a great introduction to Durif, with deep fruit and solid frame of tannins and acidity that should see this wine develop with ease until its tenth birthday. Serve to something hearty to take advantage of the wine’s natural richness and structure.

About this producer

All Saints Estate is a family-owned winery established in 1864 on the banks of the Murray River in Wahgunyah of northeastern Victoria. Siblings Eliza, Angela and Nicholas Brown have been the custodians of the original estate as well as the neighbouring St Leonards Vineyard since 2005. Their father having been one of the Brown Brothers of Milawa, they are also actively involved in the management of Brown Family Wine group, which in addition to Brown Brothers also includes the premium wine labels Pirie and Tamar Ridge, and the widely distributed Innocent Bystander and Devil’s Corner.

Their two Rutherglen properties are home to 76 hectares of vines, many of which date back to the early to late-1900s. The family has also restored the tiny historic 1891 half-hectare Mount Ophir vineyard, and is today producing a single, premium Shiraz from this site.