2023 Greenock Creek Alices Shiraz, Barossa Valley

The trademark Alices concentration is in full swing with this release. Dark-chocolate-dipped black cherries, blackcurrant and dark cherry compote fruit characters with layers of baking spices, mocha, blueberry pie, gentle cedar tones, chocolate bullets and earth. There's a leading citrus blossom note on the palate, then a sweep of the most pure dark and black fruits, compact, ferrous-edged, powdery tannins and a velvety flow as the wine slowly trails off. Drink 2024 to 2036.

95 points Dave Brookes for Halliday Wine Companion, March 2025

The 2023 Shiraz Alice's is well made. It offers up waves of approachable dark cherry and licorice notes with mulberry richness adding impact. This is medium-bodied with good purity of fruit in a streamlined package before finishing with silky length. Drink 2025 to 2032.

92 points Angus Hughson for Vinous, August 2025

Greenock Creek was established in 1984 by Michael and Annabelle Waugh with a vision of producing terroir led single vineyard expressions of Shiraz.  Accumulating a series of old, dry-land, low-yielding Barossa vineyards, they succeeded on a scale few could have imagined. The Waughs' retired in 2018, with new owners hiring Alex Peel as the senior winemaker. He has bought a fresh precision to a house style that has always been defined by power, integrity and a fierce respect for site. This has been achieved by small but important adjustments in managing vineyard health and by promoting quality control at every step in the winery.

Alice's Vineyard was planted in 1997 using cuttings from the celebrated Roennfeldt Road and Seven Acre blocks. The site slopes gently to the south, with row orientation sheltering fruit from the harshest afternoon sun while allowing cooling gully breezes through the canopy. Two distinct soil types define the block, sandy loam laced with shale rock on the upper section, and lighter, sandier soils below. The former contributing richness and depth, the latter lending lushness and generosity to the wine.

The wine is vinified with an approach that favours patience over intervention: open fermentation, soft basket pressing, and extended maturation in a combination of French and American oak.

The 2023 is a wine of considerable presence and depth. The nose is rich and layered, with dark cherry and blackcurrant at its core, woven through with baking spice, mocha and a subtle earthiness. On the palate it's full and generous, with dark fruits building steadily, supported by fine, compact tannins and enough freshness to keep everything in balance. The finish is long and velvety, with real persistence.

Drink it now with a generously seasoned roasted lamb or set it aside to let it fully reveal itself.