2023 Hentley Farm Clos Otto Shiraz, Barossa Valley

Very bright, deep, dense, glass staining purple colour; charred caramellised wood and graphite, smoked charcuterie and cocoa nibs on the nose; the palate dense and super-packed with flavour and ultra-ripe fruit. Some spicy/herbal characters. The tannins are biting and gritty with a hint of pleasantly cleansing bitterness and balanced grip. A massive wine but it's all in proportion and will richly reward long keeping. Drink to 2043.

97 points Huon Hooke for The Real Review, December 2025

Deep crimson in the glass and deeply aromatic with glossy satsuma plum, blackberry, blueberry and boysenberry fruits. Hints of baking spices, roasting meats, violets, dark chocolate, some distant ferrous notes, nicely judged vanillin oak and earth. The wine sports a contemporary feel but it sings true to the Barossan hymn-sheet with heady fruit density and purity, a superfine, compact tannin array and a bright mineral line that lends detail and cadence as the wine trails away with a sense of latent power and grace. Jeez, Hentley Farm is making some cracking wines at the pointy end of its lineup. Drink to 2046.

96+points Dave Brookes for Halliday Wine Companion, March 2026

Clos Otto Shiraz comes from a vineyard in natural amphitheatre on a 2004 purchased property adjoining the original Hentley Farm. Its vines are of unknown clonal material and stand in soils typical for this part of the Barossa, red clay over weathered limestone. The site enjoys an elevated position and faces the morning sun.

The 2023 season was temperate and one of long flavour accumulation, with cool nights preserving natural acidity across all varieties. The wines show ripe yet elegant flavours and charming, lifted aromatics.

The fruit for this wine was mostly de-stemmed, with some whole bunches included in the open ferments that were pumped over and hand plunged during the 7-11 days on skins. The basket pressed wine matured for 22 months in French oak barrels of which 55% were new.

About this producer

Hentley Farm was established in 1997 by Keith and Alison Hentschke in the rolling hills of Greenock Creek in the western reaches of the Barossa. Their 150-hectare property sits on a diverse range of soils that coupled with the varying orientations of the land gives them a rich tapestry of fruit styles from their two vineyard sites. Work at the winery has been led by winemaker Andrew Quin since 2008.