2022 Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz, Hunter Valley

This is an ultra-stylish, well-made Graveyard with tightly coiled fruit and a serious demeanour. In fact, it would be easy to miss its greatness, especially alongside riper styles, if one wasn't paying attention. Quiet and reserved with a youthful crimson hue, the fruit is tensioned within an intricate matrix of acidity and tannin. With aeration, one sees exotic black cherry characters nestled within a dense, sculpted, savoury palate. It's a slender, majestic shiraz that has grace and restrained power. It will be an extremely long-living wine, and I can't wait to see how it transforms with time. One for the future.

98 points Toni Paterson MW winecompanion.com.au

Brokenwood’s Graveyard Shiraz is one of Australia’s most celebrated single-vineyard wines and the undisputed icon of Hunter Valley Shiraz. The Graveyard Vineyard was planted in 1968 on gently sloping, free-draining alluvial soils over clay in Pokolbin. Its name comes from a planned cemetery that never eventuated, with the land instead transformed into a vineyard now recognised as one of the country’s best. The site’s low-yielding old vines, combined with the Hunter’s warm days, cooling afternoon sea breezes, and autumn humidity, produce Shiraz of remarkable perfume, elegance, and longevity. Since its first vintage in 1983, Graveyard Shiraz has built an enviable reputation, regularly earning top scores from critics and a place among Australia’s finest reds.

In the glass, it is deep garnet with crimson edges and offers a complex bouquet of dark cherry, blackberry, and mulberry, interwoven with violets, black pepper, and subtle gamey notes. Secondary layers of cedar, dark chocolate, and tobacco come from careful French oak maturation, which typically uses a proportion of new barrels for structure and longevity. The palate is medium-bodied yet intense, with a core of ripe dark fruit framed by fine, savoury tannins and bright acidity, true to the Hunter Valley style. It carries an elegant, seamless length with spice and earthy minerality lingering on the finish.

The Graveyard Shiraz pairs beautifully with dishes like roast lamb with rosemary, slow-cooked beef cheek, venison with juniper, or porcini mushroom risotto. While stunning on release for its fragrance and balance, it is built for cellaring, with the best vintages maturing gracefully for 20 years or more, developing intricate layers of leather, truffle, and savoury depth.