2018 Nicks Secret BFD Barossa Cabernet Shiraz

From the same producer as the 2020 Nicks Secret BFD Reserve Barossa Shiraz & 2018 Nicks Secret BFD Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon, this rich, deeply concentrated Barossa blend is made from 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Shiraz. Priced at $85.00 ex cellar door, this represents great value if you’re into big, bold Barossa reds.

A classic blend of Cabernet and Shiraz with Barossa’s trademark power and opulence on full show.

Impenetrable black as night heart with a deep dark red black tinged hue. Heady dark plum, dark chocolate, cassis and liquorice aromas waft from the glass trailed by some vanillin oak and spicy mocha notes. Rich, concentrated and plush, the palate is saturated with a decadent flow of dark plum, liquorice, blackcurrant and dark chocolate flavours. Spicy vanillin cedar and earthy mocha characters linger underneath. Velvet smooth tannins carry Cabernet Sauvignon’s underlying sturdy structure. Opulent in it’s texture and possessing excellent power, it finishes ripe, long and seductive.
Drink over the next 3-4 years.
Alc. 15%

Other Reviews…..
Big and bold, the ripeness, fullness and flesh of *** powerful cabernet has no need for the bolstering effect of shiraz, but there you have it. Black fruits of all kinds, high-cocoa dark chocolate and sweet, warm alcohol. Nicely resolved tannins of powder-fine structure drive a long finish. Great value. It's just a little riper than it needs to be. Drink by 2030.
93 points
Tyson Stelzer – James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion

Bit of an old fashioned Aussie dry red here with powerful fruit and sweet oak plus structural tannins to provide a long aging style for fans of decadent oak. It opens with robust aromas of blackberry, licorice and tar with lashings of sweet toasted coconut oak. That oak then dominates the palate providing density but also plenty of chewy tannins with ripe jammy fruits sitting behind before quite a long finish. It is a big red and will be at its best with more time in the cellar. Drink 2026-2035.
93 points
Angus Hughson – WinePilot.com