2018 Robert Oatley Limited Release Barossa Shiraz

Utilising the talents of highly acclaimed winemaker Larry Cherubino, fruit has been sourced from vines ranging between 20-60 years old with maturation taking place in mixture of new and 1 year old tight grained low toast French oak for a period of 12 months.
Rich, seductive and silky yet gorgeously refined.
Dense pitch black core with a dark red black tinged hue. Wafting from the glass are aromas of ripe blackberry, liquorice and dark plum which are complimented by vanillin cedar, fennel and peppered earth notes. Rich, silky textured and relatively refined in its feel for Barossa Shiraz, the medium to full bodied palate is layered with blackberry, dark plum and liquorice fruits. Spicy vanillin cedar, subtle notions of scorched earth and peppered fennel like characters lie underneath. Understated in its power it possesses beautifully polished, velvet smooth tannins and finishes long, plush and finessed.
Drink over the next 5-6 years.
Alc. 14%

Other Reviews…..
Always fascinating to compare the same wine from different vintages and the release of these two Barossa Shiraz, from 2017 and this one from 2018, allow us to do just that. As thoroughly impressive as the 2017 is, this wine wins hands down. But then, with 2018 such a superb vintage for the region, that is exactly what you’d expect. The sources of fruit for this wine, and the techniques employed by Larry Cherubino to make it, are the same for both vintages (a mix of vineyards from both the Barossa and Eden Valleys with vines ranging between twenty and sixty years of age, open fermented on skins for 4-6 weeks, and then aged in a mix of new and one-year-old tight-grained, low toast French oak barriques).
The wine is black/purple in colour. There is a gloriously decadent nose, plush with black fruits, black olives and chocolate. Finely balanced with serious concentration, a joy now but if you have good cellaring conditions, twenty years will be a doddle. Seamless, with an ideal acid/fruit balance, velvety tannins and great length, this is a superb Shiraz from a top year. It just oozes chocolate and class. Drink 2024-2036.
97 points
Ken Gargett – WinePilot.com

Larry Cherubino heads to the Barossa and Eden Valleys to source fruit for this deeply flavoured, limited-release wine. Glossy and elegant, the wine resonates with ripe satsuma plum, blackberry fruits and classy French oak nuance. The Barossa Valley provides the richness and horsepower and the cooler Eden Valley the graceful line. Tight fine tannin and drive. A wonderfully balanced and textural release. Drink by 2035.
95 points
Dave Brookes – James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion

The fruit for this refined example of Barossa shiraz from a marvelous vintage has come from a number of low-yielding sites in the Barossa and Eden Valleys. It would seem the cooler Eden Valley has contributed to the overall structure and graceful lines of the shiraz, while taking nothing from the traditional flavour profile that is Barossa. The wine went through largely traditional winemaking before heading into 12 months of low toast and significantly, very fine-grained French oak. Rich and lavish palate held with a fine focus as it extended effortlessly to a very long finish. This has great ageing potential. Drink 2024-2036.
96 points
Ray Jordan – WinePilot.com

Very deep, youthful, rich red/purple colour and a similarly rich, ripe, layered bouquet of dark plum, pepper spice, blackberry and dark chocolate, with a high note of oyster shell. Full bodied, decadently rich and supple in the mouth, the texture sliding gloriously across the palate. Long, harmonious follow through. A totally delicious shiraz.
Drink 2021-2038
96 points
Huon Hooke – The Real Review