2020 Barossa report: Best ever

This year has been a unique one and one of the upsides has been my ability to get into the Barossa Valley to visit producers, walk the vines, talk to the winemakers and take a deep dive into the latest Barossa releases. This report covers more than 500 wines from the region’s best producers and covers the most relevant styles, from classic to the most innovative.

This timing could not be better in the quality of the two vintages that are centerstage right now. For reds the 2018 vintage is proving a source of high-quality wines across the stalwart varieties like shiraz, grenache and cabernet sauvignon as well as the more fledgling grapes. And for whites, principally the rieslings of Eden Valley, this is an exquisite year for power, concentration and freshness.

There’s also a convincing evolution across many brands and producers that is enlivening and broadening the offerings across the region. And this move is not only driven by new projects. Even the most established names, like Yalumba and Seppeltsfield, are executing relevant styles while drawing on their considerable resources and traditions. It is an exciting time for quality, for interest and for value in Barossa wine.

The average quality across the 2018 vintage wines is high with every winemaker I spoke to rating the season as a high-quality year. The wet winter and spring of 2017 set the season up well with good subsoil moisture. “Flowering was very good,” said Grant Burge Chief Winemaker Craig Stansborough. “We had some hot spells early in summer but it was mild through the harvest zone.” This finish to the season meant grapes were harvested when they were ready, there was no pressure in the vineyard or the winery, and wines were given all the time and attention they could want through fermentation. “I rate 2018 better than 2012 and 2016, perhaps similar in style to 2012 which had good phenolic ripeness and very even tannins,” Stansborough said.

Dan Standish of The Standish Wine Company was emphatic about the quality of the 2018 harvest stating “It is the best we’ve seen in a long time, I give it ten out of ten!”

Dean Hewitson explained that “the tannins in 2018 were bloody fantastic, the intensity is there, it is just a textbook vintage.” The wines certainly have immaculate tannins and very complete structures with no aggressive or unruly texture in the top wines and extra generosity in the less-expensive, drinkable wines. There’s balance at the top and lower down the price scale. 2018 is a very drinkable vintage on the one hand and one that will age very reliably on the other.

Standish made one of the two 100-point wines in this report, The Standish Wine Company Barossa Valley The Schubert Theorem 2018, that comes from the cellar of one of the region’s best-credentialed new-generation winemakers. A sixth-generation Barossa local, Standish’s deep understanding of the region was cemented during his years as winemaker at Torbreck. He then investigated the region’s more eclectic face with the Massena project, a collaboration with Jaysen Collins, but ultimately he had his sights set on this moment. I also rated the Henschke Shiraz Eden Valley Hill of Grace Vineyard 2015 100 points earlier this year, highlighting Barossa’s great success in this year’s tastings for JamesSuckling.com.

“I started out wanting to make only one wine, the best shiraz in Australia,” Standish said to me recently. He reached that goal with the 100-point Standish Wine Company Shiraz Schubert Theorem 2018. This wine is a triumph because it is so unequivocally Barossa Valley in its well-like depth of fruit and expansive reach and yet it is delivered with such deft touch. This zenith was not reached suddenly. “It took me eight years to figure this vineyard out, from 2001 to 2009,” Standish said. He waited eight years to release his first iteration of this wine from the 2009 harvest.

Six parcels from the same plot in Marananga are made as separate wines and then the final blend is assembled from these. The final result is a wine that has intensity and power and what I describe as impeccable depth of tannin. The saturation of deep black fruit flavors is perfectly honed. It’s a wine that makes a strong impact and Standish has toned and tamed the richness and power to perfection in this 2018 release. This is a poster child for great modern Barossa Valley shiraz.

Given his specific ambition, it is no surprise that Standish only makes shiraz in his modern and fastidiously designed winery. His other four shiraz wines are led by The Standish Wine Company Shiraz Barossa Valley The Standish 2018 (98 points) which is a Greenock parcel with plenty of ironstone influence. It is super complex and fragrant with deep dark-berry fruits and spices and is powerfully delivered with graceful, luxurious texture.

The Standish Wine Company Shiraz Eden Valley Lamella 2018 (97 points) is from the highly regarded and historic Hutton Vale Vineyard. This is very fragrant, very spicy and lightly peppery Eden Valley shiraz and has distinctive freshness and detail with density and brightness. The Standish Wine Company Shiraz Barossa Valley Amdelmonde 2018 (95 points) is from a parcel of 1950s vines from Light Pass with brown sand on red-clay soils and has very rich, intense and powerful style with plush, enveloping tannins. And finally The Standish Wine Company Shiraz Barossa Valley The Relic 2018 (95 points) is a 2% co-ferment of viognier with shiraz from an east-facing slope with ridges of quartz, offering very attractive blackberries and plums with smooth, plush tannin. Again, this is full-bodied, but approachable.

Shiraz is a strong presence in this report’s top tier with a series of wines all rated 98 points from a host of in-form producers. The Kaesler Shiraz Barossa Valley Alte Reben Silt 2018 (98 points) comes from an effort to separate this small parcel of 1899-planted vines into three different wines according to subtly different soil composition. This Alte Reben Silt is my pick with a dense, finely-compacted feel to the tannins. This has really unique textural quality with a very long, chiseled and composed palate.

The First Drop Shiraz Barossa Valley The Cream 2018 (98 points) strikes at the pinnacle of bold Barossa shiraz with deeply savory aromas of purple olives, iodine, coal smoke, rust fused with essence of dark plum, blueberry and blackberry fruits. The palate is so rich and layered with a stunning build of seamless tannin. Hentley Farm Shiraz Barossa Valley E Block 2018 (98 points) is a rich, concentrated, fruit-packed shiraz that has such composure on the palate with a stream of pitch-perfect, ripe tannin.

The Hewitson Shiraz Barossa Valley Monopole Mother Vine 2018 (98 points) delivers an intense core of dark-plum and chocolate fondant flavor in a smooth-honed and very intense, powerful style. Spinifex has many highly-rated wines in this report topped by their signature shiraz-mataro blend, the Barossa Valley Indigene 2018 (98 points). This is a deep, rich and intense red with such powerful blackberry and blueberry flavors set amid a long, smooth and bold but balanced palate.

The vineyard-focused wines of Brett Grocke’s Eperosa project have rated well across some 15-different submissions and the highlight is a stunning shiraz, the Eperosa Barossa Valley Magnolia 1896 2017 (98 points). This is just 0.4 hectares of 1896 plantings rendering a complex, spicy and deep-set style with a seamless delivery of plush and supple tannins. This is carefully farmed and curated old-vine, site-driven style.

Blends of shiraz and cabernet sauvignon have excelled in South Australia from vintage 2018, as we reported earlier this year with the 2018 Penfolds Bin 389 (96 points) and a number of the latest 2018 Penfolds red releases. The Kaesler Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz Barossa Valley WOMS 2018 (96 points) is so impressive for the seamless stitching together of the blend. There’s excellent definition and refined power with sublime textural focus.

Yalumba historically hold court over cabernet sauvignon and shiraz blends in the Barossa and The Signature 2016 (96 points) is a taut, youthful edition of this wine that will age very well. The Signature 2015 (also 96 points) is a more fleshy, supple style with a bold and round palate. Very drinkable now, this will develop well for a good two decades. A vinous slam dunk!

Very old vine wines are central to the DNA of the Barossa Valley and there is a growing number of producers taking the time to reinterpret these parcels into wines that are more innately driven by their provenance. These wines are an anchor for the region, a liquid heritage piece, and are now often crafted along more contemporary lines.

Alongside the 1899-planted vines Kaesler Shiraz Alte Reben Silt 2018 mentioned above, the Kaesler Shiraz Barossa Valley Old Bastard 2018 (97 points) is a parcel of 1893 vines on the estate that offers rich blackberry, blueberry and dark-plum fruits with strong but smooth tannins winding the finish out very long. Kaesler’s Old Bastard 2016 (96 points) has impressive freshness and purity of fruit with composed blueberry and blackberry flavors showing both poise and concentration.

From a special parcel of shiraz in a plot of 1915 plantings out in Greenock, the Elderton Shiraz Barossa Valley Helbig 2018 (97 points) gives a fresh delivery of ultra-ripe dark-berry and plum aromas leading to an immensely concentrated palate with bold tannin architecture. It needs some time, and will be best in three to four years.

A new luxury red from St Hallett, the 2015 Shiraz Barossa Valley Planted 1919 (97 points and RRP AUD$450) hails from Springton up in the Eden Valley and is complex with aromas of coal smoke, violet, wet stones, blueberry, and pepper. The palate has striking intensity and depth with sleek, glossy and melted tannins. And 70 years older still, the Turkey Flat Shiraz Barossa Valley The Ancestor 2016 (96 points) is beautifully deep in that old vine, effortless way, with rich delivery of ripe blackberries and dark plums amid very fluid, supple and melding tannins.

Grenache shines here too, often with the combination of young hands and old vines, it is attracting younger winemakers keen on expressive styles. The Eperosa Barossa Valley Krondorf 2017 (94 points) is a 1903-planted parcel of grenache with delicate and attractively vibrant wild raspberries and strawberries. This was fermented as whole bunches with three weeks on skins and has a plush, layered and smooth texture. Deep but very elegant. The Eperosa Eden Valley Stonegarden 1858 2017 (94 points) is an ancient parcel of a deep-fruited clone of grenache grown on granite and quartz rock at 400 meters above sea level. It’s pure raspberry, red-plum and blueberry here with lacy, smooth yet-granular tannins and a long, stony finish.

The Head Wines Grenache Barossa Valley Ancestor Vine 2019 (97 points) is a showcase of elegance and power. From a single parcel of vines planted in 1853 in Springton in the Eden Valley, this has a strikingly complex and fragrant style with such fine, silky and elegant tannins that draw very long.

The Hewitson Grenache Barossa Valley Private Cellar 2018 (96 points) is from a plot of century-old, dry-grown bush vines in Rowland Flat. This has a lilting, rose-like floral nose with pomegranate and orange-peel notes across fresh raspberries and red cherries. It is strikingly pure and delicate. The palate has attractive, granular tannins that carry long, supple and smooth on the palate. It is super-long with pure red-fruit flavor.

The Spinifex Grenache Barossa Valley Dominion 2019 (96 points) parcel on Nuriap Road at the north end of Vine Vale, planted in 1908, has an attractive, brambly raspberry nose with wild herbs and rose-like florals dressing very pure fruit aromas. The palate has a strong, centered and long shape with plenty of bright raspberries and a lithe, juicy weave of ripe tannin. So long and effortless. The dark raspberry and red-plum flavors last for minutes.

Yalumba is flexing its grenache muscle delivering reliable value with the Yalumba Grenache Barossa Samuel’s Collection Bush Vine 2019 (92 points) which is drinkable and consistent from vintage to vintage. The top Yalumba Grenache Barossa Valley Tri-Centenary 2017 (94 points) has performed well in the cooler 2017 vintage with savory florals, stones and red fruits delivered on smooth tannins thanks to a 116-day spell on skins.

The whole-bunch influenced Yalumba Grenache Barossa Valley Vine Vale 2017 (94 points) heads to lacy, light and ethereal territory with fruits like strawberry, pomegranate and blood orange infused with amaro and negroni-like herbal essences. This works well from this cooler 2017 year, as it does in the warmer 2018 edition of this same wine (94 points). The 2018 shows fresh wild cherries and raspberries with a sappy and focused core of raspberries and poached berries and lacy tannins that build a full, layered finish.

The Kaesler Grenache Barossa Valley The Fave 2018 (93 points) gives whole bunchy perfume and florals and more medium weight and supple style. From a small parcel of vines, planted in the 1930s on the estate vineyard, it delivers a very fresh, lacy palate with flavors of strawberry, pomegranate and berry pastry. It is drinkable now and certainly set to evolve into ever more nuanced style for the next five to six years.

Marco Cirillo’s family vineyard with plantings dating back to 1850 is a source of great grenache and the Cirillo Grenache Barossa Valley The Vincent Survivor Vine 2019 (96 points) is my pick. From vines more than 100 years old, this has plenty of spicy red-to-dark fruits with fine, deeply layered tannins and attractive freshness on the finish.

Interestingly, Cirillo is possibly the only winemaker in the Barossa (or beyond) making a rosé from 1850s plantings of grenache. The 2019 Cirillo Rosé Barossa Valley Ancester Vine Rosato 1850 is really a delicious light red influenced by the family’s Calabrian migrant heritage. This has a wealth of bright and juicy strawberry and wild raspberry fruit in a crisp, dry and really flavorful style.

Semillon is a passion project for some in the Barossa and the 2017 Cirillo Semillon Barossa Valley Ancestor Vine 1850 (93 points) is again from the family’s very old 1850s vines and has a mix of freshness and gently glossy, pastry-like notes with lemon and green apple fruit. The Peter Lehmann Semillon Barossa Margaret Limited Release 2013 (94 points) is a very convincing mature release style that has wispy, precise style, at once delicate but concentrated and evolving beautifully.

But it is riesling that holds centerstage in this report, and the 2020 vintage shines a bright light on its stellar performance in the Eden Valley. If there’s one producer that ought to know it is John Hughes of Rieslingfreak, whose sole production is based around this one variety. “I love the 2020 whites in the Eden Valley,“ Hughes said. “It is all down to the four weeks of cooler temperatures prior to harvest. We saw great fruit concentration and acid retention. We picked later than normal and there was good purity.”

The cool February really worked in the favor of freshness across all Barossa wines in 2020 and the rieslings are the early indication of high quality to come. But, as so often happens, where nature gives with one hand it takes away with the other. Yields in much of the Barossa are tiny in 2020, so these wines will be in short supply.

The top 2020 riesling wines here are all rated 96 points and come from a range of producers. The Pewsey Vale Riesling Eden Valley 2020 is a wine of considerable value as well as absolute quality from a pedigreed vineyard in the most elevated section of the region. The Dandelion Vineyards Riesling Eden Valley Wonderland of the Eden Valley 2020 is mouthwatering with a sleekly refined shape filled with lemon fruit.

Hewitson’s Riesling Eden Valley Gun Metal 2020 is vibrant with the acidity pitched-in perfectly to support so much flavor. John Hughes’ 2020 Rieslingfreak Riesling Eden Valley N0.4 offers very intense and quite exotic tropical and stone fruit aromas before a very sleek, fresh and pure palate.

From vines planted in 1929, the Flaxman Riesling Eden Valley 2020 epitomizes this very low-yielding vintage at just 200 kg per acre and has such great intensity and refreshing acidity driving intense lemon and grapefruit flavors. The Henschke Riesling Eden Valley Julius 2020 is ripe and fresh with concentrated, ripe lemon and peach flavors and great acidity. All these are rated 96 points and are as delicious now as they will be after a decade or more of cellaring.

And aged riesling is always a regular fixture at the top end of white quality in this region and the Flaxman Riesling Eden Valley 2006 (96 points) has retained some exotic fruit, such as green mango, guava and feijoa, and is really taut on the palate with cool, mineral tones. The Peter Lehmann Riesling Eden Valley Wigan 2015 (96 points) has transformed into a complex, bottle-matured riesling with a very smoothly arranged, glossy textural quality over the five years in bottle. This is breathtakingly pure, yet complex and drinkable. A benchmark.

That quality of drinkability really does run through the vast majority of the wines tasted and rated here. It is testament to the confluence of many thangs including strong feature vintages, better understanding and management of vineyards, the elucidation of great old vines and younger hands taking hold at the heart of the region’s winemaking. It is a very good time to be buying and drinking Barossa.

– Nick Stock, executive editor