2016 Bella's Garden Shiraz
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Tasting notes
Opaque ruby. Smoke-tinged dark berry preserves, vanilla, licorice and a hint of exotic spices on the perfumed nose. Fleshy, sweet and broad on the palate, offering sappy cherry-cola and blackberry flavors and a touch of fruitcake. Finishes smoky and very long, with a repeating vanilla note and supple tannins that add closing grip.
Critic scores
Average Score
Tim Jackson MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Deep black-ruby. Rich chocolate, dried liquorice and black pepper. Integral oak, with baked black fruit. Juicy acidity, spicy, baked blackberry palate fruit, chocolate and liquorice. (TJ)
The 2016 Bella's Garden Shiraz, from the winery's "home turf" in the Barossa Valley, features luscious aromas of mixed berries, vanilla and just enough meaty notes to keep the wine from being overly fruit-driven. Instead, it's savory and complex, with cedar framing the ample fruit, and it has fine-grained, silky tannins and a long, crisp finish. Nicely done.
A wine that always seems to deliver, the 2016 Shiraz Bella's Garden comes from the Barossa Valley and saw a touch of whole clusters and 18 months in roughly 20% new French oak. Blueberries, black raspberries, vanilla bean, spice, and toasted bread notes all flow to a full-bodied, ripe, opulent Shiraz that has sweet tannin, a balanced, clean profile, and a great finish. It’s a knockout bottle of wine to enjoy over the coming 5-7 years.