Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz 2023

Bottle of Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz 2024.

Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz 2023
$500, 13.5% alcohol, screwcap, Hunter Valley.

Given that Brokenwood is a Mattinson 10-Star Winery and that I have a long history with Brokenwood’s Graveyard Shiraz and that the 2023 ripening season in the Hunter Valley is somewhat heralded – not to mention Gary Walsh’s scoop review of this wine on The Winefront – I was pretty keen to take a look at the Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz 2023. One wintry Friday in June then I opened a bottle, pre-lunch, and let it air for an hour or two.

What struck me, from the first sip, is how far Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz has come stylistically. Graveyard Shiraz is now more under- than over-stated. This particular release is both a silken wine and a grainy one, which is a good combination in my books, and while there’s ample palate flavour and weight the emphasis really is on the finish. Indeed we’re essentially in peacock’s tail territory here. Iron, blood, plum, earth, blueberry, pepper and assorted nutty-twiggy spice characters all get a chance to strut their stuff. But it’s the way this wine extends its hand out to you on the finish, and pulls you further into its world, that makes you think that there’s a sleight, or a magic, or a certain special something in our midst. 96 points.

RRP$500.

Campbell Mattinson

This article was written by Campbell Mattinson, former chief editor of the Halliday Wine Companion book, former editor of Halliday magazine, former editor of Australian Sommelier Magazine and founder of both The Winefront site (founded in 2002, and the home of Australia’s best Australian wine reviews) and Mattinson Photography.

Mattinson has been an independent journalist, wine critic and photographer since 1987. He’s the only Australian to have won the Australian Wine Communicator of the Year Award more than once. He’s a past winner of a Louis Roederer International Wine Media Award; is the author of the award-winning book The Wine Hunter; and is the author of the best-selling novel We Were Not Men. He’s also a winner of a St Kilda Film Festival Award (as writer-director) and is a former winner of the national Best Australian Sports Writing Award.

Mattinson, who is 100% independent, puts a score out of 100 on every wine that he reviews. But what he’d rather do, is tell you the wine’s story.

https://www.campbellmattinson.com
Previous
Previous

Welland Old Hands Shiraz 2022

Next
Next

Welland Near & Far Shiraz 2024