Grant Burge Filsell Old Vine Shiraz

One of the best in the business when you’re talkin’ Barossa Shiraz. Big, powerful and grunty – this ain’t for the faint hearted but definitely for the old skool lover of Barossa red! Or as they call it – “vibrant, rich and full bodied with intense red berry fruits, ripe blackberries and black pepper.”

Named after the vineyard the grapes are picked from (which by the way boasts vines over a century old!) this is a Shiraz that has raised the bar of what we can expect from premium Shiraz from this part of the world.

The awards tally over the last decade or so says it all – 22 Gold medals, 48 Silvers and 5 Trophies! Chuck in a dozen 90+ Point reviews and you get the idea.

This is the latest 2021 release and, well, boy it’s some wine! Scoring 95/100 with Huon Hooke for The Real Review, it’s also one of the Top Ranking Barossa Shiraz from this vintage. Huon said “Very deep, bright, youthful purple colour; the nose is a mite subdued, reserved but latent, with some graphite and licorice touches, while the palate is very full-bodied and firmly structured, with mouth-coating, cheek-sucking tannins that bode well for its future. Loads of tannins but they’re good tannins. Dense and concentrated, a terrific cellaring prospect.”

Fellow The Real Review scribbler Aaron Brasher also gave it 95 points, calling it “Deep, dark and inky in the glass, opaque. Dark aromas of plum, mulberry, iodine, graphite, spice and oak. Big, rich, dark and powerful. Intensely flavoured with plum, mulberry, liqueured chocolate, sweet spice and oak. Long, layered, mouth-fillingly opulent, with great power and balance. Archetypal Barossa shiraz.”

You can confidently tuck this one away in your cellar for the next 10-12 years. That’s a long time to wait though, so grab a few and open them up along the way and watch her develop!

If you’re pairing with food here’s a tip – it’s a treat with an aged eye fillet or braised lamb shanks.