Jasper Hill Emily's Paddock Shiraz Cabernet Franc 2022 ~ Heathcote, Victoria, Australia

96/100 Aaron Brasher, The Real Review
95/100 Jeni Port, Halliday Wine Companion
94/100 Christina Pickard, Wine Enthusiast
94/100 Ned Goodwin MW
93/100 Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate

95/100 James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion (2018 vintage)
95/100 The Wine Front (2017 vintage)

Aaron Brasher, The Real Review "Dark, inky and opaque in the glass. Deep, brooding aromas of graphite, ferrous earth, florals, smoked meats, spice and pepper. Full bodied, rich, mouth-filling and multi-faceted. Very pure and dark fruit driven with real depth, presence and purity. The tannins are firm, textured and deliver shape and savouriness and the acidity has brightness and lift. A compelling shiraz, with power and precision"

Jeni Port, Halliday Wine Companion "Dark and intense, Emily's Paddock seems to walk a bolder road than it once did. Cabernet franc florals are fully pliant to be slowly revealed with air and time. Bramble, black fruits, jalapeño, licorice, sage, bitter chocolate and vanilla aromas introduce a wine that moves like a medium-bodied shiraz but elicits power and intensity. Enmeshed in fine grain tannins, there are many layers yet to be discovered here."

Christina Pickard, Wine Enthusiast "This inky-hued Shiraz, from the distinctive Heathcote region of Victoria, is still a baby, with upfront primary dark fruit aromas like cassis and blackberry, licorice, warming spice and a stony nuance. There's power to the palate but poise, too. A harmonious bottling that will reward decades of cellaring."

Ned Goodwin MW "Often my favorite wine among this stable, yet arguably the most Australian, too. Mint, tea tree, clove, blackcurrant, baking spice, darker fruits, Darjeeling, anise and sassafras. Yet it is the minty edges that service levity, lift and takeoff. Some evergreen freshness, amidst the morass of extract and firmly clenched tannins, so to speak. Tannins that may be foreboding in their youth, but have chew and refined noblesse about them. Wonderful tannins! This is a powerful armchair wine, of a sophisticated allure as much as a nostalgic one."

Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate "The 2022 Emily's Paddock Shiraz Cabernet Franc is inky, midnight in color and looks and smells to be a significantly proportioned wine from the very get-go. On the nose are aromas of bramble, chinotto, salted licorice, blackberry jam, Satsuma plum skins and violets. The wine is wholly convincing; it is massive in every respect, but it achieves a balance and equilibrium that is frankly quite impressive. At 15% alcohol, it is evident that the fruit is very ripe, yet the wine manages to convey a sense of place and soil. The finish dries out a little, but there is such abundant fruit on the front and middle palate that it puts one in a forgiving kind of mood. It's confident and sure."

James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion "There is only 5% cabernet franc, but it is open to Jasper Hill to disclose it on the front label. It is a finely balanced wine with polished tannins and clearly expressed shiraz varietal character." (2018 vintage)

Jasper Hill is a winery of iconic status and considered of benchmark status in the Heathcote region of Victoria, Australia. The first vineyards were planted in 1975 and the first vintage was in 1982. Jasper Hill is best known for producing concentrated Shiraz from ungrafted vines planted deep into ancient basaltic rock soils. The estate has a total of 24 hectares (60 acres) of vineyard land split between three properties – Emily's Paddock, Georgia's Paddock and Cornella Vineyard. These are planted to a range of varieties, including Shiraz, Cabernet Franc, Riesling, Nebbiolo, Semillon, Viognier, and Grenache. The vineyards are farmed organically, biodynamically, and with no irrigation.

Heathcote is a prestigious wine region in Central Victoria, an hour and a half's drive from the state capital, Melbourne. Shiraz is the unchallenged king of Heathcote wines, making world-class, award-winning wines characterized by their rich and deep aroma profile, a dark, almost inky color, ripe, velvety tannins and an amazingly long finish. The region is sandwiched between Bendigo to the west and Goulburn Valley to the east, with the state border with New South Wales a little way to the north. Vineyards lie in a narrow strip on the sides of the Mount Camel hills, where elevation plays a big part in the climate, as do cool winds from the south. Heathcote summers are comparatively mild, resulting in an extended growing season. The ripening of the grapes is slow and steady, allowing an almost optimum phenolic development – one of the reasons why Heathcote produces such high-quality wines.

Shiraz is the name given to the dark-skinned Syrah grape when grown in Australia and selected pockets of the New World. Though genetically identical, the stylistic differences between Shiraz and Syrah are usually pronounced. Shiraz is so important to Australian viticulture that it is the most planted grape variety in the majority of Australian vineyards and has become virtually synonymous with the country's wine regions, and in particular the Barossa Valley.