Jasper Hill Emily's Paddock Shiraz (Organic) 2017 ~ Heathcote, Victoria, Australia

96/100 - James Halliday
95/100 - The Wine Front
93/100 - Wine Enthusiast (2013 Vintage)
93/100 - Wine Enthusiast (2014 Vintage)
92/100 - Wine Spectator (2013 Vintage)
95/100 - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2013 Vintage)
93/100 - Wine & Spirits Magazine (2012 Vintage)
92/100 - Wine Spectator (2012 Vintage)
93/100 - Vinous Antonio Galloni (2010 Vintage)
95/100 - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2010 Vintage)
96/100 Halliday Wine Companion Awards

James Halliday 5 Star Winery

Halliday Wine Companion Awards, Ned Goodwin MW "The estate cops some flack because of the rising alcohols over the last decade, but screw that - this powerful wine is superbly balanced. Hats off, too, to dry-grown fruit and transparent, minimalist winemaking. Aromas of currant, anise, mint and each and every dark fruit reference teem from the glass. Yet what marks this wine is the well wrought tannins, ferrous, implacable gatekeepers of all that matters: whether one reaches for a second glass and third and... Long, lustrous and unforced."

The Wine Front - "...Excellent wine.... Mellow fog of perfume, dark cherries, faint lavender, warm forest berry compote, faint mint and fennel and a whiff of clove. Moody, lovely perfume. Fleshy textured but with defined ribbons of tannin, flavours dark, brooding, earthy, and drawn long. Seamless flow, superb ‘seasoning’ of oak, velvety but with enough grip to tune the palate."

Ned Goodwin - "...this powerful wine is superbly balanced. Hats off, too, to dry-grown fruit and transparent, minimalist winemaking. Aromas of currant, anise, mint and each and every dark fruit reference teem from the glass. Yet what marks this wine is the well wrought tannins, ferrous, implacable gatekeepers of all that matters: whether one reaches for a second glass and third and... Long, lustrous and unforced."

The Wandering Palette "Loyal followers of Jasper Hill in Australia will know that their wines sell out on release in August each year with the cellar door only open the final weekend of that month."

Curtis Marsh "Jasper Hill makes profound wines of the greatest integrity that reflect the very special vineyard sites and unique rare soils; ancient Cambrian soils 500/600 million years old on undulating hillsides of rusty red gravely loams....all of their wines should be considered ‘must-have’ including their joint venture wine with Michel Chapoutier, La Pleiade Heathcote Shiraz and Agly Brothers Cotes du Roussillon, France"

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.