McHenry Hohnen Hazel's Vineyard Syrah (Organic) 2018 ~ Margaret River, Western Australia

95/100 Campbell Mattinson
Bronze - Stuart Knox
94/100 James Halliday (2017 vintage)
94/100 Ray Jordan (2017 vintage)
94/100 Nick Stock (2017 vintage)
93/100 Angus Hughson (Wine Pilot) (2017 vintage)
92+/100 Mike Bennie (2017 vintage)

5 Star Winery - James Halliday

Halliday's Wine Companion Awards 2023 - Top Wineries of 2022 & 2023

Certified Organic

Biodynamic

Halliday Wine Companion, Campbell Mattinson "Inherently savoury as you'd expect, with roasted nut, twig and peppery spice notes running wild through the wine. There's a good push of cherry-plum fruit, too, along with graphite and gum leaf notes. There's a perfumed sweetness to this wine despite the charge of peppers. It's a beauty."

The Real Review, Stuart Knox "Medium ruby colour with purple hints in the rim. The nose is dominated by whole-bunch vegetal notes. The palate is light to medium-bodied, red fruits, vegetable broth and graphite minerals. Good flow and length but that undergrowth, smoky, green leaf note lingers after everything else has faded away. "

James Halliday: "From a single block, hand-picked, wild-fermented with 100% whole bunches, 14 days on skins, pressed to one 2800l French cask for mlf and extended skin contact and maturation. Deep crimson-purple; it has unexpected, but welcome, savoury tannins that give texture and structure to the blackberry/black cherry fruit. A long future for this wine." (2017 vintage)

Nick Stock: "This has superb strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, in an exuberant and very fragrant mode with immense freshness. The palate has a smooth weave of tannin that carries the same brand of lively berries in a very approachable, seamless style. Clever wine. Drink over the next six years. Screw cap." (2017 vintage)

Ray Jordan: "Highly perfumed and aromatic. It has intensity and prettiness. Focus has been on spiciness and perfume with a touch of pepper. This has a small amount of roussanne. It is co-fermented, which contributes to the balance and tannin structure. Brilliant colour and vibrancy. It has so much energy and life in the palate with its excellent texture and structure. Picked earlier to get the perfume. Comes from a rocky part of the vineyard. Unfiltered and unfined.Cellar: 6 years" (2017 vintage)

Angus Hughson (Wine Pilot): "From the Southern quarter of Margaret River and really quite a seductive Syrah – white pepper, dried herbs with an Australian bush edge, violets and classy oak sitting in the background all over a base of supple blackberry fruits. Very reserved and understated thanks to the cooler year, but that has also provided a delicious vibrancy to the fruit with a dusting of spice without any hard edges. The palate is now quite supple and resolved – reserved layers of dark fruits with fleshy open-knit tannins providing a gentle base and helping to draw out a finish of decent length. It’s ready to go now but, that said, there is lots of detail and subtlety which make this a delicious drink" (2017 vintage)

Mike Bennie "This is different. It really does live up to the syrah moniker. It’s peppery, bunchy, spicy and then fruity; it’s about as different an expression of Margaret River shiraz as you will find, and yet it is fresh and it is not unripe. It pushes the boundaries for sure, but there’s nothing hard about it. It’s (very) dry. It’s savoury. It’s nutty. And it’s interesting. If you’re looking for more standard Margaret River fruit-filled fare, this won’t fit that bill. But if you like cool climate shiraz/syrah, chances are you’ll find some joy here." (2017 vintage)

The Winemaker "Sourced from a single block of bio-dynamically grown Syrah at Hazel’s Vineyard. After pressing, the wine was aged in a 2800L French-Oak Foudre for 9 months.The wine was bottled without fining or filtration, ensuring a living reflection of a block we consider special and unique."

McHenry Hohnen was founded by one of the pioneers of the Margaret River winemaking region, David Hohnen and his brother in law, Murray McHenry, an accomplished fine wine retailer. Both have been making wine in Margaret River since the early 1970’s. McHenry Hohnen vineyards are 100% biodynamic. Their three unique vineyards (Burnside, Calgardup and Hazel’s) produce wines that are a reflection of the land. McHenry Hohnen focusses on crafting site-expressive wines and are known for producing some of the region's best wines.

Margaret River is one of the best-known wine regions in Australia, recognized internationally for the quality of its wines and the natural beauty of the region. Although originally renowned for its unusually refined cabernet sauvignon and intensely citrusy chardonnay varieties, the region now produces Semillon Sauvignon blanc blends and Shiraz.

Located in the south-western corner of Western Australia, it is famous for having a more 'European' wine style than its counterparts across Australia, owing to the regions temperate, coastal location which is very similar to that of Bordeaux.

Syrah is a rich, powerful, and sometimes meaty red wine that originated in the Rhône Valley of France. Syrah is now the most planted grape of Australia where it is usually referred to as Shiraz.