THE WINE FRONT - Campbell Mattinson, Dec 2010
Turkey Flat shiraz has 'gem status' in Australian wine, though I was surprised when I called up the track record of past ratings on the site.
This release from 2008 is another very good wine. It's thick, warm and flavoursome and if you poured it into a big glass and put it in front of me, I'd lap it up. It tastes of blackberries and tar and modest vanilla, and there may even be slight a scent of violets. It has satisfactory length and soft, easy going tannin. As much as I enjoyed this - I did find myself wanting for a fraction more. That said, when I took it to the dinner table and let it breathe some more, it did stretch out nicely on the finish.
Rating: 92 Points

AUSTRALIAN GOURMET TRAVELLER WINE March 2011
The Turkey Flat Vineyard boasts some of the oldest shiraz vines in the world. Planted in 1847, these hard working, gnarled old vines produce exceptional grapes. Extended pre and post ferment maceration has given this wine a fine tannin finish. The 100% French oak adds depth and length of flavour to the structure supporting a palate of blackberries. cedar and nutmeg. A complex wine which will need time to unfold and can be cellared for up to 10 years.

GOURMET TRAVELLER - Oct/Nov 2010
Dark plum, blackberry, black olive scents with some floral hints. This is rich, yet well structured; deep and with a good tannin backbone. It's a lovely drink now and an improver which can take some cellaring.
Rating: 90 Points

2010 WINESTAR RED WINE OF THE YEAR
The 2008 is a belter and a lesson in displaying gorgeous old vine Shiraz (they don't get much older) without smashing this wonderful fruit with oak. Vintage 2008 will give us the best and the worst of the Barossa depending which side of the freak heatwave (a record fifteen consecutive days over thirty-five degrees) wineries managed to get their fruit off. For Turkey Flat it was fortunately before though to be fair, a modest Peter Schulz admits this was more by sheer fortune than good management. Either way, the Shiraz gods have smiled on this legendary wine and ensured a near perfect vintage. History tells us you give these guys an inch and they produce one of the best examples of the style on the planet. So often we refer to the complex elegance of this label but 2008 introduces a dimension of power that propels this into rare company. I was fortunate enough to look at this over 3 days, an opportunity that admittedly most wines I taste don't get but geez I'm glad I did as it revealed more each day and improved over the course suggesting it has a long life ahead of it. Initially it was restrained with dark berries, anise and mocha lurking in the back ground, as it opened the dark fruits brightened, the mocha was more dark chocolate but the constant was super ripe but not extracted tannins that dance on the tongue and linger, linger, linger. It is an Exceptional wine, of that I have no doubt. The drinking window is the hardest to nail, if you can't resist the urge get heaps of air into it otherwise cellar with confidence for a decade - and it wouldn't surprise to see it go for another decade after that!
Drink: 2010-2025; Quality: Exceptional

AUSTRALIAN WINE COMPANION 2011 James Halliday
Excellent crimson-purple; a bouquet that has the same allure as a great pinot, drawing you back again repeatedly before you taste the wine; Turkey Flat nailed the '08 vintage, capturing all of its luscious black fruits without a scintilla of jam or confection; the texture of the ripe tannins is perfect, as is the oak balance.
Rating: 96 Points.

WINE 100 - Tyson Stelzer, May 2010
Do not open this wine this year! After a double decant, it took three days on the bench to reveal its black plum, rhubarb and red berry fruits amid a sea of textured tannins and dark chocolate oak. Great length and balance, but it's going to take some years to show itself.
Rating: 94 Points

ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE - Issue 186, December 2009
The 2007 Shiraz is purple-coloured with a nose of spice box, game, lavender, and blueberry. On the palate it is a bit compressed and sinewy in the style of the vintage. The flavours are attractive and a few years of cellaring may fill it out. Rating: 88 Points

DAILY TELEGRAPH -Jeff Collerson, 17th November 2009
Turkey Flat vineyard was first planted in the Barossa in 1847. This has welldefined shiraz fruit intensity on the nose, under-pinned by pepper, spice and a deft balance of acid and wood. In the mouth there is a dense, persistent fruit flavour with some warmth on the long, sweet fruit finish. Has deliciously chewy tannins surrounding chocolatey oak on the finish. Drink with a rare rib eye on the bone.
Rating: 91 Points

CANBERRA TIMES - October 2009
A deep and generous, soft and savoury shiraz sourced in part from vines planted in 1847.

AGE - September 2009
Turkey Flat has some of the oldest Shiraz vines in Australia, planted in 1847. Its small crops provide the basis for this classical Barossa red that combines restraint, concentration and complexity. Loganberry, sweet spice, plum and cedary oak aromas introduce a sumptuous, velvety wine of great length and fine texture.
Rating: 5 Stars

THE WINE FRONT – Campbell Mattinson, July 2009
If you like Barossa shiraz the chances are that you like the offerings of Turkey Flat. That said, this is a somewhat quirky offering. It has a porty, jammy, almost cassis-like nose, with bright scents of raspberry and hay giving it a good sense of exuberance. The palate pretty much plays the same tune. It's porty and blackberry in its flavours, but it doesn't have a great deal of weight and its tannin structure is scratchy. Good mouthfeel (through the core) and nice flavour, but it seems to lack polish.
Rating: 89 Points

AUSTRALIAN WINE COMPANION 2010 - James Halliday
Bright colour; pure Barossa fruit, with blackberry, redcurrant and fruitcake on the bouquet; the abundant sweet fruit is offset by a savoury/tarry complexity that drives the palate to its ultimately long and tannin - textured finish. Rating: 95 Points

WINEWISE - Volume 25 Number 1, April 2009
Here's yet another delightful regional red which is rich and firm, but balanced, showing fragrant aromatics with more than a dash of licorice. Mouthfilling and very much alive.

ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE - Issue 181, February 2009
The 2006 Shiraz is a glass-coating opaque purple colour with an aromatic array of pain grille, pencil lead, smoke, espresso, and blueberry. Layered on the palate, it has outstanding grip, savoury black fruit flavours, and a lengthy, fruit-filled finish. It will continue to unwind for several years and offer a drinking window extending from 2012-2022.
Rating: 91 Points

AUSTRALIAN WINE COMPANION 2009 James Halliday
Dense deep purple-crimson; a sumptuously rich cascade of black fruits and some Christmas cake spices, yet miraculously retains elegance thanks to restraint in winemaking. Oh for a screw cap.
Rating: 96 Points

THE ADELAIDE REVIEW - HOT 100, 2008
Turkey Flat's 2006 is a wine still very much in the making, as are many wines from this excellent but slow developing vintage. Bright ripe red and dark berry fruits, the palate carries sinewy richness and raw muscular tannins that will settle in time. This is cruising slowly but surely along to greatness, so cellaring is a must.

THE WINE FRONT – Campbell Mattinson, August 2008
The stylistic change to Turkey Flat shiraz continues with this vintage – this is a low-oak, almost easy-going Barossa shiraz full of immediate drinkability. There's a reasonable (though not particularly well integrated) tannin structure and the wine feels well balanced, so cellaring it shouldn't be a problem. It tastes of tar and blackberries and minor-level toast, its acidity noticeable but well managed. Dusty finish – which I like. Not a great Turkey Flat shiraz but a tasty and enjoyable one.
Rating: 91 Points

THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN - 19/7/2008 James Halliday
The just released 2006 Turkey Flat Shiraz has to be one of the best value top-quality red wines in the country. It has a track record of excellence, a recent tasting of the 99, 01, 02, and 04 all supporting a minimum 10 to 15 years life span. It has superb texture and structure, with velvety tannins supporting an array of black fruits plus a touch of licorice. With a true alcohol content of 14.5 per cent, it is a perfect paradigm of what Barossa Valley Shiraz should be. (96 points)

WINE PRESS - Tyson Stelzer, August 2008
Drinking this wine is like being in the drivers seat of an Audi R8 on a windy coastal road - without your wife in the passengers seat. Sheer power and control.

THE ADVERTISER - TOP 100 WINES November 2008
The Barossa in full swing here with essential dark fruit and creamy oak characters bringing some exciting licorice aromatics to the fore, again the trademark spice of the variety working its magic building a very smart, juicy Shiraz which fills out the mouth with good youthful acidity and persistence. Plenty of interest on the drinkability scale.
93 Points.

ROBERT PARKER’S WINE ADVOCATE – Issue 173, October 2007
Twenty percent of the 2006 Shiraz was sourced from vines planted in 1847 and was aged in French oak, 15% new. It offers aromas of smoke, cedar, bacon, blueberry, and blackberry. This leads to a voluptuous, full-flavoured Shiraz with enough structure to evolve for 6-8 years. Rip, sweet, and very lengthy, it should provide superb drinking through 2026.
Rating: 91-94 Points

AUSTRALIAN WINE COMPANION 2008 James Halliday
Bright purple-red, replete with dark fruits ranging through, blackberry, plum, prune and a dash of licorice; very focused and controlled; no artifice or exaggeration, simply classic restraint.
Rating: 95 points

THE WINE FRONT – Campbell Mattinson, June 2007
This is an exceptionally loose-knit version of Turkey Flat shiraz. It's almost a tannin-free zone. It's all about sweet, ripe, almost flacid fruit, flavours of blackberries, raisins and cola the order of the day. With time in the glass some kind of structure does appear, and throughout there's quite a bit of nervy acidity. Apart from the (high) ripeness level, it seems quite a different style to the Turkey Flat wines of the past – an easier-drinking style, with less oak influence. Whether or not it's a change for the better will probably only be determined in seven or eight years.
Rating: 90 Points

ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE - Issue 167 October 2006
The 2005 Shiraz exhibits an inkier purple colour as well as a deeper, richer, more nuanced style. Cropped at .8 ton of fruit per acre, which no doubt accounts for its awesome concentration, it is even better than the 2004 and should be longer lived, evolving for 15 years.
Rating: 94 Points.

AUSTRALIAN WINE COMPANION 2007 – James Halliday
As complex and elegant as ever, not withstanding higher than usual alcohol; gently spicy blackberry and blood plum fruit; fine tannins, fine French oak.
Rating: 95 points. Drink: 2019.

GOURMET TRAVELLER WINE – August – September 2007
"One mouthful and you’re dreaming of those Barossa ranges at sunset."

THE WINE FRONT – Campbell Mattinson, May 2006
If you like Turkey Flat shiraz, you have to buy this. It's a stunning Barossan wine. The oak's low but the fruit is pure, ripe, slinky and soft, with force and smoothness to the black, inky, brilliant fruit. Descriptors: blackberries, plums, coal, earth, sundry herbs, VA and brandy, with the lightest, slightest vanillin smear as it rushes across your tongue. It finishes pure and perhaps a touch warm, but the sheer concentration of old-vine fruit, largely unadulterated by oak, shoots it direct into the A-league. I am impressed. To be released in July 2006.
Rating: 93 Points

THE ADVERTISER – August 16, 2006
Including in its cuvee some of the oldest vine juice in the region, this is a sophisticated bowl of fruit that remains balanced and smooth despite its 15 per cent. It's Rhone-ish, moreish, drinks really well now and probably will for several more years.

ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE – Issue 167, October 2006
Co-fermented with 1% Marsanne, the fabulous 2004 Shiraz boasts a dense purple colour as well as a big, sweet nose of blackberries, toasty French oak, liquorice, and new saddle leather. Full-bodied, rich and heady, with loads of glycerin, silky tannin, and a blockbuster finish, it should be drunk over the next decade. Rating: 94 Points.

THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN – James Halliday's Top 100 Wines November 11-12, 2006
Along with the Clare Valley’s Wendouree reds, the Turkey Flat Shiraz is one of our most serially underprices wines. Drawing on vines that date back to 1847, it is deeply coloured, combines complexity and elegance and easily carries its slightly elevated alcohol. Gently spicy blackberry and plum fruit is supported by fine tannins and subtle French oak. Drink: 2009-2019. With: Medium-rare rib of beef.
Rating: 95 Points.

AUSTRALIAN WINE COMPANION 2007 - James Halliday
A classic wine, seriously underpriced, coming predominantly from the 1847 estate plantings. Superb structure and mouthfeel, with blackberry fruit, and seamless French oak in the background.
Rating: 96 points. Drink: 2023.

GOURMET TRAVELLER WINE- Huon Hooke. 100 Top new release wines, 2006
Good concentration yet also excellent drinkability. This is a powerful but not over-the-top, thickly textured red with prune-like flavours and lashings of supple tannins. Responds well to breathing. Cellaring 1-10years.
Rating: 94 Points.

THE WINE FRONT – Campbell Mattinson, January 2005
Good release, black in fruit and savoury in tannin, with a stench of alcohol pulling through on the finish the only detraction – though it's a noticeable one. It might just need some time for the aniseed-dipped fruit to flesh out, and roll forward. But regardless, it's another goodun'.
Rating : 89 Points

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD – GOOD LIVING with Huon Hooke 13 September, 2005
A big, hearty Barossa, densely structured and youthful, concentrated in colour, nose and palate with spadefuls of tannin that demands food (or age). Dried-fruit aromas. A decadent red that improves with aeration. Best: 2007-2017. Food: Gruyere

ROBERT PARKER’S WINE ADVOCATE – Issue 161, October 2005
The 2003 Shiraz exhibits a dense ruby/purple hue along with a classic note of smoky crème de cassis, blackberries, licorice, spice and pepper. This deep, velvety-textured, full bodied Shiraz will offer a substantial mouthful of wine over the next 7-8 years. Rating: 92 Points.

HALLIDAY’S TOP 101 – The Weekend Australian November 19-20, 2005
I simply don't understand why this wine, made from some of the oldest Shiraz vines in the world (dating back to 1847) continues to be available at $45. So long as it is, it has permanent position in the Top 101. It has superb structure and mouth feel to blackberry fruit and a seamless background of French oak.

AUSTRALIAN WINE COMPANION 2006 - James Halliday
An intense and concentrated fruit bowl of blackberry, licorice and spice; outstanding balance and length; great style and quality.
Rating: 96 Points.

THE WINE FRONT – Campbell Mattinson, January 2005
The rawness and fruit purity of this wine is something to behold. It's bright and fresh, with syrupy plum and blackberry in healthy measure and flashes of nutty warmth on the finish. Tannins simply roll into the fruit, and there's a musk-smothered herbal element that seems every bit ripe. Pure shiraz. Excellent. Does the Barossa proud.
Rating: 93 Points

WINEFRONT MONTHLY - Campbell Mattinson, May 2004
The rawness and fruit purity of this wine is something to behold. It's bright and fresh, with syrupy plum and blackberry in healthy measure and flashes of nutty warmth on the finish. Tannins simply roll into the fruit, and there's a musk-smothered herbal element that seems every bit ripe. Pure shiraz. Excellent. Does the Barossa proud. Drink: Now-2016

WINE SPECTATOR - Harvey Steinman, September 15 2004
Ripe and generous, with heady ripe plum and spice flavours, but nicely refined to keep them from over-doing it, picking up a hint or raspberry and a floral note as the flavours linger beautifully. Drink now through 2010. Rating: 92 Points.

THE WINE ADVOCATE -Robert Parker, October 2004
Winemaker Peter Schulz has turned in a brilliant effort with the 2002 Shiraz. Glorius notes of creme de casis, raspberry liqueur, licorice, and vanilla (15-20% new oak is utilized) jump from the glass of this inky/ruby/purple-colored Shiraz. Great fruit on the attack is followed by an expansive, full-bodied, deep, harmonious mid-palate, and a long finish. One component of theis cuvee emerges from one of South Australia's oldest Shiraz plots, planted in 1847. This 2002 should drink well for 10-12 years. Rating: 94 Points.

THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN - Halliday’s Top 100. November 20-21, 2004
Many of the vines on the Turkey Flat vineyard that go to make this wine were planted in 1847. Densely coloured, it is an intense and concentrated fruit bowl of blackberry, plum and licorice, with quite outstanding balance. Commendably moderate oak and moderate alcohol at an immoderately low price.
Rating: 97 Points. Best Drinking: 2007-22. With: Eye fillet of beef.

THE WINE FRONT – Campbell Mattinson, January 2005
The shiraz wines from the 2001 Barossan vintage are generally concentrated and charming, with some reservations on their eventual longevity – which takes nothing away from their worth right now, nor over at least the medium term. This wine should suffer from no such reservation, because it's firm and shy and stuffed with concentrated black berry and plum flavours – with an oak-touched caramelly richness installed like built-in-robes to the overall design. It's going to be really good.
Rating : 92 Points

WINE SPECTATOR - 30 September, 2003
Ripe and generous, open-textured and appealing for its cherry, tobacco and dusky spice flavours, finishing with impressive lift. Drink now through 2007. 500 cases imported.
Rating: 90 Points.

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD - Good Living, Huon Hooke. October 28, 2003
A solid Barossa Valley shiraz that doesn't stint on flavour. You need to like oak, though: it has heaps. Camphor, eucalyptus andtoasty oak aromas. In the mouth, bags of sweet, very ripe fruit flavour that verges on porty. Best 2005-2012.

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH - Stuart Gregor. November 26th, 2003
The wine is a classic Barossa shiraz with generous fruit and beautiful structure. Mercifully it is not engulfed in mountains of new oak - in fact less than 20 percent of the wine saw new oak, which is a tribute to the wonderful fruit and the winemaking restraint of New Zealander Peter Schell.

JAMES HALLIDAY, www.winetitles.com.au/shiraz
Winner - Great Australia Shiraz Challenge 2003
"I was delighted that the top award went to 2001 Turkey Flat Shiraz from the Barossa Valley, which encapsulates the very essence of Australia's best Shiraz. It comes from a vineyard (and vines) dating back to 1847, but has been made with finesse, allowing the fruit full expression. It is also very reasonably priced, if not under priced."

WINE SPECTATOR, July 31, 2003
Smooth, plump and generous with its pepery, slightly leathery black cherry and plum flavours, finishing on a tangy note. Impressive for its plush texture and sense of refinement. Drink now. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 3,000 cases made.
Rating: 90 Points.

SUNDAY LIFE -Ralph Kyte-Powell. July 21, 2002
Made from Barossa vines planted in 1847, this relies on classy old vine characters with oak a secondary contributor. Spiced blackberry and plum fruit of great concentration dovetail into ripe, fine-grained tannins in lovely balance. Go wintry and have steak and kidney pie.

THE AUSTRALIAN -Halliday's Top 100, 23 November 2002
Made from 1847 estate plantings and must surely contend for historical pride of place, notwithstanding the claims of others. Smooth, plum and black cherry fruit on the bouquet, then a supple, smooth palate with black fruits, spice cedar and vanilla. A masterpiece of understatement. Region: Barossa Valley, SA. Best drinking: 2004-24 Drink with: Venison. Rating: 95 Points.

SUNDAY LIFE/FROM THE VINE with Ralph Kyte-Powell July 21, 2001
Made from Barossa vines planted in 1847, this relies on classy old vine characters with oak a secondary contributor. Spiced blackberry and plum fruit of great concentration dovetail into ripe, fine-grained tannins in lovely balance. Go wintry and have steak and kidney pie.

JAMES HALLIDAY, www.winepros.com.au
The Turkey Flat Shiraz vineyard was planted in 1847, and hence boasts some of the oldest vines in Australia (and the world). They have never been irrigated, and the vast root system is well able to compensate for the varying conditions of each growing season, never failing to produce grapes of the highest quality. The wine spends 22 months in a mix of new and used French and American oak hogsheads. So far it seems to have escaped the notice of Robert Parker, and the price is but a fraction of other comparable wines from old-vine Barossa plantings. Medium to full red-purple; an ultra-smooth bouquet with rich, dark plum fruit, then a perfectly assembled palate with a core of dark, satiny fruit, sweet but in no way jammy. Oak travels in the back of the plane. Rating: 94 out of 100.

THE WINE FRONT – Campbell Mattinson, May 2002
Complex mix of savoury blackberries with an attractive lift of sweet, musky, boisterous cherry. For a Barossan it's remarkably, and impressively, restrained with platoons of deep, black cherry and blackberry flavours marching in a tight, orderly fashion from the front to the very back of the palate. Grippy tannins and a sense of "gentleness" throughout – it can be cellared with confidence. Rating: 90 Points

WINE SPECTATOR, Sept. 30, 2002
Australia's iconic red wines, such as Penfolds Grange, Henschke Hill of Grace and Jim Barry The Armagh, routinely score around 95, or classic, on the Wine Spectator 100-point scale. Despite triple-digit price tags, avid collectors snap up these Shiraz-based wines before most of us can get our hands on them.

But what if you could find a Shiraz that delivers as much power, grace and depth of flavour as some of these blockbuster reds ... Turkey Flat Barossa Shiraz 1999, for $36, rated 93 points, and has just as much plump generosity and subtlety as the top collectibles

THE AGE – Ralph Kyte-Powell. July 3, 2001
The heart of this wine comes from Barossa Vines planted in 1847. It has old-vine concentration with rich blackberry and sweet spice aromas dressed up in noticeable vanilla-coconut oak. The deep-flavoured palate is intense and long with a silky texture. Not quite as concentrated as the ’98, but excellent nonetheless. Rating: First-class, a wine of distinction not far below the top rating. Food Ideas: Roast Beef.

THE AUSTRALIAN – James Halliday’s Wine of the month - August 3, 2001
"The eagle eye of controversial wine critic Robert Parker somehow missed the 1999 Turkey Flat Shiraz, letting it stay the bargain price of $43 a bottle for a wine produced from 140-year-old vines. The bouquet is spotlessly clean, with red berry fruit and touches of earth and vanilla. The palate is constructed around the red berry at its core, amplified by hints of dark chocolate, and soft fluffy tannins. It should evolve superbly over the next 15 years."

QANTAS 'THE AUSTRALIAN WAY', Jeremy Oliver August 2001
Even better is the 1999 Shiraz, also made from the original plantings. It's supple, smooth and willowy, with a restrained but pristine expression of spicy dark cherries, blackberries, dark chocolate and lightly toasty oak. Like the other Turkey Flat wines, it's almost too accessible now to stand much chance of living up to its full potential in around eight years' time.

THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN, James Halliday. 1 - 2 December, 2001
From a vineyard first planted in 1847; the spotlessly clean, scented bouquet offers an array of cherry, spice, earth and vanilla; the particularly harmonious balance and extract of the palate is constructed around the red berry fruit at its core, amplified by spice, chocolate and soft tannins. A bargain. Drink: 2004-2020 With: Braised Beef.
Rating: 94 Points.

WINE SPECTATOR, 15th June 2001
Dripping with ripe cherry and exotic spice flavors, with polished tannins supporting the rich palate, this delivers typical Barossa character but manages to find some restraint on the finish. Drink now through 2008. 2,000 cases made.
Rating: 91 Points.

HALLIDAY'S TOP 100, 2000 - James Halliday
One of the South Australian icons, to be sure, and fulfils the promise of the 1998 vintage. A marvellously elegant example of very old vine (up to 150 years) shiraz, fragrant and scented aromas of berry earth and spice with a mere veneer of oak, and an effortlessly powerful palate in the same flavour spectrum. Drink: 2001-20 With: Smoked kangaroo.
Rating: 94 Points.

EPICURE WINE – 25 of the best Ralph Kyte-Powell November 21, 2000
We hear a lot about "old vines" these days, but few come older in Australia (or anywhere else) than Turkey Flat’s Barossa Shiraz plot. Planted in 1847 these old-timers produce a red of extraordinary depth and concentration. It’s ripe and warm, and oak thankfully takes a back seat.

THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN Halliday’s Top 100 – November 25-26, 2000
One of the South Australian icons, to be sure, and fulfils the promise of the 1998 vintage. A marvellously elegant example of very old vine (up to 150 years) Shiraz, fragrant and scented aromas of berry earth and spice with a meer veneer of oak, and an effortlessly powerful palate in the same flavour spectrum.
Drink 2001-20. Food: Smoked Kangaroo. Rating: 94 Points.

JAMES HALLIDAY – March 4th, 1999
Medium red, with just a touch of purple. The bouquet is clean, moderately intense, with mint and red berry aromas. The palate offers chocolate, berry and a touch of mint, with soft tannins and minimal oak influence. All in all, a lovely, fleshy wine.
Rating: 88 Points.

THE WEEKEND FINANCIAL REVIEW – 28-29 August, 1999
Plum crumble and vanilla nose with chocolate and maraschino cherries. Some grassiness too. Concentrated strawberry, blackberry and vanilla in the mouth, sweet syrupy and warm from the alcohol which reinforces the fruit sweetness. Tannins are super-soft and the overall mouth feel is 'essency'.
Rating: 88/100

WINE SPECTATOR - 15th November, 1999
Ripe but refined in style, this frames the distinctively ripe, licorice-scented plum, blueberry and black cherry flavours with a smooth texture and a sense of restraint on the long finish. Drink now through 2010. (1800 cases produced).
Rating 91 Points.

THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN Halliday’s Top 100 – November 27-28, 1999
Produced from estate vines planted in 1847, before the US Civil War, before Hill of Grace and (quixotically) the Russian Revolution. So the back label says. Ripe, sweet and luscious raspberry and cherry aromas lead into a succulently smooth palate with well balanced oak and fine tannins. Drink: 2002-17 Best with: Braised Ox Cheek. Rating: 94 Points.

WINE SPECTATOR – Jan 31, 2000
This wine is pure Barossa, dripping with fruit and spice, long as a mile and eminently ageable. The 1996 weaves notes of earth and spice through the blueberry and anise flavours that swirl through the firm frame. The 1997, which rates 91 points, frames its licorice-scented plum, blueberry and black cherry flavours with a sense of restraint on the long finish.
Rating: 93 Points

WINE SPECTATOR– March 31, 1999
A sturdy wine, with a distinctive character that lasts and lasts on the focused finish, this Shiraz from Oz weaves notes of earth and spice through the blueberry and anise flavours that swirl through the firm frame. Drink now through 2005. 2.000 cases made. Rating: 93 points

WINE SPECTATOR – Jan 31, 1998
Vines planted in 1847 form the back-bone of this ripe and jazzy, full-throated roar of an Australian Shiraz that rides its raw power to a surprisingly soft landing. It’s a worthy discovery for its fresh plum, spice and berry flavours that gain momentum from a touch of smoky oak on the finish. Best from 2000. 3,000 cases made.
Rating: 93 Points

THE AGE – June 3rd, 1997
Barossa Valley History in a bottle! The Shiraz Vines are 150 years old and the vineyard has been in the Schulz family since the 1870s. That core of low-yielding, ancient vines imparts rare concentration, class and complexity. Deep and dark, it has lovely blackberry, plum, spice and mocha notes on the nose and the palate is a seamless progression of flavour and texture. Tight berry fruit, liquorice, chocolatey richness, and vanilla notes are all in gorgeous balance. Rating: 18.5/20. Aging: 5-10 years. Best with: Slow pot-roasted beef ribs; oxtail casserole.

THE ADVERTISER by Philip White – Food & Wine July 16, 1997
There's no way of proving that the ancient Turkey Flat vines were never replanted after the vineyard was established in 1847; but one thing's certain: no living Barossan can recall any such intervention and nobody has stood up to refute Peter Schulz's claim that they're original. Whatever the fact, they’re undoubtedly some of the oldest bearing Shiraz vines in the world. And the wine is their precious essence; intense and packed with flavour waiting to explode, yet still showing all that polite Barossa softness.
Rating: 86 Points

WINE SPECTATOR – 1997
Comes from 145-year-old grapevines in one of Australia’s prime winegrowing districts. A ripe Shiraz packed with flavour. Highly recommended.
Rating: 93 Points

WINE SPECTATOR by Robert Parker - April 30, 1997
This dark ruby/purple-coloured wine offers up a big, earthy, peppery, sweet cassis-scented nose with attractive oak in the background. Tightly-knit, medium to full-bodies, moderately tannic, youthful, and exuberant, it possesses outstanding purity and balance. Give it 1-2 more years of cellaring to shed some of its tannin, and drink it over the following 10 years. Remarkably, the Shiraz vines utilized for this cuvee were planted in 1847!

THE ADVERTISER– Top 100 Wines November 20, 1996
Soft, elegant, smooth, clean, complex, wintergreen, violets, mint, vanillin – all the words are there on the sheet. Words you’d not much expect of a 145 year old, which this vineyard is. Miraculous! Rounded, long, beautiful – this is the vocab eastern wine hacks choke on, with our unique vinous heritage items so aged. They might wake up.
Rating: 89 Points. Drink: Now to 2008