Hayes Family Reserve Shiraz Reserve 2021

Hayes Family Wines is a small, family-owned producer based in Stone Well, on the Western Ridge of the Barossa Valley. Founded by Brett Hayes and helmed by winemaker Andrew Seppelt — a Barossa veteran with over 25 years' experience, including a stint as GM and winemaker at Torbreck — the label is built on old, dry-grown vineyards farmed with minimal intervention, letting each site and vintage speak for itself. The Estate Vineyard is Certified Organic and Certified Sustainable, and Hayes has carried a five-star rating in the James Halliday Wine Companion every year since launching.

This Reserve Shiraz comes from Block 9, the Hillside Block of the Estate Vineyard in Stone Well — Certified Organic, on shallow gravelly loam over limestone. The block runs east to west and naturally crops very low, concentrating the fruit that does come off it. Produced in a genuinely limited run of just two barrels.

The wine carries all the hallmarks of Stone Well: a bright purple-red hue, blackberry and earth character, medium-to-full bodied. Dense, decadent fruit is kept in check by abundant natural tannin, giving it real structure. On the palate, expect a sublime core of grated chocolate, liquorice, blueberry and blackberry, framed by fine, sandy tannin and a tense, mineral finish — precisely ripened fruit with a velvety texture, courtesy of winemaker Andrew Seppelt and maturation in French oak. 14.5% alc.

This is a wine built to cellar for as long as you like in the right conditions, with a suggested drinking window of 2030 to 2042.

Critical acclaim:

• 96 points — Vinous (Angus Hughson)
• 95 points — Wine Companion (Dave Brookes)
• 95 points — The Real Review (Stuart Knox)