Alex Head Old Vine Shiraz Barossa and Eden Valley 2025

For this vintage, Alex found that he had a surfeit of options. 2025 was a good year for the older vines. From Ebenezer, planted in the 1950s, the Mengler’s Hill Block 8B and 12, which were planted in the 1960s, and the Mattschloss Trial Hill Vineyard planted in the 1940s, Alex has crafted this wine. He included a dollop of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Ebenezer vineyard as well. Fermentation was in French oak barriques for eleven months, just 10% of them new. It is clear that Alex is very excited with this wine (so he should be). 500 cases made. For me, this was the pick of the latest collection released by Alex. Loved it. Black/opaque purple in colour with a vibrant dark magenta edge. A soft and cuddly style, generous and approachable, aromas weave through chocolate, soy, cloves, mocha, coffee beans, mulberries, plums and licorice. There is fresh acidity running the length and the entire thing is just delicious. If you love Barossa Valley Reds, this is for you and it represents brilliant value. Soft in texture but chock full of flavour. For enjoying over the next ten to fifteen years.

Ken Gargett

Contributor at Winepilot

Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.

Wine writer and critic