Eisenstone Vintage 2018

Meet Eisenstone Wines – a relative newcomer to the Barossa Valley with the first vintage in 2014 and a sole focus on single vineyard or single district Barossa Valley Shiraz. Kiwi Stehpen Cook launched Eisenstone after a 20-year winemaking career and that experience shows through in what are three super releases which showcase the not so subtle variations seen in wines from around the Barossa.


Eisenstone Greenock Shiraz SR 801 2018
92 Points

For many punters, Greenock is the what the Barossa Valley is all about with its big, hearty and sometimes even luscious style of Barossa Shiraz. it is home to crowd pleasing Barossa which comes through beautifully in this example, which is deeply coloured and flavoured – blackberry, boysenberry, kirsch and even Christmas cake aromas give this wine plenty of upfront impact. And that continues on to the palate where that rich fruit is now joined by chewy, even rustic tannins that dominate a bit right now so it needs a little time to settle in bottle. There is a lot to like about this wine in terms of its raw power and generosity but give it five years before drinking with suckling pig straight off the spit roast.

Eisenstone Stockwell Shiraz SR 805 2018
94 Points

This wine from Stockwell is a slightly more traditional take on the Barossa with its layers of ripe fruit lifted by some more savoury, earthy nuances. Again deeply coloured but this time the fruit is a little more mysterious and brooding – mulberry and blackberry fruits plus baked terra cotta and subtle black pepper spice all well balanced with sweet oak. That is all followed by a dry and quite firm palate – its robust fruit underscored by balanced, ripe and significant tannins that help to drive a long and muscular finish. This is traditional Barossa done well and will drink well till 2030.

Eisenstone Ebenezer Shiraz SR 802 2018
95 Points

My favourited of the three wines which packs in all the hearty flavour of Greenock combined with the subtlety of Stockwell but it is not for the faint hearted with its full-throttle Barossa style. Lashings of mulberry, blueberry and liquorice fruits are on display with a dusting of dried herbs and spice plus well balanced oak sitting just behind. The palate is fleshy and rich with lashings of dark fruit supported by moderate, well integrated tannins in a package that fits together beautifully. It is youthful, bright and promises to drink very well past 2030.