Hentley Farm The Quintessential Shiraz Cabernet 2018

Australia’s own, the ‘quintessential’ shiraz cabernet blend produces some iconic wines and this version from Hentley Farm – a blend of 54% Shiraz and 46% Cabernet from their single estate – is another worthy example. The nose is cassis and dark plum but with gorgeous herbal and savoury notes, balsamic and leaf and vegetable tagine, and on the palate it’s multilayered and complex, sweet and sour with sarsaparilla and clovey oak spice, all together in harmony. Ripe fruit richness but the structure still young and tight: power and balance and class. A beautiful big red from the Barossa Valley. Steak on the bone a must, preferably cooked over fire.

Review by Melissa Moore

Matt Dunne
92 Points

Excited that the Barossa continues to champion this iconic Aussie blend. Boysenberry, liquorice stick with a minor amount of warmth. Fine tannins and earthy core but underlying fresh acidity and whack of grippy tannin to give some grunt and precision on the back palate. Definitely worthy of a decant and or a big glass, and matched with a juicy fillet steak!

Angus Hughson
93 Points
Drink 2024 – 2032

This blend is coming back into fashion and it is about time. It is Australia’s great gift to the world of wine and this is a fine example made in the Hentley Farm style, which is bolder than many of the other similar blends that you will find out there.

It is deeply coloured and shiraz leads the early dance – plush and fleshy blackberry and mulberry fruits and then cabernet swoops in with its herbal freshness. It is hugely powerful on the palate – again that dense, ripe fruit is at its core with moderate tannins that provide a long finish. It screams Barossa more than shiraz cabernet but will no doubt keep Hentley Farm fans more than happy.