Yalumba The Octavius Shiraz 2016

The Octavius is one of the most historic wines in the Yalumba collection, stretching back to 1988. It started out as a Coonawarra cabernet sauvignon but it was not long before the switch to Barossa shiraz. Oak influence has always been a big part of the style although that has been wound back over the years.

In the 2016 vintage, a great one for the Barossa, the wine was made with a combination of Barossa and Eden Valley fruit with an average age of 80 years, although some vines go back to 1854. That is some serious pedigree and it shows in a wine that has both great power and high complexity, despite its young age. The colour is deep as you’d expect and followed by an array of dark and blue perfectly ripened fruits – everything is in its place as is the oak. The palate is then bright and seamless with a powerful fruit core wrapped up in a blanket of oak and tannins before a long and fleshy finish. The balance is the key here, and it is impeccable. Drink now or wait twenty years – either way you are in for a treat.