Yalumba The Octavius Old Vine Shiraz 2016
- Decanter
- Vinous
-
Suckling
James -
Companion
Australian Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spirits
Wine &
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
A flagship Shiraz born of treasured, old vines dating back to 1854, these are some of the oldest Shiraz plantings in the world. Matured in Yalumba coopered oak octaves, the inspiration behind the name of this fine, Barossa wine.
Alluring aromas of spicy perfume, fresh lifted red cherry florals, blueberries, blackberries, and dark plums entwined in cocoa powder and savory notes. A deliciously complex palate with textural concentration and a rich core of currants, blue and black fruits wrapped in long, seamless, elegantly refined tannins.
Vegan-Friendly
Professional Ratings
-
Decanter
This blend of Barossa Valley (67%) and Eden Valley fruit hails from five parcels averaging 80 years old, the oldest planted in 1854. Intensely concentrated in hue and muscular flavour. Spicy and mineral to the nose and palate, with glimpses of violets. Its iodine and liquorice-edged black cherry and blueberry flavour is succulent, but still in the grip of the sinewy, charry oak, making for an imposing, slightly austere finish. A powerhouse.
-
Vinous
Saturated ruby. Heady aromas of ripe dark berries, cherry liqueur, vanilla and incense, with smoky mineral and exotic spice accents building in the glass. Seamless in texture and deeply concentrated, offering palate-staining black and blue fruit, floral pastille and mocha flavors that turn sweeter with air. At once plush and lively, finishing extremely long and smoky, with repeating dark berry and floral notes and velvety tannins.
-
James Suckling
There’s a stronger Barossa Valley expression in 2016 with ripe blackberry and dark-plum flavors delivering a very pure, focused fruit impression. Vibrant fruit purity here. The palate has gently grainy tannins and good weight. Fresh, succulent dark berries and an impressive, deep, driving finish. A blend of Barossa Valley 67% and Eden Valley 33 shiraz from very old vines. Drink or hold.
-
Australian Wine Companion
Toast, resin and coffee-ground characters flash through pure, rich plum and redcurrant. It's ripe, velvety smooth, complex by iodine notes and firm through the finish. Importantly, for all its might, it feels both fresh and well balanced.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
For a wine named for the 90-liter barrels it was originally matured in, Yalumba's 2016 The Octavius displays relatively restrained oak. This vintage, only 50% of the volume aged in those small octaves for 20 months, with the rest in a mix of barriques and hogsheads (a mix of French and American), all of which were coopered at the winery—but only 28% of which were new. Cedar and vanilla notes accent mixed berries on the nose of this full-bodied effort, which comes from the Barossa (two-thirds) and Eden Valleys (one-third). Rich and velvety on the palate, it adds hints of dried spices, juniper berries and bay leaves on the long finish. The youngest vines were planted in 1951, the oldest in 1854.
-
Wine Enthusiast
The vines for this premium Shiraz date on average to 1936, with some going back to 1854. From French and American staves coopered on site, Octavius offers an evocative and multifaceted nose with everything from currants, licorice and mocha to cedar, bay leaf and clove. The palate is powerful and lean at the moment, with elevated acidity and taut, slightly woody tannins. There’s a nice tang to the fruit. It’s hard to predict how this will age, but the hope is it’s got another decade left in it at least.
-
Wine & Spirits
This is blended from vineyard parcels with an average age of 100 years, then aged in octaves – 100-liter barrels coopered from French oak at Yalumba. That small format oak gives the concentrated fruit an immediate richness, a fat wine bursting with cherry ripeness and the umami-tinged bitterness of flower petals. Stay with it and the cherry fruit turns plump and elegant, the wine’s richness shaped by fine tannins. This should age with grace.
Other Vintages
2015-
Wong
Wilfred -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James
-
Spirits
Wine & -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Panel
Tasting -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert -
Spirits
Wine &
-
Parker
Robert
-
Spirits
Wine & -
Parker
Robert
Established in 1849, Yalumba is Australia’s most historic family-owned wine company showcasing the best of the Barossa and South Australian wine regions. Fiercely independent and extremely progressive through the generational ownership by the Hill-Smith family, their longevity and success are a result of patience, collaboration, and forward-thinking. Yalumba is a leader in the industry with the foresight to embrace the natural terroir to craft wines with individual character and a sense of purpose, as well as a spirit to reinvest in the land upon which it operates. Yalumba is committed to sharing stories of provenance gathered over 175 years of history of family winemaking.
Arguably the single most famous wine region in Australia, the Barossa includes both Barossa Valley and Eden Valley, making it one of the only areas in Australia to have neighboring warm and cool climate growing conditions. Yalumba is privileged to have access to some of the oldest vineyards in the world in Barossa Valley, including 1889 bush vine Grenache and 1908 Shiraz. They are committed to growing premium quality fruit reflecting distinctive varietal characters of the region.
Yalumba also operates the Southern Hemisphere's only fully operational Cooperage, crafting bespoke oak barrels that elevate the wines aged within them. While the beginnings of the Yalumba Cooperage remain a mystery lost in time, coopering has been a proud tradition at the winery for more than a century. Their coopers have been performing and perfecting their craft since around 1890. In the Nursery, Yalumba is a global leader in wine innovation, growing, evaluating, and supplying quality grape vines to the Australian wine industry. Yalumba has developed strong relationships with leading grapevine programs from around the world and have exclusive access to certain new varietals in Australia. This gives the Yalumba viticulturists and winemakers the unique opportunity to evaluate and develop new or emerging varieties before they are sold.
Yalumba continually strives to reduce their impact on the environment, stay involved in the community, and make great wine with minimal intervention in the vineyard and in the winery. They are committed to sustainable practices, with the belief that the healthier and more biodiverse the vineyards are, the better the wines will be. Yalumba has been developing its own sustainable viticulture program since the mid-1990s, promoting the economic production of quality grapes. For every acre of vineyard Yalumba own, they have at least one acre of native vegetation. All Yalumba wines are crafted with wild yeast, are 100% vegan, and are made with the least intervention possible but with as much knowledge, confidence, and expertise as possible.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
The Barossa Zone encompasses the Barossa Valley and Eden Valley. Some of the oldest vines in Australia can be found here.
Barossa Valley of course is the most important and famous wine growing region in all of Australia where 140+ year-old, dry-farmed Shiraz vines still produce inky, purple and dense juice for some of Australia's best wines.
In the cooler, wetter Eden Valley sub-region, the Hill of Grace vineyard is home to famous Shiraz vines from the 1800s but the region produces also some of Australia’s very best and age-worthy Rieslings.