JM 1ST APPROACH

Savoury spice, earth aromas turning to liquorice and plum jam; richly fruit-sweet, fleshy, concentrated. Marvellous for this price and worth cellaring. 14.5 per cent alcohol. 93/100. Huon Hooke
... savoury Moroccan spices and fresh earth, plus traces of licorice and plum jam. Soft and fruit-sweet in the mouth, it has an abundant fleshy texture, good concentration of sweet fruit, and a firm tannin grip to finish. A serious red for hearty food, and for cellaring. Gourmet Traveller Wine

The family that owns Pico Maccario is a true Barbera specialist! With an intense purple color, this wine features a bouquet of plum and cherry with hints of baking spice. It has a super silky mouthfeel, finishing in sweet fruit and velvety tannins. A rich, satisfying glass sure to please any crowd.  ... A scent of pine or rosemary leads off, followed by flavors of pure black cherry and blackberry. This has density and grip, but in proportion with the juicy fruit. Drink now through 2016.

Like the 2008 before it – perhaps more so – the 2009 is as sexy as shiraz gets at the price – beautifully, sweetly aromatic with a vibrant, fruity palate to match. Chris Shanahan

Bright crimson; a fragrant bouquet encompasses spice, plum, black cherry and blackberry aromas that flow through to the medium-bodied palate, there picked up quality oak, and finishing with polished tannins. Great bargain. 96 points  James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion

Immediate wow factor here on first sniff. Perfume of lavender and talc, citrus and mineral. So pure and clean with bright crunchy acidity and a slatey dry deliciousness, yet it’s not overly austere, keeping a gentle fruit sweetness and mouth perfume that neatly offsets all those rocks and stones. Long and very fine. Brilliant wine. Rated : 95+ Points Gary Walsh.  The Winefront.