JM 1ST APPROACH

Blend: Grenache 49%, Shiraz 30% Mataro 21%

The Avatar shows a generous, expressive bouquet with plum and black cherry aromas with a splash of higher toned cranberry. Underlying the ripe fruit you’ll find hints of Asian spice, dried citrus peel, licorice, gingerbread, milk chocolate, jasmine and notes of well-integrated mocha oak. Vibrant, well-weighted and spice-laden on the initial entry to the palate, the Avatar shows ripe fruit flavours of plum, blackberry and black cherry with hints of raspberry and cranberry providing lift. There are hints of Asian and baking spice, ginger-cake, chocolate, dried flowers, licorice and judicious, seasoned oak along with a healthy dose of earthy, Mataro goodness. Medium-bodied on the palate the wine wraps up with great balance, bright acidity, supple, ripe tannins and a finish that is both persistent and spicy.

Now this is a fascinating wine, from the clear red colour, through to the intriguing nose,... this GSM blend is going from strength to strength with each successive vintage ... The palate is chock full of dark cherry and raspberry fruit, spicy blackberries, earth and licorice, showing great length, and finishing quite savoury. This is a very complex sophisticated wine that makes great current drinking, but which could be cellared for the medium term. Well done. the auswine panel

Well if the 2012 Joshua was the best they’ve yet made, then I reckon this might be too. Grenache 40%, Shiraz 30% Mataro 30% This may well be about as good as Barossa GSM gets? Strong colour leads into a deliciously aromatic and tasty wine. Hazelnut, floral notes, iron, boysenberry, cherry pips and a hard-to-describe-sensibly sensation of what might best be called ‘stony’. Medium bodied with bell clear fine acidity and equally fine tannin. Serious length. And for all those serious bits, still just so irresistibly yum. You’re having your cake and eating it here. 95 points Winefront.com.au

And now to undo all their work I’ll let you know it’s a blend of 40% Grenache, 30% Shiraz and 30% Mataro that spends about ten months in French and American oak – savoury oak it is too, adding structure, texture and a mocha character to the back-palate. Wonderfully aromatic. Lavender, cherries, raspberries, anise, dried orange peel, ferrous earth and chocolate coated ginger. The architecture is stunning. Cranberry accented acidity and ripe, graphite/mineral tannin. It moves from entry to exit without any interruption and the extension is remarkable. Has juicy fruit flavours but it’s ultimately a savoury wine. The Mataro’s Asian spice character lingers as an aftertaste. Terrific now and has the potential to be even more special in the years to come. 95+ Excellent – Exceptional Wine Will Eat Itself