96 Points James Suckling
Lovely ripened blackberries and raspberries. Al dente. Full-bodied yet so refined and focused with crisp acidity and ultra-fine, creamy tannins. Succulent and crunchy but focused and structured. Bright and purposeful. Drink after 2024 but already hard to hold back.
92 Points Wine Enthusiast
Dense and chocolaty, this opens with classic blackberry, blood-plum and black-pepper characters. It's a big wine but not a hefty one. Savory, fine tannins are comparatively gentle, allowing the fruit flavor to shine. Balanced and focused, it offers drinkability now when paired with protein.
91 Points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Ever the reliable wine in the Torbreck lineup (challenged only by the beauty of the Steading, but nevertheless), the Woodcutters has tightened up over time. My first introduction to it almost 10 years ago recalls a plush, full-bodied wine that delivered all the Barossa feels and flavors that one could possibly hope for. These days, and today specifically, the 2021 Woodcutter's Shiraz is tight and tense, with black brooding fruit set to a rigging of firm, savory tannins. The oak is subliminal in this wine, leaving only the tannins to shape the fruit. Really handled well. Impressive.
Winemaker Notes
Lifted red, black and blue fruits of red cherry, raspberry coulis, blueberry conserve and wild blackberry and blackcurrant. There is a spicy edge showing cardamom, star anise and Chinese five spice. Soft caressing tannins and voluptuous mouthfeel from plump Shiraz berries gives this wine a posture that belies its pedigree. The poise and piquancy of the fruit sitting on top of the structured mouthfeel provides confidence to cellar for 5-10 years.
