Powell & Son Barossa & Eden Valleys Shiraz 2017

“Deep ruby. Highly perfumed dark berry and floral scents are complemented by suggestions of allspice and licorice and a smoky mineral flourish lends urgency. Concentrated yet lively as well, offering sweet blueberry and cherry liqueur flavors that are sharpened by a peppery note. Plays depth off of energy with a smooth hand and finishes sweet and long, with supple tannins making a late appearance. Drinking window: 2023-2032. 93 points

After parting ways with Torbreck, the winery that he founded in 1994, David Powell took a brief pause and returned in grand style with his son, Callum, for this project. Readers familiar with the wines that Powell made over the years at Torbreck will no doubt appreciate these extroverted, intensely perfumed and flavored wines, which show the full-throated Barossa style at its best. These wines exhibit almost shockingly fine detail for their mass and power. The thick-staved barrels made by Dominique Laurent are omnipresent here, and they are ideally suited for the extended aging regimen that Powell favors. While the barrel presence in these 2017s is undeniable, so is fruit intensity, which makes me confident that, with patience, the wines are more than capable of absorbing the oak.”

Josh Raynolds, Vinous (12/21)