2019 De Iuliis Limited Release Shiraz

This wine’s reputation isn’t just building – it’s already there. The 2019 Limited Release Shiraz has racked up 6 trophies and counting, including Best Red Wine of Show at the Hunter Valley Wine Show two years running. For a wine that flies a little under the radar outside NSW, that’s a statement.

Made from the best blocks across De Iuliis’ top vineyards – Steven, Talga Road and Lovedale Road – it’s a masterclass in blending and restraint. 2019 gave low yields, tiny berries and pristine fruit, and the result is a Shiraz with depth, drive and polish, but nothing overdone. It’s medium-bodied, classic Hunter, with just enough edge to keep it interesting, and structure to go long in the cellar.

Mike De Iuliis has taken this wine from insider favourite to legitimate benchmark. If you want to understand where modern Hunter Shiraz is at – this is it.

95 points
"Earthy, black fruit, ginger biscuits, dried mango perfume. Medium to full-bodied, rich and concentrated, acidity is balanced, tannin is thick and sooty, nice and ripe, with a liquorice finish of excellent length. Excellent wine. Plenty of time left in it too."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

95 points
"A sumptuous interpretation of a warm year. Lots of extract, complemented by oak that, while still unresolved, should find its place in time. Blue and black fruits. A core of raspberry liqueur. Spice, sassafras and Hunter earth, driving long. Bury this and believe."
- Ned Goodwin MW (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 points
"Dark berry, black mineral, and cured meat aromas. Deep fruit with blackberry and iron tones. There’s a depth and intensity that is balanced by both fine tannins and a hint of freshening acidity, a wine of tension and persistence that will cellar for many years."
- Stuart Knox (The Real Review)