A 2021 Eisenstone Shiraz Barossan Terroir Ride with Stephen Cook

I don’t accept many winemaker visitors here at Australian Wine and Drinks Review HQ, purely because I have zero time and already too many wines to open. But Stephen Cook, with the 2021 Eisenstone Shiraz wines in tow, deserves an exception. This is a label singularly devoted to grand Barossa Shiraz, produced in a style that is proudly Australian and yet with such a respect for terroir and expression that it is irrepressible.

I’ve talked a bit before about Eisenstone, and it’s worth a dive into the context (here, here and here). The tl;dr version is that Cook, who spent a chunk of time with Orlando running the Richmond Grove winery, now makes a lineup of Barossa Valley Shiraz that are deliberately focused on Barossan parishes (Greenock, Ebenezer etc) and single sites drawn from the absolute finest Barossan vineyards, with everything made in a similar way (40-50% new French oak for 20 months, minimal fining or filtration).

The range is split into two, with the entry point the SR (sub-regional) wines at $85 and the single vineyard wines at $115. That may sound a bit, but the quality of the fruit alone is absolute top draw, with a raft of Grange/RWT level vineyards as the source, notably from the finest old vines of renowned grower Adrian Hoffmann (you can see a breakdown of the vineyard sources in the picture below, click on it for a closer look or view on the Eisenstone website).

You can taste that superstar fruit, too. There’s an unquestioned power and decadence to this unashamedly powerful wine that draws a direct link to the intensity of old vine Barossa fruit. They’re plush, fruit-forward, oak-cosseted, full-bodied Barossa wines with unashamedly powerful personalities, yet without ever feeling hot or even oaky. They’re just grand drinks.

Importantly, with all of the wines made in the same way, these are genuine terroir pieces, where you can see the blueberry fruits of Ebenezer or the licorice of Koonunga. As Stephen explains, these wines need the oak, too, as it helps add a savouriness that avoids an evolution into fruit bombs after 2-3 years in bottle. Interestingly, despite the obvious decadence and opulence, Stephen isn’t a showy or overt guy – he is more entranced by the terroir dive as any other diehard wine geek (and he also works in energy as a day gig, which isn’t your usual winemaker way to pay the oak bills).

After looking at the range again last week (I had a brief look last month), I think these 2021s are again super wines. Among the SR wines, the Eisenstone SR804 Marananga Shiraz 2021 is my pick, with its flecks of spice and black olive in among an ocean of dark fruit. The SR801 Greenock has this purple opulence to it that is going to win over many, the SR807 Koonunga has undoubted power (but feels a bit drying), and the Ebenezer SR802 has the violets (which Stephen suggested and hit it on the head).

Then, along comes the single vineyard wines to take things up a notch. In particular, the Eisenstone Hoffmann SV902 DV Vyd Ebenezer Shiraz 2021 is an absolute superstar. This is ‘why bother with RWT’ level, pinnacle-of-the-Barossa stuff, drawn from the ancient vines of Adrian Hoffmann’s Dallwitz Block. It’s thick, it’s layered, it’s stuffed with purple berries and grainy tannins and this pumping, purple opulence. Man. It’s not hot; it’s just concentrated, and yet it’s actually quite drinkable (it’s the wine Stephen likes to ‘just drink’ the most). You want points? It’s a 96-point wine.

The rest of the SV range isn’t really far behind (especially the wonderfully powerful and yet interesting McDonald Vyd Marananga Shiraz), although I didn’t quite warm to the slightly strained (but punchy) Becker Vyd Koonunga Shiraz.

You love Barossa Shiraz? You need to try these wines.