TN: Faber Reserve Shiraz 2016
Posted: Fri May 09, 2025 10:09 pm
G'day
The last time I posted on this wine was from Faber's 2019 Shiraz Benchmark Tasting. This was the note on the day (6 years ago):
"Faber Reserve (Swan Valley): Lots of mint up front, with dark plums and savoury oak. There’s mint on the palate as well. Tannins are prominent and grippy at this stage, and there’s just the right amount of supporting acid. It’s medium to full bodied, and finishes very long."
A few years on, and this wine still shows considerable primary fruit on the nose, especially black plums and blueberries. There's still some mint or menthol, but this is not as pronounced as it might have been previously. Vanilla and cloves add spice to the nose, and there's a touch of Chesterfield leather and dark chocolate noticeable also.
The palate is similarly rich, with ripe dark plums, blueberries, a touch of Christmas cake, cocoa powder, more cloves and vanillan oak. Glycerols provide texture and mouthfeel, and tannins are well integrated. There's some savoury notes also, leading to a long finish.
John (Griffiths, owner and winemaker) offers a 20-year (or longer) lifespan for this wine. I have no doubt that he is right; however, this is so good now and I think it is unlikely to improve, just evolve further. It depends how old you like your Shiraz, I suppose. John will be launching his 2022 Reserve tomorrow night, and Ilook forward to trying it.
Cheers
Allan
The last time I posted on this wine was from Faber's 2019 Shiraz Benchmark Tasting. This was the note on the day (6 years ago):
"Faber Reserve (Swan Valley): Lots of mint up front, with dark plums and savoury oak. There’s mint on the palate as well. Tannins are prominent and grippy at this stage, and there’s just the right amount of supporting acid. It’s medium to full bodied, and finishes very long."
A few years on, and this wine still shows considerable primary fruit on the nose, especially black plums and blueberries. There's still some mint or menthol, but this is not as pronounced as it might have been previously. Vanilla and cloves add spice to the nose, and there's a touch of Chesterfield leather and dark chocolate noticeable also.
The palate is similarly rich, with ripe dark plums, blueberries, a touch of Christmas cake, cocoa powder, more cloves and vanillan oak. Glycerols provide texture and mouthfeel, and tannins are well integrated. There's some savoury notes also, leading to a long finish.
John (Griffiths, owner and winemaker) offers a 20-year (or longer) lifespan for this wine. I have no doubt that he is right; however, this is so good now and I think it is unlikely to improve, just evolve further. It depends how old you like your Shiraz, I suppose. John will be launching his 2022 Reserve tomorrow night, and Ilook forward to trying it.
Cheers
Allan