Yalumba

Rare & Fine The Octavius

Syrah/Shiraz & Syrah/Shiraz-based Blends

Yalumba The Octavius Shiraz bottle image

Syrah/Shiraz & Syrah/Shiraz-based Blends

Signifying Yalumba’s commitment to Barossa Shiraz, this is a truly individual wine, handcrafted, handmade and matured in fine French oak and Yalumba coopered American octave barrels. These unique barrels, which offered inspiration for the wine’s name, are just one of the many harmonious components in the symphony that is Yalumba The Octavius Shiraz.

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Wine Production

The growing season opened with a drier than average winter, followed by an even drier and warmer spring and summer. These conditions produced fewer grapes that were concentrated and full of flavour. Although the season was warm, it was without extremes and the nights were relatively cool, helping to maintain freshness, aromatics and a pristine fruit profile. Matured for 20 months in 42% new French and American octaves, 14% 1 year old French barriques and hogsheads, balance in older French barriques & hogsheads.

Tasting Notes

The aromatics show off its Eden Valley heritage, with fresh floral berry fruits and sweet dark cherries. The palate depth showcases the Barossa Valley, with dark, brooding chocolate, dark plum roundness and great concentration. The cool freshness of Eden Valley develops with the supporting acid and grainy tannin giving the wine structure for long term cellaring.

Food Pairing

Enjoy alongside a slow roasted lamb shank, or chargrilled cauliflower with fried butterbeans and pumpkin hummus.

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Wine Production

Tasting Notes

Food Pairing

Enjoy alongside a slow roasted lamb shank, or chargrilled cauliflower with fried butterbeans and pumpkin hummus.

Brand Materials

Tech Sheet Bottle Shot Acclaim

POINTS

"By design, and from the ground up, this is a trenchantly full-bodied shiraz, but notwithstanding this, is so well balanced it fills the mouth with black fruit flavours, then backs off so gracefully the finish and aftertaste are of pure fruit, oak and tannins dismissed with a magic wand."

James Halliday

POINTS

"Inky ruby. Powerful dark berry liqueur, cherry-cola and floral oil scents are complemented by suggestions of licorice, smoky minerals and mocha. Impressively broad and concentrated yet lively as well, offering lush cherry, dark berry, vanilla and fruitcake flavors that are enlivened by a spine of juicy acidity. Velvety tannins shape the pliant, smoke-tinged finish, which hangs on with superb persistence and resonating florality."

POINTS

"Yalumba's flagship 2013 The Octavius is a beauty. The oak usage that defines this wine has become so much more refined over the years, until now it's like fine pencil shavings that merely serve to frame the boysenberry and plum fruit. Yes, there's vanilla, spice and everything nice that comes with oak-aging, but there's also enough room in this full-bodied, velvety-textured wine for fruit and fermentation-derived spice to shine through, adding elements of anise, sage and some dusty earth."

POINTS

“This inky-hued wine is still tightly wound and youthful considering its age. On the nose it offers a deep well of tangy berries, damp earth, black licorice, dark chocolate, violets and a touch of iodine. The oak is there too, in an almost charred form, but it doesn’t stick out. It’s rich and satiny smooth in texture, with fine-grained tannins that show a softness, gliding rather than gripping.”

POINTS

"Very intense aromas of dark fruit, black pepper and cloves. Extremely aromatic. Full and layered with soft and juicy finish. Just the right combination of fruit and bright acidity. Tangy."

James Suckling

POINTS

"This is a selection from parcels in Barossa and Eden valleys, with 84 years as the average age of the vines. It’s named for the octaves, small, new barrels coopered at Yalumba using French and American oak, in which 42 percent of the wine ages (the balance goes in French barriques and hogsheads). That oak aging adds a sheen while interacting with the fruit to produce notes of toasted rye and bitter chocolate. Beyond that is an intense shiraz with floral notes and a black crush of minerals defining its tough structure. Powerful and savory, this needs bottle age to integrate and mellow."

"Yalumba's top Shiraz is luscious and powerful, packed with blackberry, espresso, and spice notes. It deserves a top-quality prime steak."

Food & Wine

Vineyard & Production Info

Vineyard name:

Multiple Vineyards

Soil composition:

Barossa Vineyards

Elevation:

300-1,500 feet

Average Vine Age:

84 years

Certifying Organizations:

ISO14001; Entwine Australia

Sustainability Certification:

EPA Acredited Sustainability Licence

Winemaking & Aging

Prefermentation Technique:

1-3 days on skins pre fermentation before wild yeast start to ferment

Varietal composition:

100% Shiraz

Fermentation container:

Stainless steel tanks

Malolactic fermentation:

Yes

Fining agent:

Vegan

Type of aging container:

Barriques and Hogsheads

Type of oak:

French and American

Length of aging before bottling:

23 months

Age of Aging Container:

20 months

Analytical Data

pH level:

3.5

Acidity:

6.3 g/L

Alcohol:

14.1 %

Residual sugar:

0.5 g/L

About the Vineyard

Sourced 53% from Eden Valley and 47% from Barossa Valley with an average vine age of 84 years. The Eden Valley Shiraz provides the exotic aromatics and seamless palate structure, while the Barossa Valley Shiraz provides richness, density and concentration.

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