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

Good winter and early spring rains were followed by a windy spring that led to an uneven fruit set, while conditions remained dry and warm throughout late spring and summer. On the 14th and 15th of February, the season changed and approximately 100 mm of rain fell in just over 24 hours. This rainfall and the following cool weather caused ripening to slow down and the rest of vintage progressed at an almost leisurely pace. A moderate cropping vintage has produced wines with intense flavours combined with some of the best tannin and natural acids we have seen. Matured for 20 months in 38% new French and American oak octaves,19% 1 year old French barriques and hogsheads, balance in older French barriques, hogsheads and octaves.

Tasting Notes

A medium to full bodied brooding wine, that truly reflects the intriguing 2014 vintage. It exhibits savoury notes of red currants followed by dried herb aromatics, leading into almost sweet and sour plums. The palate depth is all Barossa Valley, with a dark bitter chocolate roundness and medium to full depth of ironstone tannins through to the finish.

Food Pairing

Double decant and enjoy alongside a beef or mushroom wellington with roasted root vegetables.

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Wine Production

Tasting Notes

Food Pairing

Double decant and enjoy alongside a beef or mushroom wellington with roasted root vegetables.

Brand Materials

Tech Sheet Bottle Shot Acclaim

POINTS

"Bright purple. Highly perfumed, mineral-accented black and blue fruit liqueur, mocha and incense scents on the hugely perfumed nose with a sexy floral nuance emerging with air. Fleshy, expansive and alluringly sweet, offering concentrated boysenberry, blackcurrant, vanilla and spicecake flavors that are energized by a jolt of juicy acidity. The floral note repeats emphatically on a strikingly long, youthfully tannic finish that shows noteworthy delineation and suave florality.”

POINTS

"You have to admire the way this combines mouthfilling flavour with freshness, elegance and indeed beauty. This packs prettiness into its power. It's as much about boysenberry as blackberry, as much violets and mint as sweet, soft plums. There's a glide of smoky, chocolatey oak, but no more than that. Oak here just taps the fruit into line, and adds to the texture. It's quite a beauty."

James Halliday

94+

“The 2014 The Octavius is looking svelte and fine and quite different from the powerful, almost blocky 2009 The Octavius. When I asked winemaker Louisa Rose about this, she smiled and said, "Well, yes, that's the 2014 effect." Thirty-six percent of the fruit was sourced from the Eden Valley and the balance from Barossa Valley. It has notes of raspberry pip, pomegranate molasses, tobacco, kicked earth, salted licorice and tapenade. There's a finesse here. I like it a lot.”

POINTS

"This vintage has assertive mocha and roasted coffee. The oak influence is considerable,but the wine carries it with aplomb. The palate is nicely focused with solid, ribbon-like tannins and bold fruit presence. Flavors of redder fruit with plenty of spices and black cherries. Terrific balance and persistence. Drinking well now. It should develop savory meatiness if you hold it until 2030."

James Suckling

POINTS

“This 2014 The Octavius is a seamless expression in peak condition with expressive aromas of mulberry and blackberry laced with black pepper, showing good purity and focus. Quite youthful but also now with layers of black olive and crushed spice aged complexity, it builds nicely up to a seamless finish, with a firm edge of tannins. Close to peak but will hold.”

POINTS

"A blend of Barossa Valley (63%) and Eden Valley (37%) Shiraz, Yalumba's 2014 The Octavius balances savory notes of toast, mocha and grilled meat with mulberry and boysenberry fruit. Full-bodied and creamy across the palate, it shows attractive structure and a fine, elegant finish."

POINTS

“Polished and refined, with raspberry coulis and ripe plum flavors and details of black tea, cardamom, cedar and dark chocolate that are rich and harmonious, with plenty of structure and a velvety texture.”

POINTS

“This still needs time to feel settled inside its big frame. Matured for 20 months in 38% new French and American oak eight-stave octave barrels, with the remainder in older French barrels, it speaks plainly about the challenge of containing big, ripe fruit from old vines. Its bright primary notes of blackberry and redcurrant are just beginning to show savoury development after a decade in the cellar, but tough tannins in the tail say this still has a long distance to travel.”

POINTS

“This is a rich, powerful wine, but it’s a poised and balanced one as well. While it doesn’t succeed quite as well as the 2013, it nevertheless shows attractive notes of ripe blackberry, plum, licorice, violets and oak spice, with a herb and black pepper spine. The silky-textured palate is full and concentrated but avoids being jammy. Tannins are soft but structured with a savory finish.”

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:

Octaves, Barriques and Hogsheads

Type of oak:

French and American

Length of aging before bottling:

21 months

Age of Aging Container:

20 months

Analytical Data

pH level:

3.5

Acidity:

6.1 g/L

Alcohol:

14 %

Residual sugar:

0.3 g/L

About the Vineyard

Sourced 63% from Eden Valley and 37% from Barossa Valley with an average vine age of 71 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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