🍷Wine of the Month – September
2024 Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz
Brokenwood Wines
Brokenwood Wines was established in 1970 in Pokolbin, at the heart of New South Wales’ Hunter Valley. It began with three Sydney solicitors who shared a passion for wine. Among the founders was James Halliday, who later became one of Australia’s most respected wine writers.
Today, Brokenwood is recognised as one of the Hunter Valley’s leading wine producers.
The winery has built its reputation around quality, innovation and a strong connection to the region.
Its Pokolbin home includes vineyards, a modern winery and a popular cellar door.
The Wine
Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz is one of Australia’s most iconic single-vineyard Shiraz wines. The fruit comes from the historic Graveyard Vineyard in Pokolbin, Hunter Valley.
The vineyard was planted in 1968 and sits on ancient alluvial soils. Its name comes from the original landowner, who was a stonemason.
The site produces Shiraz with remarkable perfume, elegance and longevity. Hunter Valley’s warm days and cool nights help retain freshness and natural acidity.
Graveyard is known for its fine tannins and distinctive savoury character. It balances concentration with elegance rather than relying on sheer power.
Tasting Notes
The 2024 Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz is a classic, elegant expression of Hunter Valley Shiraz. It shows bright colour with purple hues and fragrant red spice and bramble fruit.
The palate is supple and complete, with lovely mid-palate sweetness. Natural acidity and fruit sweetness bring freshness and balance.
Fine, long tannins provide structure and elegance.
This is a beautifully balanced Shiraz with impressive finesse and concentration.
It’s already showing beautifully, but time will allow further complexity to develop. A classic Graveyard with the structure and longevity to reward cellaring.
Why It Was Our Pick of the Month
Despite the name, there’s no graveyard here. Thankfully, there’s plenty of good stuff in the bottle.
The nose is all violets and roses, with savoury, earthy character. Then the tannins kick in, fine and savoury, with plenty of grunt underneath.
There’s a lovely herbaceous edge that keeps it firmly in Hunter territory. It’s powerful, but never heavy. Savoury, elegant and seriously easy to get stuck into. We are really loving Hunter’s Shiraz!
Food Pairing + Occasion
This isn’t your Tuesday night bottle. This is the one you crack when there’s something worth celebrating.
Think slow-roasted lamb, a great steak or some seriously good aged cheddar. Basically, food with enough personality to keep up with the wine.
It’s a bottle for long lunches, big dinners and those moments worth opening something special.
