2018 Yalumba The Octavius Old Vine Shiraz Barossa 750 ml

In the pantheon of Australian wine heritage, few names command the reverence of Yalumba. This venerable Barossa estate, adorned with James Halliday's coveted 5-star rating, represents more than a century and a half of unbroken family stewardship—a rarity in today's corporate wine landscape. The Octavius, their flagship Shiraz, stands as perhaps the most eloquent expression of this storied legacy.

The 2018 vintage of The Octavius draws from six carefully selected vineyards across the Barossa, but its crown jewel lies in Eden Valley—Shiraz vines planted in 1854 that rank among the oldest in the world. These ancient sentinels have witnessed the evolution of Australian winemaking from its colonial origins to its current international acclaim. The cuvée’s very name pays homage to Yalumba's traditional oak octaves, specially coopered 50-liter vessels that have been integral to the estate's winemaking philosophy for generations.

The Octavius has always been a wine that shows off the pinnacle of what Yalumba can accomplish, blending across sites to produce a wine that’s as good as the vintage can offer—and they absolutely nailed the 2018.

The combining of 69% Eden Valley Shiraz with 31% from the Barossa Valley reflects the skill of the winemaking team that’s been honed through decades of intimate knowledge of Yalumba’s sites. Eden Valley's elevated, cooler sites contribute the wine's characteristic aromatic complexity and structural finesse, while the warmer Barossa Valley parcels provide the richness and concentration that have made Australian Shiraz legendary worldwide. Overall, the vine age for the entire blend averages over 110 years!

The 2018 vintage proved particularly auspicious for South Australia, delivering one of those rare combinations of favorable weather patterns that old-vine enthusiasts dream about. A mild, even growing season allowed these ancient vines to draw upon their deep root systems. The vintage's natural balance provided winemakers with the ideal canvas to showcase the inherent character of these historic plantings without heavy-handed intervention.