
Schwarz Wine Co scores
another 5 Star Winery rating in
the 2021 Halliday Wine Companion
SWC Grenache
95 points – 2018 Meta Grenache
92 points – 2017 Thiele Road Grenache
More SWC Reds
92 Points – 2017 GSM
95 Points – 2018 Meta Mataro
SWC White/Rose
88 Points – 2018 Chenin Blanc
95 Points – 2018 Rise
2016 Schwarz Loveday Shiraz
2020 Halliday Wine Companion – James Halliday – February 2019
This new French oak barrel stood out in the classification process, and it’s not hard to see why. This is a wine with more of everything in the Robert Parker mould to be sure, but has to be recognised in the top tier.
Rated: 97/100 (Gold) | Drink: 2020 – 2046
2018 Nitschke Block Shiraz
Ned Goodwin – 2021 Halliday Reviews
All the good stuff: dry-grown and fermented under the aegis of wild yeast, a smattering of whole-bunch seasoning )25%), French oak (20% new) conferring poise, freshness and authority. As far as Barossa Shiraz goes, this is benchmark. Plush but nicely taut. A stream of boysenberry fruit and violet scents sashay to a samba of thyme, tapenade and smoked meats, nicely avoiding any sense of reduction, or clunk jam. This is smart. Very.
Rated : 96 Points | Ranked : 17 out of 34 (Silver)
2017 The Schiller Shiraz
The Real Review – Huon Hoke, January 2020
Deep, dark red colour with a tint of purple, the bouquet nutty, nutmeg and generous, with a subtle touch of spice. The wine is intense and linear, well-oaked and savoury, with a firm backbone of tannin and a drying aftertaste. Very good
Rated : 92 Points | Ranked : 48 out of 112 (Silver)
2018 Meta Shiraz
The Real Review – Huon Hooke, 31 December 2019
Very deep red/purple colour. The bouquet is lovely: deep, ripe, concentrated and fragrant. Superb richness and intensity of palate flavour; supple and deep, with deliciousness and concentration that will ensure it ages superbly. Generous oak in balance. The aftertaste lingers on and on.
Rated : 95 Points | Ranked : 3 out of 40 (Gold)
2019 Meta Grenache
The Real Review – Huon Hooke – 19 February 2019
Medium to light red/purple colour, with a very spicy, foresty, stemmy, bunchy kind of bouquet. It’s very peppery and remarkably detailed and layered for such a youngster. Mataro-like pepper. The wine has a slight touch of sweetness (not sugar) and its charm and character are undoubted. A lovely wine, already full of character. Medium-bodied and intense with light and fine tannins adding a gentle backbone
Rated : 91 Points | Ranked : 15 out of 37 (Silver)
2018 Thiele Road Grenache
Ned Goodwin – 2021 Halliday Reviews
Lubricated with 20% whole-cluster spike across the first pick and 15% the second, this mid to full weighted Grenache was wild fermented across pump-overs early and foot stomped later to attenuate the fermentation before transitioning to small tanks and French puncheons. I want to like this more than I do. Structure is achieved to acclaim, however Grenache’s hedonism is too subdued. Where’s the kirsch?
Rated : 92 Points | Drink : 2020 – 2030
2018 Schwarz GSM
The Real Review – Nick Butler – 22 January 2020
A delicately perfumed wine with violets, mulberries and blackberries rising well above any oak or artifice. It’s pure and entirely fruit-focused on the palate, too. Silky texture and just enough acidity and tannin. Essence of grapes.
Rated : 94 Points | Ranked : 2 out of 15 (Silver)
2019 Meta Mataro
Ned Goodwin – 2021 Halliday Reviews
A gorgeous, glossy purple hue. Saturated dark fruit scents melding with smoked meat and violet. The tannins, a ferrous timbre. This has no pretence. Just an honest Mataro, scented with fidelity, extracted appropriately and easy to drink. Delicious!
Rated : 95 Points (Silver) | Drink : 2019 – 2026
2018 Schwarz Shiraz
Ned Goodwin – 2021 Halliday Reviews
9 months in barrel, tank tightened and seasoned with 10% whole-bunch. This is an easy going Shiraz that plays the reductive card of tension well, without any imposition on lilac scents that careen to nori, smoked salumi, tapenade, and beetroot puree. Tightly strung across the finish.
Rated : 92 Points | Ranked : 24 out of 40 (Silver)
2019 Schwarz Chenin Blanc
The Real Review – Ralph Kyte-Powell- 31 January 2020
This version has typical downunder chenin characteristics with plenty of zip to grassy aromas that are woven through tropical fruit. In the mouth it’s a simple type of white wine, dry, fruity and sound.
Rated: 86 Points | Drink: 2020 – 2021
2019 Rose
Ned Goodwin – 2021 Halliday Reviews
An astute blend of 64% Grenache, the remainder the rewardingly ferrous Mataro.
This should be the archetypal Barossan blend, with Shiraz shifted to the back burner of any blend. An exceptional Rose in an age when it has unsurped Chardonnay’s mantle as the most exciting category of Australian wine. Partly barrel fermented after gentle crushing, resplendent with stems.
Musk stick, watermelon and loganberry scents meander along a hinge of gentle acidity but more impressive, a pillow of herbal phenolics. Rhone cometh. Others take note. Sophisticated Rose of great pleasure. A food wine akin to fine Tavel.
Rated: 95 Points | Drink: 2020 – 2021