2022 Joshua Cooper Greytown Old Vines Syrah Cabernet Sauvignon

Described by wine commentator Mike Bennie as "one of Australia’s brightest young winemakers”, Joshua Cooper is steadily forging a reputation for thoughtful, elegant, and confident wines from grapes grown in Macedon and surrounds. The Greytown Vineyard, situated in the northeastern corner of what is now the Heathcote region, was established in the 1950s by European immigrants. Notably, the planting was done in a traditional manner without irrigation, featuring a field blend of Syrah vines intermingled with an unspecified amount of Cabernet Sauvignon. The objective is to harvest the entire site together, capturing a more nuanced representation of the location and the growing season. These vines are some of the oldest in the region and have thrived in the rich alluvial soils. After three weeks of fermentation, the wine was pressed to a combination of one-year-old Stockinger 600L barrels (30%), Spanish stoneware jars and seasoned thin-staved Bordeaux barrels for 12 months of maturation. The wine is then racked to stainless steel tanks for four more months of settling, before bottling without any additives except a small amount of sulphur. While already quite enjoyable, this wine will become even more complex and rewarding with some moderate aging. Decanting well is recommended when drinking in its youth.

The 2024 Halliday Wine Companion Best New Winery of the Year

Other Reviews....
The idea of co-planting and field blend proper so lost in the nuances of current vineyard ideology. Wonderful to see it available to us here.
This is a ripping drink and feels fine and fancy to boot. It has this really beautiful sweet fruit core, red and black berries, a touch of pastille and choc-mint in the mix, mahogany whiffs, liquorice, white pepper, green olive also playing cards. The wine is broad-shouldered but tempered with spice and graphite-laced and lengthy tannins. It’s got density and yet freshness on hand. It draws long and to a fine, succulent point with audible chews on that tannin following. Impressive. Drink 2023 - 2040.
95 Points
Mike Bennie - The Wine Front