Tasting notes:
Dark red with vivid purple hues. The intense fruit aromas jump out of the glass, abundant with plums, cherries and mulberries. Followed by subtle hints of star anise, with a whole bunch lift and a delicate touch of spice. The wine is medium bodied with flavours of plum, mulberry and redcurrant. The tannins are supple and balanced but drive the wine through your palate. The whole bunch inclusion helps to add complexity and spice leaving you with an intense mouth-filling and salivating finish.
Reviews:
90 points, Wine Spectator
Distinctive and charming, this smooth red starts out spicy, blending white pepper, cigar box, espresso and mahogany details into the core of cherry and blood orange flavors, finishing with an aromatic accent of rose petal. Drink now through 2030. 1,000 cases made, 500 cases imported.
90 points, JamesSuckling
This has attractively fresh, red-plum aromas with a gently spicy edge. The palate is so softly delivered with a lick of spicy oak adding warmth to the finish. Drink now. Screw cap.
87 points, Robert Parkers, Wine Advocate
There's a reason why Margaret River is better known for Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, and while Stella Bella's 2018 Shiraz is a solid wine, it's clearly second (or third) fiddle. Aromas of bay leaf and sage set off tart blackberry flavors, accented with hints of cedar and vanilla. It's medium-bodied and streamlined, with a crisp finish.
84 points, James Halliday, Wine Companion
Intense inky purple; an in-your-face-style with mawkish flavours, reduction and oak. The palate rich and syrupy. Disappointing.