2022 Orion Syrah

2022 was a freakishly good vintage for our estate Syrah, the Orion is selected from the cream of ‘Landau’ block and further classified post-fermentation. Hand-picked, 21 days on skins, 15% whole bunch, raised in 500-litre Stockinger puncheons (20% new) for 10 months. Only 100 dozen made.

98 Points Halliday
It's not often that such a detailed, delicate wine also comes with such depth. Indeed, this is a wine of gravitas. It's tight, smoky, ripped with mescal-like notes, peppery and just generally savoury, but there's also a gorgeous purr of berried fruit, ripe and settled. Along with all those spicy treble notes there's a good pound of mid-range bass. We're in classic beauty territory, balanced and complete. Give this wine some air; it needs it. And prepare to be mesmerised. Campbell Mattinson Published 14 June 2024 

96 Points Stuart Knox (The Real Review)
Deep and dense ruby core with purple glints at the rim. Deeply fragrant with mulberry, nori, and pepper spice aromas. Medium bodied with dark fruits, black slate and nori flavours flowing through a tightly wound core. Tannins are fine-grained but powerful and they ensure the line and length is prodigious. Has many years ahead of it.

“This is exceptional cool climate syrah, reeling off kelp, black cherries, tapenade, cloves and violets across a long line of flavor, measured intensity and sumptuous tannins, almost sooty and rock-face mineral of feel. Mid-weighted and savory, albeit, with plenty of power. A clench of reduction at the finish to give it just a little more tension. A wine for Northern Rhone lovers seeking a different form of transcendence.” 95 points, Ned Goodwin, jamessuckling.com 

2023 Sydney Royal Wine Show
CLASS 26 - Shiraz, 2022
GOLD, 95 Points - Murdoch Hill Wines: 2022, Murdoch Hill Orion Syrah

The Longer Story:

Orion represents the pinnacle of Murdoch Hill’s Syrah, crafted from the finest fruit of our Landau block. The majority comes from the vineyard’s highest point, with final barrel selection made post-fermentation to ensure only the best parcels make the cut. This year, the wine was drawn from just two carefully classified parcels, kept separate until the final blend.

Sitting at 400 metres above sea level, the Landau block is predominantly east-facing, with shallow red loam soils interlaced with schist and ironstone. The vines, planted in 1998, produce Syrah of purity and structure, shaped by the elevation and unique terroir.

Harvested over two days in late March and early April, the fruit was fermented with 15% whole bunches in a two-tonne open vat before maturing in 500-litre Stockinger puncheons (20% new) for 10 months.

Following last year’s standout release—crowned Best South Australian Shiraz at the 2022 Melbourne Royal Wine Awards—this vintage had a high bar to clear. Once again, Orion rises to the challenge, delivering depth, elegance, and distinction in every glass.