Three Merit — The Real Review Wine Classification of Australia 2026
Clos Otto Shiraz has achieved Three Merit, the highest tier in The Real Review’s Wine Classification of Australia.
The classification applies to Clos Otto Shiraz as a wine, rather than specifically to the 2023 vintage.
97 points — The Real Review, Huon Hooke
“Very bright, deep, dense, glass staining purple colour; charred caramellised wood and graphite, smoked charcuterie and cocoa nibs on the nose; the palate dense and super-packed with flavour and ultra-ripe fruit. Some spicy/herbal characters. The tannins are biting and gritty with a hint of pleasantly cleansing bitterness and balanced grip. A massive wine but it’s all in proportion, and will richly reward long keeping.”
96+ points — Halliday Wine Companion, Dave Brookes
“Deep crimson in the glass and deeply aromatic with glossy satsuma plum, blackberry, blueberry and boysenberry fruits. Hints of baking spices, roasting meats, violets, dark chocolate, some distant ferrous notes, nicely judged vanillin oak and earth. The wine sports a contemporary feel but it sings true to the Barossan hymn-sheet with heady fruit density and purity, a superfine, compact tannin array and a bright mineral line that lends detail and cadence as the wine trails away with a sense of latent power and grace. Jeez, Hentley Farm is making some cracking wines at the pointy end of its lineup.”
97 points — The Vintage Journal, Andrew Caillard MW and Jeni Port
“Deep crimson. Wax polish, dark chocolate, dark cherry, spice aromas with espresso, marzipan notes. Voluminous and smooth with concentrated dark cherry, blackcurrant fruits, roasted almond, chestnut notes, fine grained/chocolaty textures and well-balanced line of acidity. Builds up chalky firm with richly flavoured dark berry fruits and wax polish notes. Elegantly powerful. Quintessentially Barossa.”
