"Shake the hand of the future because here it is." New cult producer in Australia. 18.5 points on Jancis Robinson! Worked at JL Chave in Hermitage. Just 10 of two wines for the UK! First come first served. Email only.

Don't miss these early releases, because they are likely to become Australian legends. Wines to collect, and drink.

These spectacular wines were introduced to us by Fraser McKinley of Sami-Odi, a boutique producer of incredibly special Syrah/Shiraz, whose waiting list for his wines is probably the longest in Australia, at 3000 people! We ship 60 bottles of each of Fraser's wines - the entire UK allocation. Feeling bad that he couldn't send us more, he said to me that if he ever finds something he really loves he'll put me in touch. That day finally came, when he put us in touch with Callum Powell, whose wines Fraser himself collects. Callum's father Dave Powell was the founder of Torbreck wines - another cult producer (and with whom Fraser worked for a while) - and the vineyard farm on which Callum grew up.

The wines are extraordinary.
Here is some press (and I have to say, I feel just the same about them):

"Looking at these '24 releases from Callum Powell you can't help but think 'Jeez, the Barossa is in good hands.' The fruit purity is off the charts in these wines."

"Shake the hand of the future because here it is. This Barossa Valley shiraz is just, simply, wildly good. I could taste a million big company wines and no matter how good they are, collectively they wouldn’t generate as much excitement as this single hand-crafted wine. It’s just duck’s guts territory."

"Phwoar ... this is an Ebenezer-born shiraz that has considerable heft and power, while retaining a cadence and line that brings clarity and detail to its form. Yeah, sign me up for that."

Normally when you spend £65 on a bottle of wine you're thinking is this really worth it? Not so with these. The moment you take a sip, you just sink into them and think wow! My favourite food with these wines is steak. Treat yourself and friends to a steak and a bottle or two of these wines. But you can keep these for over 20 years. It's just that there's so much to enjoy now. Stylistically, each has a personality, and is representative of the site from which it comes. You get amazing perfumes and layers of fruit and black olive tapenade.The oak is barely apparent as Callum uses old double size barriques and barriques that are neutral in taste impact.

Like Sami-Odi's wines, they illumine some of the great sites of Barossa Valley, which you cannot say about many other Barossa producers, whose wines are more like gobstoppers with alcohol. But they are not just phenomenal Syrah/Shiraz, they are phenomenal wines. It's no wonder that Australian merchants and collectors are going potty for them.

Production? We're talking around just 100 to 200 dozen of each.

How to order - first come first served - order by end Tuesday

All wines are £65 a bottle (In bond £52 a bottle)
This is an email only offer. Reply to this. Kate is on replies.

We can do a maximum of six bottles of Flaxman and Ebenezer, and 2 bottles of K Sands.
Let us know if you'd be interested in more, and we'll share out any remaining on Wednesday. No minimum order. So you can try a bottle or two.

Agricola Flaxman Valley Syrah 2024

"Darkest crimson. Stunning aroma that is both intensely floral and deeply savoury/mineral – both balsamic and minty, smoky, herbal and rich black fruit. Extraordinarily complex aroma. Equally complex on the palate. Dark-fruited sweetness with an umami savour and yet also a floral side. Juicy, slightly medicinal (in a good way), fine-grained but firm tannins, like pushing against canvas pulled tight. A highly distinctive combination of floral and savoury and absolutely delicious. This can only be a careful stewarding of the vineyards. Winemaking alone cannot create this complexity. Very long finish. I would describe it as an Australian Côte Rôtie and hope the comparison does not offend anyone. Should age well. Good Value"
Julia Harding MW (JancisRobinson.com) 18/20 Points

"Looking at these '24 releases from Callum Powell you can't help but think 'Jeez, the Barossa is in good hands.' The fruit purity is off the charts in these wines. The Flaxman Valley release represents a 'home' wine for Powell – it's in his hood. There's a wide brushstroke of dark plum and red fruits, etched with spice, moody amaro tones, some sage, cold tea, meadow flowers, hanging game meats and crushed rock. There's an elasticity to its palate shape with fine, powdery tannins shaped around the pure fruit in a kinetic fashion and the finest, laciest of acid lines bringing everything together. It's a hypnotically delicious wine and I found myself drawing needless comparisons ... 'yeah, it's kind of St. Joseph-y ... yeah, nah ... it's totally Agricola Vintner-y'. A stunner"
Dave Brookes (Halliday Wine Companion) 97 Points

13.3% | Drink 2028-2050
 

Agricola Ebenezer Syrah 2024

"Darkest crimson core – almost black – with smudgy rim. Dark and savoury/rocky, with less immediate fruit sweetness than the K Sands and a suggestion of very dark chocolate. But still a balsamic/herbal note and a surprising hint of red fruits. Earthy umami flavours. Firmly tannic with deliciously dry, chewy texture. Exceptional balance, refinement and length. A convincing argument for old vines. Good Value"
Julia Harding MW (JancisRobinson.com) 18.5/20 Points

"Phwoar ... this is an Ebenezer-born shiraz that has considerable heft and power, while retaining a cadence and line that brings clarity and detail to its form. Yeah, sign me up for that. The soils are all red clay and ironstone over calcrete; that subregional sense of compression, bunchy nuance and the ferruginous baseline runs strong here. But there's something different. There's freshness and a little more light shining in than is the norm for its northern Barossa brethren. The dark plum and blackberry fruits are studded with exotic spice, peppercorn, pan juices, dark chocolate and earth; it's all there but there's lift and a pleasing pace. Yeah, this is a good'un alright."
Dave Brookes (Halliday Wine Companion) 96 Points

14.4% | Drink 2024-2050
 

Agricola K Sands Syrah 2024

Kalimna Sands comes from the Asbroek family’s ‘Ancient’ Shiraz vineyard planted in 1864, and it's absolutely gorgeous! Ripe and lovely and deep and layered. It was a key component in St Hallet's Old Block Shiraz. This wine is so layered and thick but somehow elegant, too. 159 year old vines! Last year it was labelled Kalimna Sands. Callum has been told he can't use the name, so he's named it just 'K' Sands.

"Deep, dark crimson. Smells a little richer than the Flaxman Valley, sweeter fruited and more enveloping, note of violets. Rich and minty on the palate with the most extraordinarily smooth, deep, rounded tannins. This seems a little more Shiraz than Syrah. Seductive, deep and yet fresh with a long minty aftertaste. Very, very long. Good Value"
Julia Harding MW (JancisRobinson.com) 17.5/20 Points

"Shake the hand of the future because here it is. This Barossa Valley shiraz is just, simply, wildly good. I could taste a million big company wines and no matter how good they are, collectively they wouldn’t generate as much excitement as this single hand-crafted wine. It’s just duck’s guts territory. It’s cool, it’s fleshy, it’s dark, it’s meaty, it’s awash with peppercorns, undergrowth and nuts and yet the core is intense and, damn it, blackberried. All of this is without even mentioning the tannin, which finishes the wine but still manages to be rock star lead. We’re into licking stones and moss-covered woods. The Barossa and its old vines are treasures of the world. Drink this and know."
Mike Bennie (The Wine Front) 97 Points

14.2% | Drink 2025-2060

Both Callum's Agricola wines and Chave's Hermitage live happily beside one another.

I've shown them several times recently alongside Hermitage JL Chave 2020 and 2019 (£380 a bottle), as it's an interesting comparison, because Callum worked at Chave for a year, which he counts as vital to his appreciation of site specific wine - as they make each plots of the Hermitage hillside separately - to bring out the best of the personality in each - before blending them together. But I've also shown them alongside Hermitage from Chapoutier and Dard et Ribo, and Callum's wines easily belong among them - I would say are more enjoyable than them all - but for value, Callum's pull way past them.