2023 Dam Block Shiraz
2023 Dam Block Shiraz
From a 0.8Ha block, located just across the Dam from the iconic Kiss Shiraz vineyard in Pokolbin. A contemporary expression of Hunter Shiraz with vibrant red & blue fruits and a juicy, succulent palate. A great value alternative if you can't get your hands on a bottle of Kiss.
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Winemaking Overview
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In the Vineyard
Hand-picked on the 24th of February 2023, which is probably the latest we've ever harvested this block providing a longer than usual ripening period. This wine comes from a tiny 0.8 hectare block just across the dam from our flagship old vine Kiss Shiraz. It shows similar dark blue fruits as well as the distinctive savoury texture and al-dente tannins of this pedigree vineyard, but with a slightly more extroverted personality (and a slightly more affordable price).
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In the Winery
For the 2023 vintage Dam Block Shiraz, the fruit was destemmed but not crushed allowing some bright carbonic characters to emerge during the relatively cool seven day fermentation on skins. Pressed off to new, one and four-year-old French oak hogsheads (300L) in roughly equal proportions for 14 months maturation.
Two of the newer hogsheads were ultimately selected for our 2023 Elenay Shiraz blend, which is an endorsement of the significant quality from the Dam Block this year.
Bottled 25th June 2024
Production 264 dozen
Released 17th May 2025
13.6% ABV
94 Points - Wine Front
"I love the combination here of supple fruit flavour and strictness of tannin. It’s a wine of immediate appeal, for sure, but it also has big ideas in its head. It tastes of black cherries, raspberry, smoked meats, peppercorns and violets, though sheets of spicy tannin are also defining aspects. this is a medium-bodied, gently tangy shiraz with some velvet to the mouthfeel and a slight – attractive – edginess as well. It’s excellent."
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95/100 - Q Wine Reviews
"Big love for this Dam Block Shiraz from Thomas Wines. What a cracker! There is a measured punch under its medium-bodied guise and it possesses an incredible gravitational pull. Fabulously delicious, large pours are hard to dodge. The Dam Block has continued to build a fine reputation for itself and it's a wine that I feel has quietly grown in stature in recent years. A stone's throw from the famed Kiss block, this unirrigated site delivers plenty of concentration. "
View SourceTasting Notes
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Appearance & Aroma
Glossy deep purple colour with a generous and aromatically expressive nose of ripe dark fruits, coffee beans, wood smoke, and valrhona chocolate.
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Palate & Finish
With a palate edging into the fuller bodied side, it shows layers of charred cedar, mocha, middle-eastern spice around a core of ripe boysenberry, blackberry, dark plum, and blackcurrant fruit. The tannins are ripe and smooth with interwoven acid, creating a frame for this powerful wine. Hints of sweet tobacco and clove add another layer to the long finish. This wine, while robust, has an intricate flow, hinting at things to come with age.
WHEN TO DRINK
This wine is drinking deliciously now, but you will be rewarded for giving it medium-term cellaring. Drink anywhere from 2025 to 2030 and beyond.
The Vineyards
Whilst I have always applied a no compromise, attention to detail approach to my winemaking, I truly believe that 90% of the quality lies in the vineyard. The key to great wine is ‘keeping it simple’ to preserve that potential quality from the vine through to the bottle - Andrew Thomas