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The annual Halliday Wine Companion is regarded as the definitive guide to wines and wineries in Australia, highlighting the best of the best from the wine industry. 

For the first time, this year judging for the Halliday Wine Companion Awards was conducted as a blind tasting which was once again led by renowned wine critic and vigneron, Founder James Halliday AM and award-winning wine communicator Tyson Stelzer as Chief Editor.  

We are thrilled to share some of our fantastic results, including that two of our wineries received a Five Star rating, with St Hugo retaining a coveted five Red-Star Winery Rating.

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St Hugo Barossa Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2021 Barossa Valley 

“Vivid red purple in the glass, super-ripe plum and blueberry notes are lead by wafts of frangipani over a base of exotic spice, amaro herbs, licorice, earth and cherry danish. A very modern, juicy take on the classic blend, with pure, juicy fruit, tight ripe tannin and a finish that lingers beautifully. It’s just great, spicy drinking” Dave Brooks, March 2022. (96 Points + Special Value) 

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St Hugo Vetus Purum Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 Coonawarra 

“This is a dense, muscular wine of swathe and swagger. It doesn’t hold back on anything at all: fruit volume, oak and intensity are all dialled up to 10. But in this land of saturation and high volume, there is a zen, there is balance, and there is peace. So, if aged cabernet is something you love but don’t get to drink often enough (for one reason or another), you might like to try this. Age has hardly made a stamp upon it” Erin Larkin, April 2022. (96 Points)  

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St Hugo Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 Coonawarra  

“This is massive, the oak a central part of the experience right now. However, at the time of tasting, this wine still has a year and a bit to go before release. The time will be crucial for the ample black and red fruit to soak up that oak, step up on its shoulders and ride the chariot with muscle and power. Concentrated and focused; this will be great in time” Erin Larkin, August 2022. (96 Points + Special Value) 

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Jacob’s Creek Limited Release Estate Barossa Valley Riesling 2021 Barossa Valley 

“Sourced from a single, hand-picked block of bush vines on the banks of Jacob’s Creek. A riesling of sizzling focus and purity, pale straw in the glass and showing characters of Granny Smith apple, lime and grapefruit with hints of marzipan, almond blossom, crushed stone and white flowers. Tightly coiled and running on rails with a brisk acid cadence and some yellow plum notes floating in on the palate. Lovely”  Dave Brooks, June 2022. (94 Points) 

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Orlando Steingarten Eden Valley Riesling 2021 Eden Valley 

“The Steingarten vineyard is a wonderful place to visit. It slopes gently to the east, with commanding views over the Barossa to the west and south. It was planted in 1962 and the riesling vines are super-skinny up there, thanks to the austere, quartz-studded soils on the ridge line. It’s essentially a clos, a walled vineyard of local stone and it has a sunset viewing platform that fits a Weber Q, four deckchairs and an esky of Coopers Pale perfectly. No longer a single-vineyard wine, today, it is a blend of 2 separate blocks but retains the name of the famous walled vineyard. It’s still a belter… pristine citrus fruits, a crystalline acid line that crackles and pulses through the fruit with sapid zeal and focus and a tubular, powerful palate shape that is much admired. It’s a ripper” Dave Brookes, August 2022. (96 Points + Special Value) 

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Orlando Centenary Hill Barossa Shiraz 2017 Barossa Zone 

“Hand-picked fruit sourced from vines planted in 1921, 1994, 2002 and 2006, fermented (with a small proportion of whole bunch in some parcels) and aged in a mix of old and new French and American oak for 17 months. Sporting a very glossy, classy aromatic profile of pristine plum and berry fruits, with a sheen of cedary oak, spice and dark chocolate. Wonderfully balanced with an elegant, detailed palate shape, fine, sandy tannin support and a sense of enduring drive and grace” Dave Brookes, August 2022. (96 Points + Special Value) 

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Our St Hugo winery has been retained its Five Red Star status as an outstanding winery that regularly produces wines of exemplary quality and typicity. To receive Red Star recognition, a winery must have at least two wines rated at 95 points or above and has held a 5-star rating for the previous three years.  

“This is a stand-alone business within the giant bosom of Pernod Ricard, focused on the premium and ultra-premium end of the market, thus differentiating it from Jacob’s Creek. There is a restaurant with kitchen garden, and self-catering accommodation is available in a 19th-century stone cottage. Exports to the UK, Singapore, NZ and China,” James Halliday (5 Red Stars) 

Orlando has been elevated to a Five Star outstanding winery, capable of producing wines of a very high quality, and did so this year. To receive Five Stars, the winery must have at least two wines rated at 95 points or above.