95pts James Halliday | 7-Year-Old Barossa Shiraz Co-Fermented with Viognier

The 2018 Hentley Farm The Beauty Shiraz is a wine of extraordinary polish and depth — deeply layered, refined, and built in archetypal Hentley Farm style. Co-fermented with a touch of Viognier in the tradition of the great Northern Rhône, The Beauty is the more elegant, perfumed counterpart to the estate's flagship The Beast. Now 7 years old, it is drinking at or near its peak.

My Wine Man on Hentley Farm

Hentley Farm is one of the Barossa's most celebrated boutique producers, farming their estate in the Seppeltsfield sub-region with a focus on old-vine Shiraz of exceptional concentration and character. The Beauty and The Beast are the twin flagships of the estate — two expressions of the same Barossa terroir, each with a distinct personality. The Beauty is co-fermented with Viognier, a technique borrowed from Côte-Rôtie that adds a distinctive floral lift and aromatic complexity to the wine. The result is Barossa Shiraz with a different dimension entirely.

Tasting Notes

Deeply layered and polished black fruits on the nose and palate, with the Viognier co-fermentation adding a subtle floral lift and aromatic complexity. The tannins are refined and well-integrated, with just the right amount of French oak adding structure and depth. In archetypal Hentley Farm mode — everything in its right place, nothing overdone. 95pts James Halliday.

Style & Drinking Window

Full-bodied with polished tannins and a refined, layered character. Drinking beautifully now with 7 years of bottle age, and will continue to develop through 2030–2033. Decant for 1 hour to allow the wine to fully open up.

Why This Is a Smart Buy

At HK$349, The Beauty delivers 95pt Barossa Shiraz with 7 years of bottle age, Viognier co-fermentation, and Hentley Farm's impeccable track record. This is a wine of real sophistication and regional identity — a serious collector's bottle at a price that still makes sense.

Looking for a Different Style?

Explore more from Hentley Farm and the Barossa:

• 2018 Hentley Farm The Beast Shiraz — same producer, same vintage — the powerful, structured counterpart to The Beauty
• 2022 John Duval Entity Shiraz — peer premium Barossa Shiraz from a celebrated former Penfolds winemaker
• 2020 Greenock Creek Caseys Block Shiraz — peer single-vineyard Seppeltsfield Barossa Shiraz

Life's too short for bad wine.