Steve Wiblin’s Erin Eyes 2013 Malbec was awarded a Gold Medal at the 2015 Six Nations Wine Challenge.

What is the 6 Nations Wine Challenge all About and How Does it Work?

The Challenge is owned and managed by the Association of Australian Boutique Winemakers Inc. The head office is in Sydney Australia and the judging takes place there in August each year. Entry is by invitation and the judge representing each country makes his selections in anticipation of winning the various awards.

The challenging countries are Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States of America.

This is the only wine show in the world where the wines come in exclusively by invitation from the Judges.

The Wine Genius team have had the opportunity to taste the Erin Eyes Wines Malbec 2013.

Here is the tasting note and score.

Note:
Medium weight with complex briary tones, overlayed with soaked plums, exotic spice and hints of feminine perfume. Lifted and varietal fruits pulse across the palate, finishing with bold acidity and significant length.

Drinking Range: 2014 – 2016
Score: 90

Awarded in March 2015, the Australian Wine Showcase Awards presented the 2013 Erin Eyes Merlot with 91 points and the 2013 Erin Eyes Cabernet Sauvignon with 94 points.

The Wine Genius team have had the opportunity to taste the Erin Eyes Wines Sangiovese 2013.

Here is the tasting note and score.

Note:
Packed with fresh primary sour fruits, plenty of spice and feminine lift. Vigorous acidity of aptly offset by a plush mouth feel, hints of spice plum, supple tannins and other textural elements. Made in an early drinking style; drink and enjoy it now.

Drinking Range: 2013 – 2017
Score: 91

The Wine Genius team have had the opportunity to taste the Erin Eyes Wines Shiraz 2013

Here is the tasting note and score.

Note:
This is a bold and poignant Shiraz though-and-through, long and quite textural with blue fruits, measured oak and genuine balance. Generous palate weight is built upon ripe dark cherry and plums; this is considered wine making and pure fruit; finishing with good acidity.

Drinking Range: 2013 – 2017
Score: 92

Awarded in October 2014, the Australian Wine Showcase Awards presented the 2013 Erin Eyes The 75 Grenache Shiraz with 93 points.

Independent wine writer Huon Hooke has reviewed the 2014 Erin Eyes Riesling.

What Huon thinks…

94 Points

“Perfumey straw and floral aromas, very attractive, with a delicately restrained, refined palate with subtlety and understated intensity. It’s a tight, reserved wine with very good length and line. Tight, compact, intense and searing. A classic style that will reward cellaring.”

Awarded in October 2014, the Australian Wine Showcase Awards presented the 2013 Erin Eyes Chardonnay with 93 points.

James Halliday has recognised Steve Wiblin’s Erin Eyes Wines as one of ten Dark Horse wineries for 2015 with a five star rating.

There was an unusually large number of contenders for this recognition, due in no small measure to the generally outstanding 2012 vintage (the unlucky regions headed by the Hunter Valley). The normal pre-qualification applies: namely that the winery in question has not previously achieved a five-star rating, no matter that it may have been knocking on the door of five stars over the years.

In writing about Steve Wiblin’s Erin Eyes Wines, James Halliday commented:

“‘In 1842 my English convict forbear John Wiblin gazed into a pair of Erin eyes.’ It’s a long story, as is the battle owner/winemaker Steve Wiblin has had with leukaemia and a brain tumour. I knew none of that when I tasted the wines for this edition, so sentiment did not enter into the points; had it done so, they may have been higher still.”

Read more about the ten Dark Horse wineries for 2015 at Wine Companion.