Vintages Produced: (no 2023 produced, replaced by a special release Shiraz wine called M2M), 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, (no 2011 produced, replaced by a special release wine called M2M), 2010, 2009, (no 2008 Reserve Shiraz produced), 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997
Produced from 70% Langhorne Creek Shiraz with 30% Sellicks Beach Shiraz
The last time we made M2M was in 2011 (from two thirds Sellicks Beach Shiraz, with one third of our Grenache).
This year the Shiraz at Langhorne Creek was struggling to reach full ripeness in the cool conditions and we needed to make a decision to wait even longer and hope for a miracle or find another way. So I called our friend Paul Petagna at Sellicks Beach to ask if he had finished picking his Shiraz yet? No, he said, he hadn't but it was very ripe. Great I replied! And so it was that we organised a team to pick the Petagna Shiraz at the same time as George Borrett harvested some of his Shiraz and we fermented them together to produce this wine. It's big and bold and reminds me in style of a V8 Mustang from the 1970s. Drink some now if you like or wait for a suitable occasion in the next 10+ years.
Produced from 100% Shiraz grown on the 20 Rows block at Langhorne Creek by the Borrett family.
A lovely big, full bodied wine this year, supported by impressive firmness of structure, something it shares with all the 2022 reds and which suggests a long cellar life. The aroma is dense with dark berries and spice, along with a savoury molasses note. The palate is round in texture and full of flavour which is very attractive, finishing long and balanced despite the size of the wine. This could be our best Reserve Shiraz yet.
Drink now-2035
100% Shiraz from the 20 Rows block at Langhorne Creek, this vintage is somewhat fresher and tighter and lighter on it's feet than the last two wines from hotter, drier years. There is a lovely balance here of vibrant flavour and svelte elegance, with generosity. It's really lively. It can be enjoyed young (now-2025) with equally flavoursome food or cellared for 10 years or more (if you have a good cellar) to gain softness and complexity.
Produced from Langhorne Creek Shiraz from the Borrett family 20 Rows and Outback blocks. You can taste the 2020 Reserve Shiraz comes from a tiny crop, with an extra degree of concentration from the small berries this year. It has great depth of flavour and a long, firm finish. It’s big but the balance is excellent and I love the way this wine combines intensity with finesse. Good to drink anytime from now and I expect it to mature very slowly.
Produced from Shiraz grown on the 20 Rows block in Langhorne Creek by the Borrett family. Harvested in one pick on March 4th. A smaller crop than usual due to the warm, dry growing season; down 15% on 2018 and 30% on normal. 2019 has produced a big, flavoursome wine in the style of the vintage, with excellent balance thanks to the firm palate structure. The tannins are a feature this year, contributing a firm savoury quality and lovely rounded texture. Drink now or anytime through until 2030 plus.
Produced from Shiraz grown on the 20 Rows block in Langhorne Creek by the Borrett family. We hand harvested the smaller crop in perfect condition on Tuesday 13 March 2018. The Reserve Shiraz is dense and full bodied. There is detail and nuance to the deep set flavours. The texture is round and the balance is excellent, with firm tannins providing definition and length to the finish. This is a lovely wine to drink now or cellar for many years.
Produced this year from fruit grown on the Main Road block in Langhorne Creek by the Borrett family. The Main Road block sits only a few hundred metres from the 20 Rows block and stood up to the cooler, wetter seasonal conditions better. It has produced a lovely big robust wine.
Dark in colour, with a very intriguing, complex aroma of molasses, green tea leaves, fresh earth and blueberries. It smells sweet and earthy and very attractive. It presents a big mouthful of flavour, being notably soft and generous and yet still managing to finish firm and balanced; a great combination. This is a large scale, complex tasting wine. I think this wine style is uniquely Australian. Drink anytime over the next 10 years or more. It's perfect now with a slow cooked beef daube.
Produced from Shiraz grown on the 20 Rows block in Langhorne Creek by the Borrett family. Much more than a simple fruit bomb, this wine is intriguingly subtle at first, with complex, savoury aromas (soy sauce, nutmeg and green tea) emerging with time in the glass.
The palate is medium to full bodied and has a gentle mouth feel with persistent firm tannin to finish. It comes across as a strong silent type which will have a lot to say if you take the time to get to know it. This is a wine which should evolve nicely in the cellar over the next 10 years and more.
Produced from Langhorne Creek Shiraz from the Borrett family 20 Rows block. The wine is deep in colour, with aromas of beef stock, soy sauce and molasses. The palate is full bodied but round, with firm tannins providing a lovely balance and a long finish. Very nice to drink now or can be cellared for another 10 years or more. Try it with a slow cooked Corsican beef stew with pasta and grated pecorino cheese.
In contrast to McLaren Vale, the harvest was late in Langhorne Creek and the crops slightly above average, producing softer, earlier maturing wines. This wine was produced, as usual, from the 20 Rows block.
Only medium-deep in colour. Smoky bacon at first on the nose, along with a complex amalgam of fresh herbs and asparagus, sweet dark berries and molasses. Intriguing and attractive. Lovely palate texture, with sweet-fruited entry, then round and soft before firm tannins provide balance on the long finish. Not a heavy weight; in fact only medium bodied and quite savoury in style. Will benefit from cellaring but an earlier maturing wine than say the 2012. Drink now to 2024+
Dark in colour, with aromas of blackberries, spices and bacon fat. Very full bodied and opulent in the mouth, with a firm finish which maintains a lovely balance. A generous wine from a warm, early vintage. Appears to be very successful. Can be drunk now with robust food. Best drinking now-2028+
The first release under screw cap. Nice deep colour, with a healthy purple hue. Interesting and attractive nose, with sweet blackberries and molasses, along with complex notes of undergrowth. Opens further with air/time in the glass.
Full bodied, the tannins now starting to soften, providing a more rounded mouth feel. Long, even finish, with no sharp edges. Poised and refined, perhaps a little like 2006 in style. Has the balance and structure to age gracefully.
Optimum drinking time: now to 2025++
(2011 Reserve Shiraz not made)
Produced from 65% McLaren Vale Shiraz (Sellicks Beach) and 35% McLaren Vale estate Grenache.
Unfortunately we were not able to produce a 2011 Reserve Shiraz. After many years of drought and excessively hot weather affecting life and the size and quality of the grape harvests in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 in much of south east Australia, the pendulum finally swung the other way in 2011. A little too far the other way.
The challenges and dramas of vintage 2011 were caused by cool, excessively wet weather through the growing season…from one extreme to the other. In response to the unique circumstances of the 2011 vintage where we lost the entire crop at Langhorne Creek due to this difficult weather, we produced a one-off wine named Minute to Midnight (M2M for short) from Sellicks Beach Shiraz grown by our friends the Petagna family, co-fermented with 35% of our old vine Grenache.
Last tasted: June 2018 Good cork and level. Deep colour with a mature brick hue. Lovely nose; complex, with briar/cedar notes along with sweet ripe red berries. Very full bodied with a soft, rounded texture and plenty of firm but not harsh tannins on the finish. At a nice stage of development, still with youthful fruit but also a mature softness and complexity. Early middle aged. I expect this will continue to mature quite nicely if you want to wait further but it's drinking very nicely now. Best now to 2020+
Cork finish.
Produced this year (unusually) from 90% Shiraz (20 Rows block), 7% Grenache (Noon vineyard) and 3% Cabernet (Langhorne Creek)
Last tasted: 11 March 2016 Deep red in colour, still holding onto some purple. Attractive, complex nose of blackberries, pepper/spice and licorice, with a touch of forest floor /undergrowth. Nice texture - full bodied but soft, with a touch of creaminess. Good balance - sits very well on the palate. Looking good. Optimum drinking time: now to 2020+
Produced from Shiraz grown on the 20 Rows block in Langhorne Creek by the Borrett family.
Due to the dry and hot season, the crop this year was very small.
Last tasted: 18 June 2014 Very deep in colour. The nose was slightly closed on pouring, opening up after a minute in the glass to reveal lovely fresh, sweet berries and herbs, along with darker molasses and black pepper/spice aromas. The palate displays lots of extract and weight. This is quite a mouthful. The balance is good despite the size, thanks to fresh acidity and a nice tannin framework. Excellent persistence of flavour. Impressive. Share with friends who like big reds.
Optimum drinking time: best now to 2020+
Not produced. Unfortunately we did not produce a 2008 Reserve Shiraz due to the difficult heatwave conditions experienced during the 2008 vintage. For further information on the 2008 harvest, please click on the “Vintages” button on the Journal page.
An historically early harvest and a very small crop. The first of a run of hot, dry vintages.
Produced from Shiraz grown on the 20 Rows block in Langhorne Creek by the Borrett family.
Last tasted: 21 June 2014 Deep colour with a touch of brick hue indicating development. The nose was quite closed at first, opening up after a minute in the glass to reveal ripe blackberries, soot/tar and spices (vanilla /pepper). The drought year has produced a big, full bodied wine with excellent depth. The high alcohol is just evident on the finish. A big wine, packed with flavour. Quite tightly structured and maturing slowly.
Optimum drinking time: now to 2025+
An excellent growing season, the third in a row.
Produced from Shiraz grown on the 20 Rows block in Langhorne Creek by the Borrett family.
Last tasted: 21 September 2015 Deep in colour, with a relatively youthful hue showing only a touch of brick. Smells good, with a nice combination of fresh strawberries and mango chutney with black pepper, graphite and a little cedar indicating maturity. Seems at a nice stage of development. The palate is full bodied but there is a touch of elegance typical of 2006. Still looking quite young. A very balanced/natural wine and attractive for that.
Optimum drinking time: now to 2025+
A very good growing season.
Produced from Shiraz grown on the 20 Rows block in Langhorne Creek by the Borrett family. A smaller than average production this year.
Last tasted: 21 September 2015 A good cork was extracted from this bottle, with little wine travel. Deep, impressive looking colour, with just the beginnings of a brick hue developing. The nose displays dark fruits, along with a touch of cardamom, pepper, tar and molasses. Quite youthful to smell. Will benefit from decanting. This is a big wine (in contrast to the 2004 below) with plenty of extract. The balance remains good, thanks to fresh acidity and firm tannins. Quite a mouthful. Clearly conveys the wonderful ripeness of this excellent vintage.
Optimum drinking time: developing very slowly; best now to 2025+
A good growing season and a better sized crop this year.
Produced from Shiraz grown on the 20 Rows block in Langhorne Creek by the Borrett family.
Last tasted: 21 September 2015 The colour is deep red, with a brick hue typical for this age. Has an attractive, mature nose with cedar/spice, tobacco and licorice notes, along with fruit chutney. This is a medium rather than heavy weight wine, typical of 2004. There is a nice soft texture to the palate with fresh acidity providing balance. Gives the sense of being restrained rather than bold. Very nice right now.
Optimum drinking time: now to 2024 (if well cellared and with a good cork)
Produced from Shiraz grown on the 20 Rows block in Langhorne Creek by the Borrett family.
A dry year and a small Shiraz crop.
Last tasted: 7th of February 2015 Tasting note: A near perfect looking cork was extracted from this bottle, with almost no wine travel. Very deep in colour, with a good hue for its age. The nose is quite intense, showing ripe dark plums, licorice and spice. There are some mature cedar /tobacco notes too. The palate is full bodied, with fresh acidity and deep-set dark flavours. The tannins are still a little edgy and youthful looking. Delivers quite a mouthful of flavour due to its drought year origins. Best consumed with a piece of char-grilled meat or hard tasty cheese.
Optimum drinking time: now to around 2020+
Produced from Shiraz grown on the 20 Rows block in Langhorne Creek by the Borrett family.
Last tasted:4th of February 2015
Tasting note: This bottle (from our cellar) had a beautiful looking cork, with almost no wine travel. The wine displays a very deep colour, with a remarkably youthful hue. The colour gives a good indication of this wine's development. It seems to be maturing at a glacial pace. The nose is reminiscent of tar and graphite, with a molasses-like fruity note, along with deep plum and black berry aromas. The palate is very full bodied, with loads of extract and still tastes tight and unevolved. Long finish.
Optimum drinking time: now to 2025+ (cellaring conditions will be important in the long term)
Reserve Shiraz vintages from 2001 to 1997 are now fully mature or slightly over-mature, depending on the vintage and the bottle. A lot depends on the cork and the cellaring conditions. At this age the chance of a good bottle becomes something of a lottery.
Produced from Shiraz grown on the 20 Rows block in Langhorne Creek by the Borrett family.
Last tasted: 27 September 2015 Medium deep colour with a surprisingly youthful hue. Has an attractive mature aroma of cedar, clove and pepper along with blueberry jam. The palate is big, ripe and soft in texture due to the warm vintage. Balance is provided by fresh acidity. Finishes with a touch of alcohol warmth. Currently appears mid way between youth and full maturity.
Optimum drinking time: now to 2020 **don't serve this wine too warm (16-18 degrees is ideal)
Produced from Shiraz grown on the 20 Rows block in Langhorne Creek by the Borrett family.
Last tasted: 23rd of July 2011 (One of four reds opened for a mid year luncheon with our growers, the Borrett Family from Langhorne Creek). Food match when last tasted: T-Bone beef steak with fried mushrooms and onion from the BBQ along with rosemary potatoes and buttered baby Brussels sprouts.
Tasting Note: After a little breathing, the nose opens up to show aromas of dark berry fruits along with tar, asphalt, molasses and spice with a herbal edge. From a lesser vintage, this wine continues to show well. It possesses a full bodied palate though isn't as rich as say the 2001 (from a riper year). The acidity is a little more prominent than usual and there is a slightly leaner, drier style to this wine as you might expect from this vintage but it is still providing excellent drinking.
Optimum drinking time: Best drunk now through until around 2014+.
Produced from Shiraz grown on the 20 Rows block in Langhorne Creek by the Borrett family.
Last tasted: 16 May 2025
Tasting note: This bottle from our cellar still held a good fill level and the cork came out in one piece (with care, using an Ah-So style opener).
The wine displayed a very deep colour, with a brick hue but remarkably also still some purple. The aroma was quite intense, with coal dust, tar, licorice and cedar/cigar box predominant, but there was also some primary plum and sweet strawberry evident.
It tasted quite full bodied, with a lovely balance. It had very mature/sweet/melted tannins and a creamy texture gained from maturity. The acidity was noticeably fresh in the way of 1999, but the depth of flavour and ripe sweet fruit balanced this nicely. Good length. Impressive.
Holding up very well at 26 years old. No further cellaring required - now fully mature. Drink up. Will hold for a further 10 years plus if you have a bottle (like this one) that's been well cellared, with a good cork.
From a vintage I under-estimated on release due to a certain leanness in the wines, which has proved to be a slow burner, improving in my estimation over the years.
Last tasted: 18th of May 2011 to make notes for our new U.S. importer, Ronnie Sanders of Vine Street Imports.
Tasting note: Nicely deep in colour, this wine, remarkably, is still holding on to a touch of youthful purple hue. The nose smells of coal dust, blackberries, blackcurrant and a touch of herb. On the palate the 98 Shiraz delivers a big mouthful of flavour, maintaining very good balance and freshness for its age. There is a hint of roasted seaweed/soy flavour which adds further interest to the long finish.
Optimum drinking time: May be still drinking well, depending on the cork and cellaring.
Produced from Shiraz grown on the 20 Rows block in Langhorne Creek by the Borrett family.
Tasting note: 1997 was our first vintage after taking the reins from David Noon so this wine holds special memories for us. With an excellent deep red colour it now has some mature brick hues showing towards the edge of the glass. There are dark plums, molasses, a little cedar and asphalt aromas on the nose with the palate being very rich and full of liqueur blueberry, plum and spice flavour. There is good freshness of fruit for the age and excellent length.
Optimum drinking time: A big wine that is now fully mature or over-mature, depending on the cork and cellaring.
**NOT MADE
Grapes for the Reserve Shiraz have been sourced from the best block or blocks from the Borrett family vineyards in Langhorne Creek since the first Reserve Shiraz was produced in 1997.
The Noon Reserve Shiraz is a full bodied, generously flavoured wine. If you usually prefer white wines or more elegant, light-medium bodied reds then this may not be the wine for you. It may be drunk young but will certainly reward cellaring.
Note that there was no 2008 or 2011 Reserve Shiraz produced.
Earlier bottlings of this wine; 1993, 1992, 1991, 1990, 1989 and 1987 (when my father David was the winemaker) were labelled simply as Noon’s Traditional Red.
Varietal Composition
100% Shiraz from Langhorne Creek, South Australia.
Food Matching Suggestions
Choose richly flavoured dishes such as lamb shanks or Osso Bucco to accompany young vintages. As the Reserve Shiraz matures, tannins mellow and complexity builds and it becomes a great partner for a simple but high quality beef T-Bone or aged rump steak, or a similarly hearty vegetarian dish like roasted eggplant with hummus.
It is a good idea to decant this wine at least 30 minutes prior to serving (the younger the wine the longer the time). Aeration will help release the wines aromas and flavours and any sediment formed during maturation can be left behind.
The Vineyard
The Borrett family vineyards are planted on the Langhorne Creek flood plain, which is managed to receive late winter and early spring flood water from the Bremer River assisted by a series of channels and weirs.
This is a special and unique terroir which has been producing wine this way since the mid 1800’s. The vineyard area of Langhorne Creek today has expanded well outside this original flood plain and the growing conditions in the new vineyards are quite different.
One could make a good argument for the appellation Langhorne Creek to be used exclusively for the historic flood plain land. These vines are quite low yielding for the area at around 3-4 tons/acre.
They are growing on their own roots as the region is free of phylloxera. The soil in this vineyard is a deep alluvial clay loam with an almost shimmering quality about it which produces small, black-coloured and perfectly formed Shiraz berries, packed with flavour.
Winemaking
Noon Reserve Shiraz is matured in small (300 litre) French and American oak barrels for 18 months. We use approximately 30-35% new oak for this wine, with the aim of adding complexity and structure without dominating the fruit flavour.
Each year we work closely with the Borrett family to choose the ideal harvest time. It’s always an important decision. Fermentation takes place in our small open vats which are hand plunged to help extract the naturally abundant colour and tannins present in the grapes.
After fermentation is complete (typically 10 to 20 days) pressing is done by hand using small manual basket presses and care is taken not to extract too much bitterness or astringency by rough handling or over-pressing.
The wine is crushed, fermented, matured and bottled on our property.
AVERAGE PRODUCTION
750 – 850 dozen.
Older vineyards reflect the seasons more clearly and production can vary significantly.
Noon Winery supports the responsible service of alcohol. It is against the law to sell or supply alcohol to, or obtain alcohol on behalf of, a person under the age of 18 years.
SA Liquor Licensing Act 1997, Section 113. Liquor Must Not Be Supplied To Persons Under 18.