Houghton Thomas Yule Shiraz 2013 - In Bond

3 x Gold Medals - Perth Royal / Hobart Royal / National Wine Show of Australia.

Stuart McCloskey, tasted 8 September 2026 “It has been eighteen months since I last tasted the Thomas Yule, so opening another bottle today provides a fascinating opportunity to see where the wine has travelled (if at all).

The first impression is reassuring: it still doesn’t smell thirteen years old, and neither does the colour suggest it… The core of plum, damson, blackberry and mulberry remains beautifully present, as do those wonderful florals, spice, liquorice and fresh coffee notes. But there is some evolution. Subtle game notes are beginning to emerge on the nose, bringing another layer of savoury complexity and signalling the wine’s gradual move into maturity. Importantly, these sit behind the fruit rather than replacing it. With more airtime, new leather, a touch of salinity and minerality emerge and diffuse beautifully with the fruit. There’s a lovely smouldering quality to the bouquet. It is just very lovely to keep sniffing.

How does it taste? Bloody delicious!

Damson, black plum, blackberry and mulberry provide the core, but there is plenty happening around them. Sweet spice and liquorice follow, together with those emerging savoury notes of leather. There’s a mineral quality running through the wine too, along with a subtle saline edge which provides freshness and keeps everything beautifully defined. I rarely come across a wine that smells and tastes so similar.

The fruit, spice and developing savouriness flow into one another, while the tannins remain beautifully integrated. In fact, they simply fade into the distance. There is still flesh and generosity, but absolutely no heaviness. The wine feels supple, silky and wonderfully composed, with that same lighter touch I noted eighteen months ago. The finish is long, savoury and gently spiced, with the dark fruit slowly giving way to liquorice, mineral, leather and a lingering saline freshness. Thirteen years old? You really wouldn’t know it. Served using Zalto’s Burgundy stemware (great for holding that wondrous bouquet) Drink now to 2035+.”