Hope Estate Shiraz The Ripper 2014

Wine Enthusiast 93 points - There’s a barnyard funk to this that some will love and some might squirm at, but there’s also plenty of ripe strawberry fruit, chocolate, earth and smoke. The palate shows plenty of drying, savory tannins balanced by fresh acidity. Everything wraps up with an earthy, savory finish. Drink now..February/2018

Wine & Spirits 88 points - This tight, floral shiraz has spicy scents of cured meat and some bitter, coffee-scented tannins. Its ripe and savory, a wine for coffee-rubbed rib eye..February/2018

Wine Advocate 90 points - Scents of charred meat and grilled plum emanate from the 2014 The Ripper Shiraz, a sturdy, medium to full-bodied wine that’s grown in Western Australia but made back east in the Hunter Valley. Bold plum and blackberry notes dominate the palate, although ripe tannins give it a savory note, and that sense of caramelized fruit and flesh lingers on the velvety finish..December/2017