KYSELA PERE ET FILS, LTD.

"This 2020 Shotfire Quartage is a blend of Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, delivering an attractive array of fruits - blackcurrant, leaf, with meaty, stocky aromas and hints of violet. A voluptuous and balanced palate follows - layers of cedar and cigar box adding detail before tightening up to a sinewy finish of decent length. A couple of years in the cellar will bring this package together nicely. - Angus Hughson"

- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (March 2023), 91 pts

"This is rich and has some earthy elements with dried red fruit, leaves, blackcurrants, gentle spice and blueberries. The palate has a very concentrated feel with breadth of flavor and then some longer-driving fruit, too. Blueberries and blackberries. A blend of cabernet sauvignon, malbec, cabernet franc and merlot. Drink over the next six years. Screw cap."

- James Suckling (November 2021), 92 pts

"Brilliant purple. Deep, smoke- and spice-accented black and blue fruits on the nose. Smooth and fleshy in texture, offering sappy blackberry, boysenberry, vanilla and fruitcake flavors. A peppery note adds cut to a long, smooth finish that features rounded tannins and a suave floral quality. - Josh Raynolds"

- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (December 2021), 91 pts

"The 2018 Shotfire Quartage Red Blend is 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Malbec, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Merlot. Vaguely minty and floral on the nose, it offers up juicy cassis notes and hints of cedar and vanilla. It's a basic, easy-to-drink Cabernet blend, supple and forward, but with just enough tannic astringency on the finish to partner burgers and the like. - Joe Czerwinski"

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (July 2020), 88 pts

- Melbourne International Wine Competition (July 2019), 94 pts & Gold Medal

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"It is sweetly fruited and fabulously fragrant on the nose showing blackberry, blueberry jam, vanilla, roasted nut and mixed spice characters, leading to a concentrated palate that is plump and fleshy. It is generous and flavoursome with plenty of delectable flavours, finishing long and satisfying. - Sam Kim."

- Wine Orbit (2019), 94 pts

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"Burnt confectionary, rich and juicy-grippy palate. Delivers a true varietal expression with a fine, integrated finish."

- Drinks Trade (June 2019), 92 pts

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"A long established blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot that has often exceeded expectations, both with the quality of the estate grown fruit, the way the components are handled in the winery and the blending process. Everything about the wine defies the normal yawn that greets Barossa Valley Bordeaux blends with its bright mouthfeel and cedary fruit flavours."
- James Halliday’s Wine Companion (February 2018), 95 pts

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"Plush and ripe, with a velvety background for the blackberry, plum and blueberry core. Chai tea, vanilla bean and candied ginger accents add a warm, smooth overtone, showing a long, generous finish. Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2030. 5,000 cases made. –MW"
- Wine Spectator (December 2017), 91 pts

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"A blend of 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 23% Petit Verdot and 17% Merlot, the 2015 Shotfire Quartage offers up mint and cassis on the nose along with hints of classic tobacco and cigar box. It's full-bodied, with supple tannins and a velvety texture.- Joe Czerwinski"

- Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (Issue 238, August 31st 2018), 90 pts

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"It's beefy, curranty, toasty and substantial, with dusty/leafy cabernet characters as afterthoughts... Just feel the grunt of it."
- Wine Front (April 2016), 93 pts

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"Saturated ruby. The perfumed nose displays musky, smoke-accented red and black currant and cherry scents, along with a tobacco nuance in the background. Bitter cherry, cassis and dark chocolate flavors show good depth and become sweeter with air. A bright mineral note enlivens the long, sappy, dark berrydominated finish, which is given shape by dusty, even tannins. - Josh Raynolds
- Vinous (Australia Brings the Brawn and the Beauty, October 2017), 90 pts

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"(aged in new and used French oak for a year): Youthful purple. Expressive aromas of ripe blueberry, dark chocolate and incense, with a peppery nuance adding urgency. Densely packed but lively as well, with hints of lavender, mocha and black pepper complementing pliant black and blue fruit flavors. Closes with building sweetness, a touch of smokiness and even tannins that fold slowly into the wine's plush fruit. - Josh Raynolds
- Vinous (March 2016), 90 pts

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"A blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, petit verdot and merlot. Comes from a distinguished line of wines that have over-delivered, and this wine is up there with best of those made to date. While much of its quality comes from the vineyard, it has also been very well made; its blackcurrant, redcurrant, cherry and spice flavours flow in a seamless stream across the palate and aftertaste. - James Halliday

- Australian Wine Companion (Issue 2016), 95 pts

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"Though the score does not take price into account, it's rare to find an Australian wine in this price range that tastes as vinous, integrated, fresh and zesty as this blend...and from Barossa, for that matter. While the spring in 2012 was warm, summer was relatively cool, and this estate-grown cabernet blend sustained that coolness through a night harvest. This offers powerful cabernet grip, along with the purple fruit of petit verdot and the lovely ripeness of merlot. It's rich without any excess weight, floral, fragrant and lasting. Buy a bottle and you'll probably end up buying a case."
- Wine & Spirits Magazine, 92 pts

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"Glass-staining ruby. Very ripe but lively aromas of blackberry, licorice and fresh flowers, with a touch of smokiness. Dense, sweet and lush but also energetic, with black and blue fruit, violet and anise flavors nicely sharpened by juicy acidity. Clings with very good authority on the finish, with just a hint of tannins."
- Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (July / August 2014), 91 pts

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"The impressive 2011 Shotfire Quartage is composed of 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Cabernet Franc, 12% Malbec and 12% Merlot. Excellent aromas of creme de cassis, espresso bean, chocolate and menthol jump from the glass of this medium to full-bodied effort. Excellent purity as well as personality and a spicy, moderately long finish suggest it can be drunk over the next 2-3 years."

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #208, August 2013), 90 pts

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"Good purple-crimson; as is so often the case, defies commonly accepted views about the Barossa's (ie including the Eden Valley) ability to produce high quality examples of a Bordeaux blend; there is an invigorating freshness and lightness of touch to this berry-fruited wine that draws it through to a long, lingering finish."

James Halliday (Published on 14 Nov 2012), 94 pts

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"The 2010 Shotfire Quartage, a more expensive but more complex wine, is an inky ruby/purple blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Merlot. This delicious red displays notes of plum sauce, Asian soy, vanilla, white chocolate and copious quantities of black currant and blackberry. It is medium to full-bodied, with very velvety tannins (a characteristic of Thorn-Clarke reds) and a heady, succulent finish. This wine sees more time in French oak (about 85%) than in American oak (15%). It should drink nicely for 4-5 years."

Wine Advocate (Issue 201, June 2012), 89 pts

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"Ripe and focused, with juicy plum, currant and savory meat flavors that remain tight and sleek through the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Merlot. Drink now through 2016. 12,000 cases made. - HS"

Wine Spectator (November 30th 2012), 88 pts

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