'Perhaps the best Teusner Release yet, this is a great example of the Australian variation of the southern Rhone blend of grenache, shiraz and Mataro (mourvedre).
Oak plays second fiddle to vibrant, spicy and savoury fruit, while a firm but cultivated extract of tannin provides mouthfeel and support.
You either drink it young and vibrant, or wait a few years for it to develop earthy, chocolatey and cigarboxy complexity.'
Jeremy Oliver
'Joshuas affable big brother, Avatar, is the same three way marriage of grenache, mataro and shiraz, but released a year older after a spell in seasoned oak. Teusner has a keen eye for this style and he ventures that this 05 Avatar is the best wine he has released to date. Just over half of the blend is grenache and there is plenty of fragrance backed by blackberry and plum fruits. The palate is deep and concentrated with precise ripeness and curvaceous tannins honed in barrel.
The wine has an effortless sense of balance, mataro fusing shiraz and grenache together, already drinking superbly, it will improve for the next five to eight years.'
Nick Stock, The Adelaide Review
'Liquidised raspberry bullets, concentrated until the smells are giddying and flavour depth almost endless from 55 percent grenache, 25 percent mataro and 20 percent shiraz. It is balanced in the structurals, full of sexy red fruits, just gorgeous to drink. Also grab 2006 The Riebke, a youthful marvel at 20 dollars.
Tony Love