The first time I opened a Sami-Odi, I finally understood the hype. Plush, inky, spiced, and elegant all at once — this is the kind of bottle that turns heads in both the cellar and at the table.
But beyond the glass, Sami-Odi is part of a very small club: it’s considered investment grade. That means it sits in the top 1% of the wine world, with a track record of demand, scarcity, and secondary market performance that rivals the greats.
Here’s why the 2022 Hoffman Dallwitz Syrah is one to know — whether you’re drinking now, cellaring for later, or thinking about wine as an asset.
Why Sami-Odi is investment grade
Investment-grade wine isn’t just about quality — it’s about reputation, consistency, and market demand. To be considered part of this tier, a producer needs to:
- Build a track record — at least 10 years of collector attention and strong secondary market sales.
- Earn critical acclaim — consistently high scores from leading critics.
- Show scarcity + demand dynamics — limited supply, with far more people wanting bottles than there are to go around.
Sami-Odi ticks all three boxes. Its reputation has been building steadily for more than a decade, and today it’s officially Classified (Second Growth) on Langton’s Classification — Australia’s benchmark for collectible wine.
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Supply vs demand: the waitlist effect
Here’s where things get wild.
- Each vintage, around 6,500 bottles are produced.
- Yet over 30,000 people are on the waitlist.
- Only about 2,000 allocations are made each year.
That mismatch between supply and demand is exactly why these wines are so sought-after. Even if you never plan to resell, owning a bottle feels like holding a ticket to something rare.
Old vines, inky power
The 2022 Hoffman Dallwitz Syrah comes from old vines, which naturally produce smaller yields and more concentrated flavours. You see (and smell) that immediately.
On the nose: black fruits, spice, clove, aniseed. Plush and inky, but with elegance and finesse. The aroma is so powerful it almost outshines the palate.
On the palate: fine tannins, layers of black fruit, spice, and a balance that shows why Sami-Odi has built such a following. It’s rich and brooding but never heavy-handed.
Pairing and serving
Big wines deserve big pairings. With Syrah, that often means steak — and there’s science behind it.
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Tannins (those compounds that give you a grippy, mouth-drying feel) bind to proteins in your saliva. That’s why young, tannic wines can feel a little tight. But pair them with protein-rich food, like steak, and the tannins soften, letting fruit and spice shine through.
The same effect happens with oxygen. Decanting a Syrah gives those tannins a chance to relax. For this bottle, we went one step further and double-decanted — pouring it into a decanter, then back into the bottle — to let it breathe.
Pro tip: if you can, buy two. Drink one, and cellar the other. That way, the investment-grade appreciation can help pay for your drinking bottle.
Final sip
The 2022 Sami-Odi Hoffman Dallwitz Syrah isn’t just another bottle of Shiraz. It’s proof that Australian wine belongs in the global conversation about collectibility and investment-grade status.
From the waitlist dynamics to the old-vine concentration, this is a wine that combines hype with substance. And in the glass? Plush, elegant, spiced Syrah that lingers long after the last sip.
If you ever get your hands on a bottle — savour it. And if you’re building a cellar, this is one you’ll want in there for the long haul.
