Phase Three Wines is still a relatively young name in the Barossa, but the 2024 release confirms it’s already a producer worth following. Known for its Syrah with detail and finesse, the lineup this year shows just how far the wines — and the story — have come.
From old Cabernet vines grafted to Syrah, to 19th-century plantings still producing fruit, this is one of the most exciting collections of the vintage. Let’s break it down.
2024 Dero — finesse turned up a notch
Now in its fourth release, the Dero Syrah has always drawn comparisons to Sami-Odi. Like Sami-Odi, Dero sources from multiple top vineyard sites — including the legendary Hoffman Old Vines block — and brings them together in a wine that’s powerful yet graceful.
What’s new in 2024? A cooler vintage means a longer ripening period. The result is lower alcohol (12.8%) and a wine that leans into elegance, freshness, and finesse more than ever before.
The blend is 60% Syrah, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and you can feel it. The tannins are still fine but with more noticeable grip, giving the wine structure without losing vibrancy.
One of the vineyard parcels is particularly fascinating: Syrah grafted onto 100+ year-old Cabernet vines. Grafting essentially means cutting the trunk of an old vine and attaching a new variety onto the established rootstock. Why does this matter? Old roots reach deep into the soil, carrying history and terroir expression into the fruit. Younger Syrah grafted onto these roots benefits from that maturity (and a little character from the original variety) — more concentration, more complexity, more of a “settled” feel in the glass.
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This year’s Dero is easily the most elegant yet — Ben, the winemaker, has nailed the balance of power and finesse.
2024 Home of the Dero — the estate’s heart
The Home of the Dero is exactly that: a Syrah (and a few white Rhone varieties) grown, harvested, and vinified entirely on Phase Three’s home block. Unlike the multi-site Dero, this bottling is a pure expression of the estate itself.
From vineyard to bottle, everything happens on site — and you can taste that sense of place. It’s also the wine that best represents Phase Three’s ethos: a small, family-run operation making wine first and foremost for themselves, with the rest shared more widely.
If you ever visit, the cellar door experience is worth it. Alongside the release wines, you’ll often taste smaller bottlings not sold commercially — a glimpse into just how much care and curiosity shapes what they do.
2024 Vinegarden — gnarly old vines, profound depth
This is the debut of the Vinegarden Syrah, and it’s something special. The fruit comes from vines planted in 1895 — making them true survivors.
Ancient vines like these are low-yielding, producing fewer bunches but with remarkable flavour concentration. Their roots run deep, locked into the soil, and that maturity translates into wines with unmistakable character and terroir expression.
Think of them like wise old storytellers (or grumpy old people): less flashy, more grounded, but with far more to say. The Vine Garden captures that sense beautifully — depth, balance, and a kind of natural authority in the glass.
2024 Le Bomb — fruit, drive, and freshness
If the name doesn’t grab your attention, the wine will. Le Bomb is crafted from old vines grown on red clay over ironstone soils — and that ironstone makes its mark.
Minerality and acid drive the fruit forward, giving freshness and lift. When first opened, it can feel dark and brooding with serious energy, but give it 5–6 hours in a decanter and it softens and feels lighter while still revealing layers of precision as it continues to open up for several hours more.
Tasted straight from the bottle, that mineral drive is even more striking, lending freshness that balances the wine’s darker tones. It’s a wine (and a bottle) that's impossible to ignore.
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Caption: Photo of the 2024 Phase Three Wines release
Wax tops — a quick tip
All the Phase Three wines are topped with wax — beautiful, but sometimes intimidating. Here’s how to deal with them:
- For a Coravin, remove wax like you would a capsule (but higher up, not under the lip).
- For corkscrews, don’t stress — you can drive straight through the wax.
- Or, just flick off the wax droplet with the tip of the corkscrew.
No fuss, no mess, just great wine.
Final sip
The 2024 Phase Three Wines release is all about refinement. Dero shows new levels of finesse, Home of the Dero captures the estate’s essence, Vine Garden honours 19th-century vines, and Le Bomb explodes with fruit and freshness.
It’s a collection that proves Phase Three is more than a promising newcomer — it’s a serious Barossa name carving out its own legacy.
