Winemaker Notes
A lifted bouquet of ripe cherry, tar, mint, clove and bitter chocolate. The perfumed nose is very attractive and alluring and shows excellent poise from the Mediterranean climate of the Barossa.
The wine is robust and rich with a balance that exemplifies the hallmarks of the finest Barossa vineyards. Firm and juicy, with tannins that are drying and mouth filling. The 2006 Bella's Garden is a wine that will improve with medium to long term cellaring.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Firm in texture, this is balanced with a vibrant core of red cherry, raspberry and spice flavors that persist on the chewy finish, expanding to show hints of dark chocolate and sweet spices. Best from 2010 through 2016. 5,400 cases imported.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The purple-colored 2006 Shiraz Bella's Garden from Barossa Valley offers a brooding bouquet of wood smoke, pepper, damp earth, blueberry, and licorice. This leads to a full-bodied, layered Shiraz with excellent grip and power. Give it 2-3 years of additional cellaring and drink it from 2011 to 2022.
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Wine Enthusiast
A big (15.6% alcohol) wine, the 2006 Bella’s Garden nevertheless comes across as balanced and drinkable in its youth, marrying a rich, creamy texture with mixed berry fruit and hints of mint and vanilla. Avoids any cooked character, finishing long and fresh. Drink now–2015.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Historically and presently the most important wine-producing region of Australia, the Barossa Valley is set in the Barossa zone of South Australia, where more than half of the country’s wine is made. Because the climate is very hot and dry, vineyard managers work diligently to ensure grapes reach the perfect levels of phenolic ripeness.
The intense heat is ideal for plush, bold reds, particularly Shiraz on its own or Rhône Blends. Often Shiraz and Cabernet partner up for plump and powerful reds.
While much less prevalent, light-skinned varieties such as Riesling, Viognier or Semillon produce vibrant Barossa Valley whites.
Most of Australia’s largest wine producers are based here and Shiraz plantings date back as far as the 1850s or before. Many of them are dry farmed and bush trained, still offering less than one ton per acre of inky, intense, purple juice.