Chocolate Box Dark Chocolate Shiraz 2009
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
A chorus of sweet, sensual sandalwood, nectarine and roasted almond, over a refrain of turmeric, praline and coffee
Textured, powdery tannins and dark chocolate beneath a pastiche of coffee, apricot and liquorice
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Rich and ripe, bursting with cherry, floral and, yes, chocolate flavors, this is dark and dense as it drives through the long, deftly framed finish. Shows power, but ultimately comes off as graceful. Drink now through 2014. 4,800 cases made.
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Wine Enthusiast
Lush and appealing, this is one of the more appropriately named of the Chocolate Box wines. Slightly jammy raspberry fruit is coated in chocolate; even the tannins come across as softly dusty, even vaguely cocoa-like. Drink over the next year or two.
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Rocland Estate believes great wine is made from the vines, sun, rain and rich earth. The love from our vineyards to the team in the winery, we are a group of easy going folk, who work hard and enjoy making a great drop. Our belief is that good wine is made with passion, heart and soul. Enjoy!
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.