Nine Stones Hilltops Shiraz 2014
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Bright youthful puples and dark red color. An intensely aromatic wine with exciting and full of exoticv chocolate, minty, black cherry characters, with some white pepper overlaid with subtle oak character. On the palate, very sweet fruit with fine grained tannins persistent, which is a hallmark of this vineyard; excellent fleshy middle palate with a long supple and satisfying finish.
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2011-
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Nine Stones began as a collaboration between Leonard Paul “Len” Evans, often referred to as “the godfather of the Australian wine industry,” and his friend Denis Powers. Both men are of Celtic origin, and when the opportunity to create a wine brand based on this common ancestry presented itself, they named it “Nine Stones”. The Celts left many groups of standing stones, including Stonehenge. These standing stones or Druids Circles are believed to have been tribal meeting places. They are circular in aspect and amongst all the Celtic tribes, the wheel is the symbol of the Sky-God. This is the number of planets thus nine and its derivatives are “lucky” numbers. The initial three wines releases were of the Shiraz variety, chosen to display the characteristics of the region from which they emanate. Each wasa powerful, fully-ripened example of the variety. Today, the brand is owned and produced by Calabria Family Wines, a dynamic family-owned company that was established in 1945 in the Riverina region. They are committed to producing outstanding premium wines and are proud to carry on Len Evans’ great tradition through the Nine Stones brand.
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.”
Scattered among the yellow hills, orchards and olive groves of the Hilltops region are some of Australia’s most friendly, down-to-earth wineries. While it’s a bit warmer than its northeastern neighbor, Orange, the cool summer nights and dry fall season in Hilltops allow relatively late harvest dates and thus the production of a wide range of wines. Hilltops produces powerful reds from Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz as well as charming Chardonnay and food-friendly Semillon.