Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz 1996
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Nose: The bouquet shows an abundance of rich, ripe, plummy shiraz characters with hints of chocolate and spice, complimented by attractive toasty oak.
Palate: This is a medium-bodied Shiraz with full, rich plum and black cherry fruit characters. The palate also has licorice, coffee and chocolate notes, all of which are complexed by integrated toasty oak. It is typical of the Chalambar style with full mid-palate, fine grained tannin and good length.
Serving and cellaring suggestions: Seppelt Chalambar is consistently a classic Victorian shiraz and this one is no exception. It can be enjoyed now, but will also reward careful medium-term cellaring. It is an easy match with full-flavoured red meat dishes such as grilled steaks, game, red wine-based casserole or mature cheddar cheese.
Though Syrah originated in the Rhône Valley of France, Australia is home to the oldest Syrah (called Shiraz here) vines on the planet. Found in Australia’s Barossa Valley, where phylloxera has never threated viticulture, these ancient vines are between 140 to 175 years old!
Having brought fame and merit to the country’s wine scene since the early 1950s, namely via the debut of Penfolds Grange, today Syrah (Shiraz) claims rank as the most widely planted grape in Australia. In fact, the amount of land dedicated to Shiraz in Australia is now almost equivalent to what it is in France. Australian Shiraz has its own personality with flavors and aromas of intense blackberry, fruitcake, menthol, tobacco leaf and umami. Conveniently one can find great Australian Shiraz at a variety of price points but the very best will be dense, gloriously complex and capable of long aging.