Winemaker Notes
Amazing color – purple and very youthful. Bursting with dark and red fruits characters on the nose, and plums and blackberries, too. Hints of bramble. Soft juicy palate. Eminently drinkable, or ‘smashable’ as the young folk say.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A very smartly executed, preservative-free bottling of ripe, rich McLaren Vale shiraz that has red berries, dark plums and hints of chocolate throughout. Bright, crunchy palate. Fresh, mouthwatering and delicious. Handy depth of flavor, too. From organically grown grapes.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Puritan Shiraz even meets U.S. certification standards for organic wine, as there were no sulfites added. Like the preceding vintage, it offers a vivid immediacy on the nose that's largely unmatched by sulfured cuvées, delivering scents of cracked pepper, violets, licorice and blue and blackberries. Medium-bodied and crisp, there's a bit of edginess to the feel on the palate, although the tannins are ripe and supple and the finish long and harmonious. Good, unoaked fun in a glass, and it should drink well for at least a few years, assuming proper storage.
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.”
Known for opulent red wines with intense power and concentration, McLaren Vale is home to perhaps the most “classic” style of Australian Shiraz. Vinified on its own or in Rhône Blends, these hot-climate wines are deeply colored and high in extract with signature hints of dark chocolate and licorice. Cabernet Sauvignon is also produced in a similar style.
Whites, often made from Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc tend to be opulent and full of tropical, stone and citrus fruit.