Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From six-year old vines cropped at a mere 2.3 tons of fruit per acre, the brilliant 2001 Shiraz is a candidate for the finest wine ever made on Kangaroo Island. It boasts an opaque purple color in addition to a complex perfume of blackberry liqueur intermixed with licorice, smoke, charcoal, and a hint of wood. Full-bodied as well as remarkably measured, elegant, and restrained for its power and mass, this brilliant achievement somehow walks the tightrope between excessive power and overly processed politeness. It combines intense flavor with tremendous finesse – an extremely difficult accomplishment. The good news continues as there are 2,500 cases of this brilliant Shiraz. It should drink well young yet evolve for 15+ years.
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.