Chapel Hill Parson's Shiraz 2018
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Wine
Spectator -
Wine
Enthusiast -
James
Suckling
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The Parson Shiraz is the perfect gateway to McLaren Vale Shiraz and it’s evocative array of fruit flavors and textures. This wine displays generous aromas of mulberries, dusted with exotic Indian spices. The luscious palate is brimming with both aniseed and satsuma plum flavors that seamlessly integrate into the persistent mouth coating tannins.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Fragrant and detailed, with aromas of white truffle, fresh blueberry and violet. The tannins are supple and polished, setting the stage for elegance and precision through the long, expressive finish, where a smoky black tea note lingers. Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre. Drink now through 2033.
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Wine Enthusiast
The Parson is one of those predictable yet always solidly made labels that continually offers bang for buck. This vintage leads with notes of grape jelly, but not in an overly ripe way. Red berries are there too, along with subtle floral, mocha and spice nuances. The nose leads gently onto a medium- to full-bodied palate, laced with dried herbs and spices and supported by sandy textured tannins. This was built for weeknight drinking beside a bowl of Bolognese.
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James Suckling
Some earthy and licorice notes to the dried, spiced plums. The palate has quite punchy, fresh red-plum and licorice flavors. Plum-stone finish.
Other Vintages
2019-
Australian Wine
Companion -
Wilfred
Wong
Chapel Hill Winery borders the stunning Onkaparinga River National Park; they value and respect their unique surrounds, their land and vines. Their focus is on soil health to build resilience and character in their vines and consequently, the wines. One of the first to embrace the McLaren Vale Sustainable Australia Winegrowing program and are continually improving their grape-growing practices. Rainwater is collected from the winery roofs for use in the winery. Winery waste water is treated via a wetlands system and used for irrigation. All of the organic material from the winemaking process (skins, seeds and stems), is composted onsite and spread on the vineyard, negating the need for synthetic fertilisers. Vineyard operations have been modified to minimise the impact on beneficial insects, helping to maintain a natural balance to prevent pest and disease outbreaks. Volunteer cover crops have been encouraged to reduce evaporation and protect the precious soils. Their sustainable farming practices result in fruit that articulates the wonderful characteristics of McLaren Vale.
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.