Winemaker Notes
This wine comes from one of the top growers in McLaren Vale and is essentially made from the highest grade fruit in the region. The project is born of Benjamin Hammerschlag's relationship with the Oliver family and in particular, with winemaker Corrina Rayment, who naturally fi ts into the group of young and progressive winemakers that permeate the Epicurean Wines portfolio. Rayment is a progressive thinker and she's willing to take risks. Her wines are designed to offer the best aspects of McLaren Vale (texture, suppleness and intensity) with exquisite packaging. Additionally Rayment is the first, and currently the only, female winemaker in the portfolio.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2006 Expatriate Shiraz was originally reviewed in Issue 173 as a barrel sample. While not quite as inspiring as I thought it might be, it is still a very high-quality effort. Sourced from a 65-year-old vineyard yielding only one ton of fruit per acre, it was aged for 20 months in 100% new French oak. Opaque purple/black colored, it offers up a superb aromatic array of pain grille, bacon, violets, blueberry, and blackberry liqueur. Thick and rich on the palate, it has enough stuffing to evolve for 3-5 years and should be at its best from 2012 to 2025.
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.