Winemaker Notes
The wine is extremely old and exemplifies a classic Australian style. The color is of an aged wine with a soft tan appearance and tinges of green towards the edge. There is a huge array of characters in this fortified ranging from walnuts, dried raisins, caramels, toffee, molasses, caramelized cumquats and lime, melted butter and after a moment aromas of beef stock, dusty hessian, and dried herbs appear. Overall the aroma has amazing concentration. The palate has superb intensity and is fresh with flavors of baked figs, butterscotch, toffee and dried fruits such as pear and nectarine. As it opens more and more characters appear balanced with great rolling rancio length from the time spent in barrel.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Emerges from a solera of old tawny made between 1928 and 1984. Its medium dark amber color is accompanied by an amazingly expressive bouquet of fig liqueur intermixed with marmalade, roasted nuts, caramel, and black tea. Unctuously thick yet possessing good underlying acidity, its sweetness is neither heavy nor cloying. This is an explosively rich, aromatic, spectacular fortified wine that is impossible to resist.
Port is a sweet, fortified wine with numerous styles: Ruby, Tawny, Vintage, Late Bottled Vintage (LBV), White, Colheita, and a few unusual others. It is blended from from the most important red grapes of the Douro Valley, based primarily on Touriga Nacional with over 80 other varieties approved for use. Most Ports are best served slightly chilled at around 55-65°F. To learn more, see our full Port Wine Guide
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.