Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Ripe red cherries, cranberries, dried rose petals, leather, Indian spices and redcurrants. Medium to full body, juicy and lithe tannins, a lovely serving of acidity and a round, spicy finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine is held back before release longer than most Aussie reds. With five years of bottle age to date, it still shows Winemaker Chester Osborn’s characteristic affinity to structure and power over plushness. While the brambly plum and raspberry fruit still feels ripe, it’s caught up in a web of black pepper, cedar and savory tones. These earthy, savory nuances carry through to the palate, which is blanketed in tight-grained tannins, with juicy fruit peeping through the cracks.
Grenache thrives in any warm, Mediterranean climate where ample sunlight allows its clusters to achieve full phenolic ripeness. While Grenache's birthplace is Spain (there called Garnacha), today it is more recognized as the key player in the red blends of the Southern Rhône, namely Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône and its villages. Somm Secret—The Italian island of Sardinia produces bold, rustic, single varietal Grenache (there called Cannonau). California, Washington and Australia have achieved found success with Grenache, both flying solo and in blends.
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.