Winemaker Notes
The palate is slightly more restrained than what we would normally associate with McLaren Vale Viognier and Marsanne and again those crunchy, white stone fruit characters are at the fore. An exotic pistachio, green almond character (thank you Marsanne), draws the wine back in, leading to a long savoury and mineral finish. Not a hint of fatness.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
This winery’s story began in 1912 and its red stripe label is as distinctive as the flamboyant, fourth-generation winemaker Chester Osborn. There’s great intensity of elegant aromas and flavours here, with a zesty blend of lime, apple and apricot fruit, plus a long finish.
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Wine & Spirits
Chester Osborn named this blend for the creatures on the beaches of McLaren Vale where he likes to drink it. And it tastes like the beach, combining the heat of McLaren Vale with spice and salt, the pungent citrus scent of viognier tamed by the nuttiness of marsanne. It tastes like it would get along with critters from the sea, particularly crab.
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Wine Spectator
Fresh and lively, with a definite spicy edge to the pear and pineapple flavors, lingering with a hint of apricot on the open finish.
Full-bodied and flavorful, white Rhône blends originate from France’s Rhône Valley. Today these blends are also becoming popular in other regions. Typically some combination of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier form the basis of a white Rhône blend with varying degrees of flexibility depending on the exact appellation. Somm Secret—In the Northern Rhône, blends of Marsanne and Roussanne are common but the south retains more variety. Marsanne, Roussanne as well as Bourboulenc, Clairette, Picpoul and Ugni Blanc are typical.
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.