Winemaker Notes
Deep ruby. Highly aromatic with black fruit aromas (black cherry and black currant) and undertones of dark chocolate, white pepper and eucalyptus. Explosive black berry and black plum flavors with perfectly matched, elegant tannins that give the wine a long, lasting aftertaste. Full bodied and rich. A treat to drink now and will age well for 7-10 years.
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2014 Syrah Lieu-Dit Malakoff is a step back from the 2012, yet is still an elegant, outstanding wine that has loads to offer. Sporting a translucent purple/ruby color as well as perfumed notes of black raspberries, blueberries, exotic spices, sage, and underbrush, it’s medium to full-bodied, silky, elegant, and ready to go. Despite its upfront appeal, I suspect it will keep nicely for a decade or more given its overall balance.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This joint venture continues to turn out interesting, savory editions of Shiraz from interior Victoria. The 2014 Lieu-dit Malakoff Shiraz boasts notes of leather, clove, roasted meat and espresso. It's medium-bodied, with just enough plummy fruit to round out the palate, and it has a softly dusty finish.
-
Wine Enthusiast
This wine leads with a broody nose of plum, earth, coffee, warm stone and baking spice. The palate is woven together by tight tannins, but the acidity keeps things firmly in the medium-bodied spectrum. It finishes with a savory soy sauce note.
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.”
Nestled into the tip of its southeastern coastline, Victoria is Australia’s smallest mainland state, second most populous and third largest wine producer. Victoria includes the cool regions of Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and Geelong, made famous mainly by impressive Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
The more inland Heathcote and Bendigo lead the way for complex and textured, full-bodied reds. Rutherglen’s fortified wines compete among the best on the planet.