Winemaker Notes
Rich magenta with a ruby hue. Intense fruit aromas of blackberries, mulberries and boysenberries combine with hints of black pepper, anise, violets and gardenias to produce a vibrant and aromatic wine. Soft and supple upon entry the wine extends to offer concentrated flavors of cracked black pepper, anise and coriander. Delicate and opulent, the mouthfeel is further enhanced by soft and velvety tannins to provide a signature cool climate Shiraz.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
This one has plenty of ripe, jazzy blackberry, raspberry and cherry flavors, but it floats across the mouth on an airy framework of fine tannins, open texture and a refreshing element of acidity. Hints of pepper add interest as the finish lingers. Drink now through 2014.
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.”
As the most important area of wine production in Victoria today, the Yarra Valley is most popular for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which account for over half of vineyard acreage. A gentle, rolling and rural region alongside the Margaret River, the Yarra Valley has a cool maritime climate with a lengthy growing season, perfect for these cool-climate varieties.
Two styles of Pinot Noir are possible here. The warmer Lower Yarra Valley with sandy, loam soils, produces plush and fruity Pinot Noir while the cooler, higher-elevation Upper Yarra Valley with soils of young red basalt, produces more angular and mineral-driven Pinot Noir.
Yarra Valley Chardonnay is among the best in Australia. To preserve the floral aromatics and fresh citrus flavors for which this area’s Chardonnay is so appreciated, time in barrel is restrained (though barrel fermentation is common). The best Yarra Valley Chardonnays display brilliant acidity, leesy characteristics, citrus, stone fruit and flavors of ginger and spice.
Shiraz and Cabernet find success in parts of this region as well.