Winemaker Notes
Deep crimson in color. Sweet ripe lifted blackberry, plums, prunes and anise with tar and bacon oak characters. The palate is sweet, fine and solid with a chunky texture; big and rich. Lots of tannins, firmer structure and good length.
Cellaring potential: Great vintage, drink 2007-2015.
Serving idea: Porcini & taleggio risotto
"A marvelous effort, this features a gorgeously seductive bouquet of herbs, spice, blueberries and stone fruit, all framed by a touch of cedary oak. In the mouth, it's creamy and lush, but well-structured, ending with a dose of dusty tannins and an extra blast of fruit. Has it all: ample complexity, intensity and length, with its components in finely judged balance for aging through 2015."
-Wine Enthusiast
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A rich, moreish wine that has aged with distinction, given the nature of the furnace-like vintage. Scents of loam, scorched earth, star anise and Christmas-cake boozy spice. Loads of beef stock on the mid-palate. Lapsang souchong, Chinese medicine cabinet and dried eucalyptus lather the slightly drying finish. There is plenty of charm and interest here, but it is far from a great iteration. Drink or hold for a little while longer.
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.”
Higher in elevation and topographically more dramatic than the Barossa Valley floor, Eden Valley abuts it to its south and east. While it is a bit of an extension of Barossa, Eden Valley is topographically different than the pastoral Barossa Valley, and is composed of rocky hills and eucalyptus groves.
Recognizing Eden Valley’s potential with Riesling in the 1960s and 70s, producers started to move their Riesling production from Barossa to these better sites where schist soils on hilltops would produce more steely, tart and age-worthy examples. A most famous site, planted by Colin Gramp, called Steingarten, today produces one of the most outstanding Australian Rieslings. Youthful Eden Valley Rieslings express floral, grapefruit and mineral, while with time in the bottle, they become increasingly toasty and complex.
Riesling isn’t the only grape the region can grow; undeniably at lower altitudes Shiraz does very well. Mount Edelstone is a notable vineyard as well as the Hill of Grace, which boasts healthy Shiraz vines well over 100 years old. This is the only Australian region where Merlot has a made a name for itself and Chardonnay can be spectacular, particularly from the High Eden subregion in the southern valley.