Winemaker Notes
Blend: 94% Shiraz, 4% Grenache, 2% Mataro
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Basket Pressed Shiraz opens with baked plums, creme de cassis and blackberry coulis notes with hints of sandalwood and spice box. Medium to full-bodied and richly fruited in the mouth, if offers lovely spice and warm berry notes that shout "open for business," while the velvety tannins and approachable acidity echo "come on in!" This wine is so consistently good, year in and year out. I love it.
Rating: 90+
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.”
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.