Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Australian Wine Companion
This leaves such an impression on so many fronts: firstly, the fabulous red-purple hue followed by aromas of dark fruits, baking spices and warm earth and finally, its texture. The fuller-bodied palate unfurls eventually to reveal layers of flavour, grainy tannins and acidity ensuring it finishes long.
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James Suckling
Aromas of pitted cherries, grilled herbs, overturned earth and whole nutmeg. Medium- to full-bodied with structured, sturdy tannins. Fresh acidity lifts up the savory fruit and sweet spice. Very good intensity and depth here. A bit of chew at the finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 vintage was a very good vintage in Margaret River for the variety, and at that point, perhaps the best yet—the low yields and warm/dry conditions played into the hands of the variety. The 2020 Art Series Shiraz typifies this, in that the tannins are resolved, and in the context of Margaret River, really quite firm. The Shiraz clones on the estate vineyard in Wallcliffe are 470, Waldron and Peppy Park cuttings (planting 2019).
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.”
Home to some of Australia’s most elegant and long-lived red and white wines, Margaret River is situated in the farthest reaches of Western Australia. Relatively warm and dry, the region is cooled by breezes from the Indian Ocean. Margaret River takes some inspiration from Bordeaux, producing top-quality Cabernet Sauvignons and Bordeaux Blends with firm structure, mouthwatering acidity, balanced alcohol and notes of herbs and spice. For white wines, refreshing blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon as well as complex, age-worthy Chardonnays are regional specialties.