Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Great efforts have been made here with shiraz, to the extent that it is now a leading light. It never was in the past. Attractive aromas of clove, charcuterie, peppercorn to mace, lilac and crunchy red fruits to boysenberry. This lilts toward something that is just a bit green, before redeeming itself as the mid-weighted fruit grows in trajectory across the prickly finish. This is really rather good and definitely worth pursuing. Drink or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
Rhubarb, cranberry, olive, savory spice and a good lick of chocolatey oak open this lucid bottling, from a Margaret River stalwart. The palate is full figured and shapely, with curves and satiny, juicy fruit threaded with savory, dusty tannins.
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Wine Spectator
Lush and rich, with velvety, polished tannins. Aromatic notes of Earl Grey, green cardamom, clove and tarragon complement the core of morello cherries in syrup, blackberry preserves and marionberry. Plump and generous through the long finish. Drink now through 2030. 225 cases imported.
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Australian Wine Companion
There’s a fair whack of new oak to the fore, both on the nose and palate, although that should settle in time as there’s rich, ripe fruit within. Savoury and spicy with bitter chocolate and dried herbs. Sweet cedary oak leads on the full-bodied palate, then the pomace-like tannins kick in, drying the finish as a result.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Art Series Shiraz is lighter in color in the glass than either vintage on either side of it, an accurate reflection of the conditions that defined the 2021 season. The wine is lighter in frame and the fruit redder, and the tannins have a minty, grippiness to them. There are notes of Rooibos tea here—orange, vanilla, honey and caramel. The Shiraz vines in Margaret River are more susceptible to significant swings of quality with vintage variation, and for my palate, this season and the variety are not as well suited here as they are in those vintages on either side
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.