Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Smooth and polished, aiming for elegance with its silky texture and warm berry and orange peel flavors, lingering on a spicy finish. Drink now through 2015. 250 cases imported.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2006 Fighting Flat Shiraz is an attractive cool climate expression of Shiraz. It was raised for 10 months in a mix of new and used French oak hogsheads and barriques. The nose gives up aromas of smoke, cinnamon, lavender, meat, and black cherry. Medium-bodied, savory, and well-balanced, this tasty offering will provide pleasure over the next 6-8 years.
Though Syrah originated in the Rhône Valley of France, Australia is home to the oldest Syrah (called Shiraz here) vines on the planet. Found in Australia’s Barossa Valley, where phylloxera has never threated viticulture, these ancient vines are between 140 to 175 years old!
Having brought fame and merit to the country’s wine scene since the early 1950s, namely via the debut of Penfolds Grange, today Syrah (Shiraz) claims rank as the most widely planted grape in Australia. In fact, the amount of land dedicated to Shiraz in Australia is now almost equivalent to what it is in France. Australian Shiraz has its own personality with flavors and aromas of intense blackberry, fruitcake, menthol, tobacco leaf and umami. Conveniently one can find great Australian Shiraz at a variety of price points but the very best will be dense, gloriously complex and capable of long aging.