Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2007 Descendant is composed of 92% Shiraz and 8% Viognier sourced from a single vineyard. Super-fragrant with a floral lift from the Viognier component, it gives up exotic scents of smoke, bacon fat, Asian spices, and wild blueberry. Voluptuous on the palate with loads of succulent fruit (a rarity in this challenging vintage), it has impeccable balance and 4-6 years of aging potential. It will be at its best from 2013 to 2027.
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Wine Enthusiast
Full bodied and concentrated without being overly heavy or tannic, this is a stunning blend of Shiraz (92%) and Viognier (8%). Hints of roasted or grilled meat and black olive balance the bold blackberry fruit, leaving behind a lingering finish of warmth and dusty cocoa. Drink now - 2020.
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Wine Spectator
A firm, focused red, offering dark berry and licorice flavors under a layer of chewy tannins. Has enough intensity to carry it through, if this sheds some of the tannin with age. Shiraz and Viognier. Best after 2014.
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.”
Historically and presently the most important wine-producing region of Australia, the Barossa Valley is set in the Barossa zone of South Australia, where more than half of the country’s wine is made. Because the climate is very hot and dry, vineyard managers work diligently to ensure grapes reach the perfect levels of phenolic ripeness.
The intense heat is ideal for plush, bold reds, particularly Shiraz on its own or Rhône Blends. Often Shiraz and Cabernet partner up for plump and powerful reds.
While much less prevalent, light-skinned varieties such as Riesling, Viognier or Semillon produce vibrant Barossa Valley whites.
Most of Australia’s largest wine producers are based here and Shiraz plantings date back as far as the 1850s or before. Many of them are dry farmed and bush trained, still offering less than one ton per acre of inky, intense, purple juice.