Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Dark and rich with spice, blackberry and sweet plum;lovely depth and rich texture; structured and long.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The deep garnet-purple colored 2011 The Struie is a Shiraz blend from the Barossa and Eden Valleys. It has an indulgent nose of blackcurrants, black plums and mulberries embellished with an undercurrent of black pepper, loam and Chinese Five Spice plus a whiff of Provencal herbs. Packed with taut, blackberry flavors in the full-bodied mouth, it has a firm level of chewy tannins and crisp acid to support the long and slightly herbal finish. Drink it now to 2022+.
Rating: 92+ -
Wine Spectator
Grippy tannins underlie the generous core of blueberry and black cherry fruit, contained by hints of savory white pepper and wet hay, lingering gracefully. Shiraz.
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.