Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A tried and true piece of Barossa winemaking culture, blending cooler Eden Valley grapes with richer, warmer valley floor material, this has a strikingly spicy and complex nose, opens to bright raspberry, blueberry and mulberry fruits with hints of stone studded earth. The palate has a tangy central thread of red fruit flavor around which a softer wrap of darker plum and blackberry fruits form with smooth, mellow tannin. Has some settling time ahead, give it until at least 2018.
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Wine Spectator
Bold and dense, with spicy plum compote, fresh earth and black tea notes, showing a savory, teriyaki-accented edge. Robust and slightly chewy on the powerful finish. Shiraz. Drink now through 2030.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 The Struie is scented of crushed blackberries, blueberries and cloves with hints of chocolate box, Sichuan pepper and anise. The black fruit and peppery character coat the full-bodied palate with ripe, spicy flavors, supported by rounded tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing with a herbal lift. Rating: 91+
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.