Winemaker Notes
Proprietor Michael Twelftree - Deep inky purple to black in color, the bouquet is layered and intense with notes of chocolate, rose petals, clay, scorched earth, minerals, lavender, wood oven smoke, tar and toffee. The palate starts out deep and plush with formidable weight, then hits you with an explosion of plumy dark fruits that roll on to very long soft fruity tannins; this all hangs together quite effortlessly. This is an exciting wine and one that will add another dimension to our Flagship series, I can't wait to see it tamed by a little time in the cellar before its release in March 2006.
Professional Ratings
Grenache thrives in any warm, Mediterranean climate where ample sunlight allows its clusters to achieve full phenolic ripeness. While Grenache's birthplace is Spain (there called Garnacha), today it is more recognized as the key player in the red blends of the Southern Rhône, namely Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône and its villages. Somm Secret—The Italian island of Sardinia produces bold, rustic, single varietal Grenache (there called Cannonau). California, Washington and Australia have achieved found success with Grenache, both flying solo and in blends.
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.