Winemaker Notes
Ares represents the very best Shiraz parcels from Two Hands Wines. Each vintage, Michael Twelftree and his winemaking team taste every single barrel in the winery and only the very best barrels are designated to the Flagship Series wines. The top vineyards and the top barrels of Shiraz is what is then bottled as Ares. A statuesque, powerful and deeply flavored wine, it is appropriately named Ares, after the Greek god of war! Crushed, de-stemmed and fermented in five, seven and 10 ton open top fermenters with regular pump overs; up to three times daily during peak fermentation to extract color and tannin. Following 7-21 days of “on skins” maceration the free run was drained to tank with the skins then pressed. Both the free run and pressings are blended to tank and then racked to oak after 24 hours. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel. Minimal fining and nonfiltered.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Virtually perfect, the 2002 Shiraz Ares (100% Shiraz from an ancient Barossa vineyard) spent 8 months in old oak, and 12 months in new French wood. Inky/blue/black to the rim, with an extraordinary nose of smoked meats, camphor, blackberries, creme de cassis, and a notion of bacon fat in the background, this is great stuff. Full-bodied with a sensational texture as well as stunning purity, balance, and length (the finish lasts nearly a minute), Michael Twelftree believes it has at least 20 years of cellaring potential, and I see no reason to disagree. Like many of the finest wines of South Australia, it is accessible now.
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.