Winemaker Notes
This year Ares is black on black in colour. The immediate bouquet throws you roasted meat, pain grillé, dried herbs, both blue and black berries, sage, warm earth and tea leaf. The palate is silky and soft. It caresses your tongue and then rolls straight to the late palate. This pull the magic act of being a big wine in a small wine’s body: It creeps up on you slowly and effortlessly, Man this is a seriously fun ride! It rolls and and rolls along and the tannins never really seem to dissolve or stop; pure silk is the best way to describe it. In the end you’re left searching for the acidity, fruit and tannins as they are all so welded together. Nothing sticks out in this wine, its Barossa Shiraz at it best. This wine has a very long life ahead of it and it will age effortlessly for 25 year plus. Sit back, pull the cork and enjoy the ride, you will not be disappointed.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Spectator
Features Black Forest cake, fresh raspberry coulis and Earl Grey tea flavors that are rich and generous, with a velvety, juicy frame. Complex and bold, showing details of cardamom, salted caramel, cigar box and dried sage that linger on a long, expressive finish. Drink now.
-
Wine & Spirits
A selection from the top barrels of Barossa shiraz in the Two Hands cellar, this is round and integrated, weaving an earthy porcini savor with blackberry-scented fruit. Rich and mature, it’s a cool, earthen wine with enough grip for a lamb stew surrounded by root vegetables.
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.