Winemaker Notes
Deep dark red color. Black core, bright red meniscus. Aromas bursts out of the glass almost in a brooding, elegant manner. Juicy red and black fruits with notes of five spice, earth, black pepper and sandalwood. On the palate fresh juicy fruits erupt and roll across the palate as only a great Barossa Shiraz can. Lovely tactile nature with grippy fine grained tannins. Palate rolls on and on with subtle chocolate and spice notes. A brilliant vintage of Barossa Shiraz yet feels moody and tightly coiled. Watch it fan out after a couple of years in bottle. This will be a classic.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Utterly seamless, focused, powerful and elegant, layered with cherry, boysenberry and red plum fruit, revealing glints of coffee, jasmine and cardamom that add extra nuances. Delivers complexity without extra weight. The finish won't quit. Drink now through 2022.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2012 Bella's Garden Shiraz has a nose of blackberry preserves and warm cassis with hints of menthol, dark chocolate, cardamom and cedar. Full-bodied and richly fruited in the mouth, the abundant fruit is well matched by firm, rounded tannins and refreshing acid before finishing with great length. Drink it now to 2024+.
Rating: 93+ -
Wine & Spirits
Dimpled fruit scents show this wine’s hyperripe character, though it maintains a sense of refinement for all its earthy, Barossan grip. Air softens some of the hard edges, allowing black plum and cedar scents to round out the finish.
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.