Winemaker Notes
Color:
Almost translucent, very pale straw
Aroma
Delicious aromas of guava with an aromatic grapey musk perfume
Taste
Delicately sweet with a gentle spritz. Incredibly refreshing and light bodied with lively exotic tropical fruit flavors and a hint of musk and rose petal.
Grape Variety/Varieties:
White Frontignac (Muscat)
Alcohol Level: 7.0%
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The only non-red table wine in the extensive lineup is the 2007 Moscato "Brilliant Disguise". A dead-ringer for a top Moscato d’Asti, it has attractive floral and honey aromas, a light-body, crisp, off-dry flavors, and excellent length. It is an ideal aperitif for a hot summer day but it should be drunk within its first year of release.
While Muscat comes in a wide range of styles from dry to sweet, still to sparkling and even fortified, it's safe to say it is always alluringly aromatic and delightful. The two most important versions are the noble, Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, making wines of considerable quality and Muscat of Alexandria, thought to be a progeny of the former. Somm Secret—Pliny the Elder wrote in the 13th century of a sweet, perfumed grape variety so attractive to bees that he referred to it as uva apiana, or “grape of the bees.” Most likely, he was describing Muscat.
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.