Winemaker Notes
The 2015 Charlie's Garden Shiraz displays a deep dark red color with bright red flashes at the meniscus. Hints of freshly squeezed blueberries jump out of the glass, with aromas of violets, dried herb de Provence, and aromatic Cypress incense.
Concentrated and deep through the entry with blue fruits and freshly crushed blackberry. Floral accents roll through the mid-palate with hints of star anise and pipe tobacco. Tannins are savoury & mineral-accented, which drive through the palate with plenty of length and detail. Notes of pepper, graphite and incense float around the back palate creating layers of complexity.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
An expansive Shiraz, the 2015 Two Hands Charlie's Garden explodes on the palate with beautifully ripened red and blue fruits. An accent of oak rounds out the wine and suggests that a pairing with braised meats could be in order.(Tasted: November 20, 2017, San Francisco, CA)
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.”
Higher in elevation and topographically more dramatic than the Barossa Valley floor, Eden Valley abuts it to its south and east. While it is a bit of an extension of Barossa, Eden Valley is topographically different than the pastoral Barossa Valley, and is composed of rocky hills and eucalyptus groves.
Recognizing Eden Valley’s potential with Riesling in the 1960s and 70s, producers started to move their Riesling production from Barossa to these better sites where schist soils on hilltops would produce more steely, tart and age-worthy examples. A most famous site, planted by Colin Gramp, called Steingarten, today produces one of the most outstanding Australian Rieslings. Youthful Eden Valley Rieslings express floral, grapefruit and mineral, while with time in the bottle, they become increasingly toasty and complex.
Riesling isn’t the only grape the region can grow; undeniably at lower altitudes Shiraz does very well. Mount Edelstone is a notable vineyard as well as the Hill of Grace, which boasts healthy Shiraz vines well over 100 years old. This is the only Australian region where Merlot has a made a name for itself and Chardonnay can be spectacular, particularly from the High Eden subregion in the southern valley.