Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2010 Gnarly Dudes Shiraz has a deep purple-black color and an intense nose of blackberry preserves, blueberry pie and fruit cake with suggestions of ground cinnamon, cumin seed, fenugreek and mace. Full bodied with a generous amount of ripe, forward berry and spice flavors, the richness is nicely contrasted by crisp acid and a medium to firm level of rounded tannins, finishing long and spicy. Approachable now, it should keep to 2019+.
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Wine Spectator
This firm red displays a light grip of tannins around a core of black and red cherry and grilled meat flavors, prevailing against a mildly chewy finish. Best from 2014 through 2018.
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Wine & Spirits
Mineral tension runs through this wine, yielding plump black fruit agains firm, smoky tannins. It's youthful and spicy, needing a few months in the bottle for the tight structure to relent.
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.