Winemaker Notes
Aroma: Gloriously generous fruit with subtle complimentary overtones of vanilla spice; enhancing, rather than dominating, the wonderful spicy plum fruit of this wine.
Taste: Rich juicy fruit. Delicious and distinctive mocha, chocolate and sweet plum characters. Backed by a lush, plush mouthfeel laced with an underlying black pepper spice and a silky tight tannin structure.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2005 Shiraz "Lily’s Garden" from McLaren Vale has a splendid nose of cedar, scorched earth, violets, spice box, saddle leather, and blueberry pie. Rich and super-concentrated, it has layers of ripe flavors, a soft blanket of tannins, and terrific complexity. This surprisingly elegant Shiraz will evolve for 8-10 years and drink well through 2025.
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Wine Spectator
Ripe and generous, with a remarkably open texture for a wine so rich in flavor. The beautifully delineated blackberry, black cherry and anise flavors sail on through the long, long finish. Best from 2009 through 2016. 2,700 cases made.
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.”
Known for opulent red wines with intense power and concentration, McLaren Vale is home to perhaps the most “classic” style of Australian Shiraz. Vinified on its own or in Rhône Blends, these hot-climate wines are deeply colored and high in extract with signature hints of dark chocolate and licorice. Cabernet Sauvignon is also produced in a similar style.
Whites, often made from Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc tend to be opulent and full of tropical, stone and citrus fruit.