Winemaker Notes
A gorgeous purple red colour. Upfront red fruits and cedar spice on the nose. The palate has lashings of unctuous cassis and liquorice supported by gentle oak handling, with fine chalky tannins this is an excellent food wine that has charmed visitors to our cellar door.
"The screw cap finished 2003 Shovel Blanc is one of the most successful blends of Merlot (70%) and Cabernet Franc (30%) I have tasted outside of Bordeaux. It exhibits abundant amounts of cranberry, cherry, and red currant like fruit, good spice, a subtle integration of wood, fine elegance, and a medium bodied finish." - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate
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One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
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.