Winemaker Notes
Color
Almost black at the core with a purple rim.
Aroma
Aromatic bouquet that resonates with cooler climate tones of aromatic spice and mint.
Taste
Behind the perfumed aromatic fruit aromas and clove, pepper spice is a powerful intense wine, rich and full bodied. Grainy but fine tannins mingle with the rich plum and blackberry fruit characters.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2005 Shiraz "Sophia’s Garden," sourced from Padthaway, gives up notes of clove, soy, leather, pepper, and blackberry. It is the most tannic of the Garden Series and somewhat muted. Perhaps 6-8 years in the cellar will allow the wine to blossom but that is a gamble.
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Wine Spectator
Broad and generous, with dense, dark cherry and plum flavors shaded by mineral and a touch of earth. Yet the frame seems to melt away, leaving the flavors hovering in midair. An enticing red that will benefit from cellaring. Best after 2008. 793 cases made.
Though Syrah originated in the Rhône Valley of France, Australia is home to the oldest Syrah (called Shiraz here) vines on the planet. Found in Australia’s Barossa Valley, where phylloxera has never threated viticulture, these ancient vines are between 140 to 175 years old!
Having brought fame and merit to the country’s wine scene since the early 1950s, namely via the debut of Penfolds Grange, today Syrah (Shiraz) claims rank as the most widely planted grape in Australia. In fact, the amount of land dedicated to Shiraz in Australia is now almost equivalent to what it is in France. Australian Shiraz has its own personality with flavors and aromas of intense blackberry, fruitcake, menthol, tobacco leaf and umami. Conveniently one can find great Australian Shiraz at a variety of price points but the very best will be dense, gloriously complex and capable of long aging.