Winemaker Notes
Color: Almost black to the core, with a purple rim.
Aroma: A vibrant and aromatic bouquet with lifted tones of raspberries, plums, roasted meats and hints of mint and cedar.
Palate: Very powerful black fruits and dark chocolate flavors intermingled with an elegance that belies its powerful bouquet. The tannins are firm, balanced by the wines line and length - like structure. A wine of power and grace, that will reward over the longer term.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Silky, open-textured and utterly beguiling for its exuberant raspberry and plum fruit, sailing smoothly over the tannins in pinpoint balance. Picks up savory notes as the finish persists. Drink now through 2014. 180 cases imported.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2006 Shiraz Sophie's Garden, sourced from Padthaway, delivers a complex bouquet of toasty oak, mineral, tar, black currant, and blueberry. Tightly wound but balanced on the palate, it will require 3-5 years to unwind and reveal its full potential. If this should occur, my score will seem conservative.
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.