Winemaker Notes
"This wine reached the top class in its debut vintage last year. The main source is the old-vine Hutton Vale vineyard in Eden Valley, and it makes a generous wine, a plump mouthful of dead-ripe black cherry, black pepper, plum and spicy cream flavors that persist through the fleshy finish, yet it all holds together with refinement…"
-Wine Spectator
"The opaque purple-colored 1999 Shiraz Platinum Label (which will not be released for another year) is a dense, full-bodied example revealing notes of new saddle leather, peppery black cherries, blackberries, and cassis. A classic Barossa Shiraz aged in 100% French oak, this superb wine should drink well for 15-20 years."
-Wine Advocate
Professional Ratings
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.