Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Fine aromatics. Lovely, seductively opulent cassis fruit, tinged with incense and mint. Delicious palate, integrated and absorbed tannins that support sweet fruit. Top-class McLaren Vale Shiraz. Seamless and long.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Very deep garnet-purple colored, the 2009 Shiraz has a pronounced nose of blackberry compote, blackcurrant cordial and chocolate box with touches of dried mulberries and mint. Concentrated on the medium to full bodied palate, the rich expressive fruit is nicely structured with firm chewy tannins and crisp acidity, finishing long.
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.