Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
This wine is named for the cool afternoon breeze that arrives from Lake Alexan-drina, sustaining the freshness in the grapes for this blend, which includes five percent viognier. It has a bitter chocolate scent and plenty of umami backing up the finish, edgy and mouthwatering in its black fruit flavors. The savory complexity will meld with cumin-rubbed lamb off the grill.
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.