Cracking Black Shiraz

[Jeremias Resendez]

Thewine spent fifteen months in French oak barrels before selection for the final blend. The colour a near black/purple, the wine is dense, concentrated and powerful. Those who enjoy big and bold McLaren Vale Shiraz will be excited by this. More savoury than plushly fruited, there are notes of graphite, black fruits, aniseed, soy and truffles. A wine with impressive length and fine tannins, which will drink well for at least the next ten to twelve years. A cracking Shiraz indeed! And cracking value.

A fragrant and full-bodied Shiraz with blackberry compote, dark plum, vanilla and spice aromas on the nose. Rich with dark fruit, blackberry, mocha, cedar spice and smoky vanilla flavours on the palate. Grapes are sourced from the estate Malpas Road vineyard, growing on infertile, grey-black cracking soil. The black Biscay soils of Malpas Vineyard crack open. This natural process which annually breaks off superfluous fingerling vine roots, reduces vine vigour intensifying grape flavours. Drink now and for the next 10 years.

Black cracking Biscay clay is a familiar soil type found in the Barossa Valley. These soils typically produce wines with berry compote and summer pudding flavors, complemented by luscious velvety tannins.

Good winter rains in July and August preceded a warm and dry spring with no frosts or storms. Budburst and shoot growth were strong with average bunch numbers showing across most varieties, followed by ideal weather through flowering which set-up good crop potential. Ripening was very steadily paced throughout which made for an accommodating vintage and the ability to pick everything exactly when we wanted it. Barossa Valley Shiraz yields were slightly below average, and all the wines show superb colour and richness with abundant aromas and flavours.

Shiraz vineyards on black cracking clay soils have been crushed and fermented separately, between 6 and 8 days at 22 to 24 degrees. Post fermentation the wine was partially matured in older American and French Oak to maximize fruit intensity, before being blended and bottled.

2008 Pyrenees cabernet sauvignon, over dinner at PM24, Melbourne, 6 Dec 2012. Popped and poured. Dark and jammy. Heavy with sweet plums and licorice, spicy at the edges, refusing to ease even after two hours.

2010 Port Phillip Estate pinot noir, at the tasting room of Port Phillip winery, Mornington Peninsula, 7 Dec 2012. Suitably light in color and texture, medium-bodied with the usual red fruits amidst a mild salty minerality but ultimately unmemorable.

2012 Rockford Eden Valley Riesling, tasted at the cellar door of Rockford winery, Barossa Valley, 10 Dec 2012. Crisp and lively with a predominance of yellow citrus and stony minerality, clean and dry on the finish.

2009 Rockford Moppa Springs cabernet shiraz, tasted at the cellar door of Rockford winery, Barossa Valley, 10 Dec 2012. Full, ripe Barossa fruit where the structured dark chocolate and earthiness of the cabernet is balanced against the spicy peppery shiraz, matched by fine supple tannins. Excellent.

2010 Rockford Rifle Range cabernet sauvignon, drunk over an outstanding dinner at Walkerville Chinese Restaurant, Adelaide, 10 Dec 2012. Full-bodied, imbued with blackberries and dark currants amidst other notes of earth, forest floor and dusty tannins with a mild aftertaste of sweet licorice. But watch out for that 14.5% alcohol which will rear its ugly head if the ambient temperature is too warm.

2010 St Hallett Blackwell shiraz, tasted at the cellar door of St Hallett winery, Barossa Valley, 10 Dec 2012. A blend from various plots in the Barossa. Smooth, medium-full, weighty but well-balanced without any trace of alcoholic heat, just lacking in real character.

St Hallett Black Shiraz NV, tasted at the cellar door of St Hallett winery, Barossa Valley, 10 Dec 2012. Similar in idea to the Rockford Black Shiraz but less successful, missing in real layering and potential complexity, coming across as just a pleasant sparkling red.

2010 Henschke Tappa Springs shiraz, tasted at the cellar door of Henschke winery, Barossa Valley, 10 Dec 2012. Almost full-bodied, loaded with smooth ripe shiraz fruit of excellent concentration and weight, superbly crafted without the jamminess.

2008 Hardys Oomoo chardonnay, tasted at the cellar door of Hardys, McLaren Vale, 11 Dec 2012. Made from fruit grown in the Adelaide Hills. Notes of cream and vanillin oak, slightly buttery, with good presence and balance. Refreshing.

2008 Hardys Reynella Basket Pressed shiraz, tasted at the cellar door of Hardys, McLaren Vale, 11 Dec 2012. Displaying a sharper peppery accent on the nose that is highly attractive. Dense in color but not in texture, possessing superb structure, focus and concentration with tannins well in check. Excellent. I must look out for this back home.

2009 Hardys Tintara McLaren Vale shiraz, tasted at the cellar door of Hardys, McLaren Vale, 11 Dec 2012. A predominance of red fruits, sweeter, less dense and more open than the Reynella with a hint of spice and plum at the edges.

2005 Hardys Upper Tintara shiraz, tasted at the cellar door of Hardys, McLaren Vale, 11 Dec 2012. Noticeably accented and minty on the nose and palate, dominated by peppery notes, leading to a long long finish. More rustic in character compared to the Reynella Basket Pressed.

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