Effervescent Shiraz and a thriller, based around barrels of aged wines sourced from the renowned dryland Schobers vineyard. The palate holds complex flavours of black plum and yeast autolysis, subtle creamy oak, concentration and fine persistent tannins. It is liqueured to a point of richness, yet the palate finishes dry due to the natural tannins and acidity.
It takes great commitment and expertise to craft a class act like this one. Select parcels of grapes completed ferment under new oak and were later transferred to old oak puncheons for two and a half years. During this time the wine developed a mellow complexity and was then prepared for tirage. Further maturation in bottle on yeast lees continued to build character, complexity and depth. The resultant wine is a soft, complex style, which will further develop with up to three years on cork. A rich and superior red exhibiting a premium fruit profile, high quality oak treatment and immense personality through extended maturation, a benchmark of a uniquely Australian Sparkling Shiraz genre.
From one of the greatest of all Australian vintages and arguably the nation's finest sparkling wine maker in Ed Carr comes a superb modern impression of Australia's idiosyncratic contribution to wine diversity. Combining exceptional purity of Shiraz fruit with a tightly managed evolution of smoky, leathery and meaty complexity, this wine has the texture, length and balance to improve for many years. 97 Points; Finalist in Jeremy Oliver's Wine of the Year; October 2010
Jeremy Oliver Top 100 Wines - 2011 Australian Wine Annual
Earthy, leathery, meaty and evolving, with wonderful character, texture and balance. Its complex bouquet of dark cherries, blackberries, licorice, ham hock and dark chocolate is backed by a scent of polished leather and a high-toned musky spiciness. It's long, smooth and deeply layered, with creamy bead and a profound presence of dark, earthy and briary fruit underpinned by a fine chalky backbone and finishing wild, funky and savoury. Drink: 2016-2024; 97 Points; Jeremy Oliver; 2011 Australian Wine Annual
Engaging red mousse, with deep purple beneath; a rich and savoury bouquet of fresh blackberry, mint and a touch of leathery complexity; mouth filling and savoury, with plenty of structure lurking beneath the ample fruit; dark, complex and a profound example of the style. Cork. 14% alc. Rating 94 Points; Drink 2018 $55 Date Tasted Feb 10 James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2011
I get the feeling that they’ve changed the length of time this is aged prior to release – though I could be wrong. My cards are on the table: I reckon this is often the best sparkling red on the market. This particular release tastes of green apples, Christmas cake, blackberries and plum jam. For all its sweet fruit power, it comes across as clean, fresh and dry – and quite tannic too, especially for a sparkling red. I found this wine’s acidity distracting – but I love the fruit flavour. It’ll be better in a couple of years. Rated : 93 Points Alcohol : 14% Price : $55 Closure : Cork Drink : 2012 - 2020 By Campbell Mattinson; The Wine Front