Region Details
The engine room for many of Australia's dominant wine styles, and the State responsible for almost half of all Oz production. Plantings in the Murray River and Riverlands districts supply much of the good value end of the market, but it is in the lower yielding Barossa, Coonawarra and McLaren Vale zones that real excitement is to be found. A picture of specialisation by district is slowly taking shape, with lusty Shiraz in the Barossa Valley; elegant Rhône varietals in the McLaren Vale; aromatic white wines in the Clare Valley and Adelaide Hills; minty Cabernet in Coonawarra; and rich Chardonnay in Padthaway.
Vintage Notes
2005 - Australia
A cool season, with regular refreshing rain, permitted a relatively untroubled growing cycle, though intervention was required in the vineyards to suppress disease. An attractive vintage of balanced and generous fruit-forward wines in both South and Western Australia.
Grape Variety
One of France's noble red grape varieties, responsible for some of the Rhône Valley's best wines and a component in many others. A small-berried, thick-skinned grape which needs the warmth of the Midi sun to ripen fully, Syrah produces deep coloured, perfumed wines with refined tannins that permit long ageing. Notes of violets can be found in the best northern Rhône wines, together with dark berry fruits and frequently coal tar. With age secondary aromas suggest leather and game. Its depth and structure are frequently exploited to beef up the softer Grenache in southern Rhône and Languedoc blends.
Synonymous with Syrah, Shiraz has become hugely influential in Australia. Once regarded merely as a workhorse, the quality of old-vine productions has changed perceptions forever, and now it is Australia's most planted quality red variety. The 'Oz' version is richer and more muscular than its Rhône cousin, frequently attaining alcohol levels in excess of 15%. In the Barossa, the best Shiraz are fruit-laden and brimming with spice and toast with a rich, creamy palate. In South Africa, Chile and New Zealand too the variety has shown significant potential to cause excitement.
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