Taste: The colour is an attractive deep, dark, purple hue and the initial aromas expose the intensity and depth of the wine. A myriad of rich ripe berry fruits with spice undertones from the oak are complimented by the glorious complexities of the characters of fine leather, flavours that are only derived from intense old vines. The taste fully expresses the initial impressions and the aromas are transformed into a tangible experience of tasting a small piece of history. Revel in the smooth grape tannins, the delicious sweet fruit richness and the firm natural acidity which finishes the wine brilliantly and entices you to take another sip. This is phenomenal stuff.
Cameron Confidential: The first couple of days of my trip to Australia were pretty much a disappointment in terms of sourcing. A couple of guys just didn’t pan out and Jay and I were frustrated. Winemakers Lance and John picked us up from our hotel the third day and took out to McClaren Vale where we sized up some great wines (Lots 40 and 41). It wasn’t until day four in Barossa that things really came together. We did a huge tasting at winemaker John’s house and when I stuck my nose in the glass that contained Lot 38, I remarked very simply, "I can buy this?" Unbelievable! The warm fruit and pure sensuousness of this 100 year old vine Shiraz was/is magnificent. We tasted quite a few Reserve/Estate Shiraz’s from surrounding wineries in the $60-$120 AUS range and this wine was as good as and in most instances, better than those wines. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to be able to offer this wine for $20 a bottle.
Here are winemaker John’s notes:
Around the time Einstein’s Theory of Relativity was published, Theodore Roosevelt was US President and a first class stamp cost just two cents, a small Shiraz vineyard was planted in the Barossa Valley near the township of Rowland Flat. Time has been kind to these vines and multiple generations of vignerons have lovingly nurtured the grapes each year until I arrived 100 years later. I have been fortunate enough to secure a parcel of this unique and exceptional wine. As the years roll on the quantity that the vines are able to produce is less and less. Every bunch is a valuable commodity and is hand harvested and then fermented in small batch open fermenters, each of which contain just a few tonnes. This process helps to get the maximum fruit extraction from the wines while still being able to minimize hard aggressive tannins. Following a period of 3 weeks on skins the wine is drained off and the skins are pressed with a gentle pneumatic press. This component of wine is known as the pressings and when blended back to the free run wine adds another dimension and flavour expression. The wine then underwent maturation in American and French hogsheads until the marriage of flavours was deemed to be perfect. This took 14 months. Each barrel was then individually tasted to make sure that the wine was good enough for the blend. You have heard the story of one bad apple ruining the bunch, well it was not going to happen here!
