Lot 41
Vintage: 2005
Appellation:
McLaren Vale, Australia
Grape:
Shiraz
Alcohol by volume: 15%
Production: 1,300 cases
Release date: August 30, 2007
Availability: August 2007
Taste: Classic McLaren Vale Shiraz, rich warm fruit on the nose with hints of spice. Big mouth feel with blackberry and warm chocolate finishes with a big kiss of black pepper. This wine is drinking great right now and will continue to flesh out over the next couple of months and drink really well over the next few years. This is a fairly small lot form one vineyard. The wine saw mostly 2-3 year old French oak barrels and while it picked up a kiss of oak, this wine is primarily classic jammy shiraz. Ultimately, you are looking at $20+ quality juice.
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 McLaren Vale where we sized up Lots 40 and 41. We got these wines from a high-end custom crush facility not unlike the Napa Wine Company in Napa Valley. There are literally 50+ wineries that all make wine under one roof, including several growers who prefer to make the wines and then sell them in bulk. The reasons for this are much the same as for growers here in CA, excess supply of wine leads to extremely low, can’t make money, grape prices. Smart guys find great winemakers and have the grapes crushed and fermented at facilities such as this one. Typically, the wines get picked over by the big guys in the spring but our Australian connection used to move the bulk of these wines for the world’s largest wine broker and we got first crack at these wines in January.
