1Today I had the pleasure of joining an online seminar on Australian Shiraz as a panel member on behalf of Wine Australia and commenting on it. We tasted Shiraz wines from different regions of Australia. The portfolio demonstrated the diversity of Australian Shiraz. Here are some of my thoughts:
We started with Tyrrell’s Hunter Valley Shiraz 2019. Fresh, focused, very elegant and yet with energy and power—lots of red fruit, dark cherry, grippy tannins and a long, mineral finish.
Hewitson ‘Ned and Henry’s Barossa Shiraz 2018, however, shows all the virtues of a classic Barossa wine combined with a crystal clear focus and wonderfully savoury flavours.
John Duval ‘Entity’ Barossa Shiraz 2019 is particularly appealing by pairing rich, soft fruit from the Valley Floor with freshness from the Eden Valley. A perfect match framed by fine-grained, almost polished tannins. re
A great example from McLaren Vale: the Gemtree Uncut Shiraz 2019 with delicate pure fruit, fragrance and a long spicy mineral finish.
In the Battle of Bosworth Puritan 2021, one almost wants to chew the intense primary fruit, which is incredibly dense yet not jammy.
Howard Park ‘Flint Rock’ 2018 perfectly reflects the cool climate of Great Southern without losing intensity at the same time.
Spice and pepper in the Mount Langi Ghiran ‘Cliff Edge’ 2019, echoing the outstanding terroir of the Grampians.
Also excellent: the Lambert Yarra Valley Syrah 2019, perfectly balanced, elegant yet intense in fruit. Very long with a subtle saline finish. The perfect accompaniment to food.
