I first tasted this at the Boireann cellar door when it was released. Peter Stark always releases his wines very early, I tasted and bought these on 12th April, 2011. Peter lost most of his fruit in the 2010 vintage, not that he has any Sagrantino but always sourced local fruit under circumstances like this. These grapes came from a vineyard which was then called Preston Peak at Wyberba.
I have been a fan of Sagrantino for many years, there are some other very good renditions in Australia, most notably Olivers Taranga and more recently Aphelion both in McLaren Vale. This Granite Belt version is different to the others I have tried, it seems to tread a line somewhere between true to the variety and more European in style whereas other Australian Sagrantino’s I’ve tasted are very big wines. This Boireann Sagrantino is deeply coloured, impenetrable I believe is the word as soon as you move away from the edges. The nose is pretty spectacular – redolent with a complete bouquet of black fruits intertwined with meaty/charcuterie qualities. Sometimes you encounter wines that have such an enjoyable bouquet that you want to smell them as much as you want to drink, this is such a wine. The palate is long with well resolved tannins – Sagrantino is known for it’s monster tannins. Black fruits with hints of sweetness but mostly a combination of berry and savoury begin the journey, the fruit continues but then segues into those meaty qualities so apparent on the bouquet. There is still some fresh acid, some drying tannins late on the palate and the finish also contains a little cedary oak. The wine would have only seen old French oak. Overall balance is faultless, I only have one left, should have bought more. I do have some 2015 Balancing Rock Sagrantinos, which were made by Mike Hayes using fruit from the same vineyard, so will be an interesting comparison when I finally crack one of those. If you have some of these Boireann Sagrantions you can commence drinking them now with confidence but no rush and there is still a little improvement to come.
Tasted: Sunday 1st December, 2019 without food and then with over several hours. Re-tasted the next day after breathing in refrigerated bottle overnight.
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $28
Suggested Drinking Window: Now to 2029
