A lovey deep blackish red shimmers from the depths of the glass and transforms into a lighter red jewel light show at the edges.
This wine is a loquacious liquid and rather more risqué than reticent, it certainly knows how to keep an entertaining conversation going with your senses. A fragrant array of berries escapes from the glass presenting scents of mulberries and violets, a little tar, smoked meat, earth and vanilla.
I don’t think I’ve ever detected mulberry in a Granite Belt shiraz but the taste of mulberry is tangled with the fragrance of violets in this wine, they seem to amplify each other. There’s also creamy oak, black berries, just hints of black pepper and some dusty/mineral earth. The tannins are quite fine and drying as they drive a long farewell. The acid profile and overall balance suggests you can cellar this wine for 5 to 10 years.
My palate is very sensitive to viognier in red wine. The major purposes of producing an SV are that the viognier has the ability to lift the bouquet, the colour and flavour profile of the fruit and add a very slight velvety/viscosity to the mouthfeel of the wine. Viognier can sometimes also add apricot to the palate and I find that character incongruent in shiraz but others enjoy it. There is just a little apricot very late on the palate, it is only a small intrusion so I can tolerate it – my wife quite enjoys it though!
Tasted: Friday 21st August, 2020 without food and then with over several hours.
Alcohol: 14%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $35
Suggested Drinking Window: 2020 – 2028+
Winemaker: Tony Hassall and Michael Hassall
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