Adventures in Wine > Syrah-Shiraz
Amon Ra
Winery: Amon Ra
Region: Australia
Sub-region: Barossa Valley
ALLOCATED. Please call for availability.
By winemaker Ben Glaetzer. See Glaetzer for details.
Categories: Syrah-Shiraz
Charles Cimicky
Winery: Charles Cimicky
Region: Australia
Sub-region: Barossa Valley
Shiraz Trumps
Shiraz Autograph
Grenache/Shiraz Trumps
Shiraz Reserve
Czech immigrant Karl Cimicky founded Karlsburg Winery in 1973. In the early 90’s Karl’s son Charles began to take a keen interest in winemaking and the ‘good’ wines started turning into awesome wines. In addition to top of the line fermenters and barrels, Cimicky also has an estate bottling line, something of a rarity in Australia, allowing him to personally control all facets of production. Charles Cimicky produces rich, voluptuous, generous wines with superb balance. Apart from minor drip irrigation in January and February, the vines are dry grown, cover-cropped and organically fertilized. Now in his late forties Charles Cimicky is one of the most quality-driven, meticulous winemakers in South Australia.
Categories: Grenache, Syrah-Shiraz
Chateau Routas
Winery: Chateau Routas
Region: Southern France
Sub-region: Provence
Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah ‘Agrippa’
Grenache/CS/Syrah ‘Infernet’
Syrah ‘Cyrano’
Viognier ‘Coquelicot’
Rosé ‘Rouvière’
Chardonnay/Viognier ‘Wild Boar’
Chateau Routas is located in the heart of Provence, between the French Riviera on the Mediterranean coast and teh foothills of the Alps. It is surrounded by tiny medieval villages that cling to steep cliffs and overlooks miles of spectacular hillsides, woods and rivers.
Categories: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Grenache, Syrah-Shiraz, Viognier
De Lisio
Winery: De Lisio
Region: Australia
Sub-region: McLaren Vale
Grenache
Quarterback
Shiraz ‘Krystina’
Shiraz, Grenache ‘The Catalyst’
During a visit to Australia in June of 2004 Benjamin Hammerschlag was assessing the portfolio of another young winemaker in McLaren Vale. During the tasting, the parcels that stood out time and again had come from Tony De Lisio’s vineyards. The impression stuck and yielded an extensive tasting of De Lisio’s wines. Consistently impressed, Hammerschlag approached De Lisio and discovered an Italian immigrant with 30 years of experience in McLaren Vale. De Lisio’s talents lie in the vineyard and his connection to other immigrants in the region give him access to some of the best fruit in the district which happen to meet the classic Epicurean Wines criteria; phenomenal raw materials transformed into wines that are jam-packed with intensity.
Categories: Grenache, Syrah-Shiraz
Domaine Le Couroulu
Winery: Domaine Le Couroulu
Region: Rhone
Sub-region: Vacqueyras
Vacqueyras
55% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre, 5% Cinsault
“A big Rhône however very round on the pallet with notes of cherry & spices.”
Parker rates the estate as an excellent producer, citing it among his *Best European Wine Values*. The estate is named for the Curlew bird, which is known in Provencal dialect as Couroulu.
An excellent match for grilled ribs, roasts and stews of lamb, beef and game.
Categories: Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah-Shiraz
Efeste Wines
Winery: Efeste Wines
Region: Washington
Sub-region: Columbia Valley
Riesling Evergreen
Sauvignon Blanc
Cabernet Sauvignon Big Papa
Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah Final Final
Syrah Ceidleigh
Another great find from Washington State! Efeste believes that a minimal approach makes the best wine. Efeste works primarily with old vines, bringing forth maturity and concentration while maintaining elegance. Native fermentation encourages lovely, earthy notes without eclipsing the fruit that is unique to the vineyard. The fruit speaks for itself, not unlike art, where beauty and excitement are found in the unique aberrations, Efeste encourages the production of wines with character, as they believe great wines have personality.
Categories: Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah-Shiraz
Epsilon
Winery: Epsilon
Region: Australia
Sub-region: Barossa Valley
Shiraz
The name Epsilon is a play on the name of the vineyard owners, Aaron & Julie Southern. Epsilon, the fifth star of the Southern Cross constellation, is an example of how a background star can come to the fore. Julie & Aaron love their skies which are crystal clear from down under. This project is made in collaboration with Dan Standish and Jaysen Collins who are making the wine.
Categories: Syrah-Shiraz
Glaetzer
Winery: Glaetzer
Region: Australia
Sub-region: Barossa Valley
Shiraz/Cab Sauv Anaperenna
Shiraz, Grenache ‘Wallace’
Shiraz Bishop
Shiraz/Cab Godolphin
The relationship with the Glaetzer winery had been developing since the release of the 2001 Amon Ra Shiraz. With the 2004 vintage, Ben Glaetzer took over winemaking at Glaetzer and brought his own flagship wines, Amon Ra and Godolphin, into the fold. Young Glaetzer has implemented many changes at the winery, particularly with regard to harvesting upon physiological ripeness vs. analysis, longer skin contact and the use of the highest possible quality oak barrels. The Glaetzer philosophy focuses simply on the production of small-volume, super premium wines. The company holds a firm belief that the wines are made in the vineyard – a combination of the French notion of terroir combined with Australian vineyard site knowledge. The wines are produced from vines grown in well-drained sandy clay loam over a solid limestone pan. This particular soil, widely recognized as the best for dry grown Shiraz, is limited to the Ebenezer region in the northwestern part of the Barossa Valley. Yields are exceptionally low, with 1 to 1 1/2 tons per acre of Shiraz from some of the 80-year old vines being common. Glaetzer has exceptional fruit, and thus opts for a minimalist approach.
Categories: Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Syrah-Shiraz
Glen Eldon
Winery: Epsilon
Region: Australia
Sub-region: Barossa Valley
Shiraz Dry Bore
Black Springs Reserve
Glen Eldon Wines is a family owned and operated winery led by Richard Sheedy who formerly made the wines for Elderton. Glen Eldon’s ambition is to produce first-rate wines that display the known and admired characteristics of the Barossa & Eden Valleys . The property was first settled in the 1880’s. Today, Glen Eldon vineyards range from 8-45 years in age and are located throughout the Barossa Floor and the Eden Valley.
Categories: Syrah-Shiraz
Heartland
Winery: Heartland
Region: Australia
Sub-region: Langhorne Creek & Limestone Coast
By Ben Glaetzer
Stickleback White – South Australia
Viognier-Pinot Gris – South Australia
Cabernet Sauvignon – Langhorne Creek & Limestone Coast
Shiraz – Langhorne Creek & Limestone Coast
Shiraz Director’s Cut – Langhorne Creek & Limestone Coast
Heartland Wines was created by a small group of leading South Australian wine professionals, including Ben Glaetzer & Vicki Arnold from Glaetzer. All are all good friends and share a passion for making great wine. Heartland wines are made with fruit from mature vineyards in the Limestone Coast and Langhorne Creek in South Australia. There are three ranges under the Heartland Wines label. Stickleback, Heartland Coast & Creek and the flagship Directors’ Cut Shiraz.
Categories: Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Gris, Syrah-Shiraz, Viognier
Kaesler
Winery: Kaesler
Region: Australia
Sub-region: Barossa Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon
Shiraz Old Vine
Shiraz/CAB WOMS
Shiraz Stonehorse
Shiraz The Bogan
Avignon GSM
Shiraz Old Bastard
The Kaesler Vineyards were established in 1893. The family sprung from Silesian pioneers who came to the Barossa Valley in the 1840s. They cleared the scrub and in 1893 planted out the entire holding with Shiraz, Grenache, and Mataro (Mourvedre). The gnarled, dry-grown vines still remain and provide the backbone of the intense wines produced here. The exceptional Kaesler wines now being produced had their beginning in 1997 when a young winemaker at Cellarmaster just a few hundred meters away noticed the power and intensity of the fruit. Winemaker Reid Bosward and his co-owners, a group of international wine lovers, searched areas such as America’s Napa Valley, the south of France, Marlborough in New Zealand as well as other parts of Australia before deciding to buy into the Barossa. Bosward comes to Kaesler with experience at Tyrell’s, McGuigan, Cellarmaster and abroad in France and S. Africa.
Categories: Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah-Shiraz
Lagier Meredith
Winery: Lagier Meredith
Region: California
Sub-region: Mt. Veeder/Napa
Syrah Mt. Veeder
Stephen Lagier and Carole Meredith produce spicy and concentrated Syrah from their small vineyard on the slopes of Mount Veeder overlooking the Napa Valley. They grow the grapes and make the wine themselves.
Categories: Syrah-Shiraz
Langmeil
Winery: Langmeil
Region: Australia
Sub-region: Barossa Valley
Shiraz Valley Floor
Three Gardens – Barossa Valley (Shiraz, Grenache & Mourvedre)
The Langmeil estate was originally founded in 1844. The first Shiraz vines, planted at that time, still produce premium Shiraz today, making Langmeil the site of the oldest producing vineyard in the Barossa Valley . Today, plantings at Langmeil total 14.5 hectares, including Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache. Langmeil Winery’s philosophy is to produce 100% Barossa premium quality wine made from varieties that excel here in one of the oldest wine producing regions in Australia.
Categories: Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah-Shiraz
Laurent Miquel
Winery: Laurent Miquel
Region: Southern France
Sub-region: Languedoc
Chardonnay-Viognier
Syrah Nord Sud
Syrah-Grenache
Viognier Nord Sud
Laurent Miquel, a talented young winemaker, hand selects the best grapes from his family’s estate near Beziers, in the South of France. The Chateau, Caza Viel, is in the St. Chinian appellation. The estate has been in the Miquel family since the French Revolution in 1789, when it was purchased from the local monks at Fontcaude. With over 135 hectares of mature, naturally low-yielding vines, this estate is among the most prominent independent producers in the Languedoc. Laurent crafts these premium wines as a testament to the distinct terroir of the site and to reveal wine with exceptional personality and character.
Categories: Chardonnay, Grenache, Syrah-Shiraz, Viognier
Massena
Winery: Massena
Region: Australia
Sub-region: Barossa Valley
‘Moonlight Run’
Petite Syrah (Durif) ‘Howling Dog’
‘11th Hour’
Viognier ‘Surly Muse’
The Massena label is a partnership between Dan Standish, who began his career making wine at Torbreck and Jaysen Collins from Turkey Flat. In 1999, they had both agreed to work the vintage in Clare Valley . The Moonlight Run, their initial wine, derives its name from their nightly drive back to the Barossa. During the drive home, they would share their ideas about the perfect wine to wash down a hard night’s work. Out of this ideal, Moonlight Run and further collaboration was born. Wines under the Massena label are made from 100% Barossa Valley fruit, using traditional, natural wine making techniques to capture the unique flavors of the Barossa.
Categories: Syrah-Shiraz, Viognier
Mr. Riggs
Winery: Mr. Riggs
Region: Australia
Sub-region: McLaren Vale
Shiraz ‘The Gaffer’
Shiraz/Viognier
Shiraz
Twenty-five years of making wine in South Australia has given big (6’5”) Ben ample opportunity to develop some great relationships with growers. He cherry picks grapes from some of the best vineyards in the McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek and Adelaide Hills.
Categories: Syrah-Shiraz, Viognier
Penny’s Hill
Winery: Penny’s Hill
Region: Australia
Sub-region: McLaren Vale
Shiraz Fortified
“Proudly Australian, more so McLaren Vale”. Penny’s Hill is a well established McLaren Vale brand; established by Tony & Susie Parkinson in 1988. Wines can be tasted in modern cellars which, with acclaimed restaurant and contemporary gallery, have been blended into the surroundings of the original homestead and stone outbuildings. Idle chook watching or admiring the thoroughbred black faced sheep are popular visitor pastimes. Recognised by its distinctive ‘red dot’ packaging, the Penny’s Hill range is made by winemaker and business partner Ben Riggs, who uses only estate-grown fruit from the Penny’s Hill McLaren Vale vineyards. The vineyards are managed lovingly by local viticulturists Toby Bekkers and David Paxton.
Categories: Syrah-Shiraz
Piping Shrike
Winery: Piping Shrike
Region: Australia
Sub-region: Barossa Valley
Shiraz – Barossa Valley
This Shiraz is produced at Charles Cimicky. Charles Cimicky produces rich, voluptuous, generous wines with superb balance. Apart from minor drip irrigation in January and February, the vines are dry grown, cover-cropped and organically fertilized. Now in his late forties Charles Cimicky is one of the most quality-driven, meticulous winemakers in South Australia.
Categories: Syrah-Shiraz
Poonawatta Estate
Winery: Poonawatta Estate
Region: Australia
Sub-region: Eden Valley
Shiraz ‘The Cuttings’
Poonawatta Estate Shiraz is produced from what was once part of the largest, privately owned vineyard in South Australia . Only two acres of the original vineyard remain as a living relic of Australia ‘s pioneering winemaking heritage. Established in 1880, Poonawatta Estate Eden Valley Shiraz is one of the last remaining vineyards of its era, and one of the oldest in Australia . The Holt family purchased the property in 1966 and commenced the restoration of the vineyard which had been neglected for many years. Proprietor Andrew Holt has commissioned Reid Bosward of Kaesler to make the wine. The vineyard is on a cool site even for Eden Valley so the more delicate characteristics of cooler climate Shiraz are evident.
Categories: Syrah-Shiraz
Revolution
Winery: Revolution
Region: Australia
Sub-region: Mclaren Vale
Shiraz Revolution
Shiraz Expatriate
The grapes for Revolution come from the most revered sub-region of McLaren Vale, known as Seaview. This sub-region is where the best reds to come out of McLaren Vale are grown. The vines are relatively young at 5 years, but due to the extreme lack of soil nutrients & carefully regulated deficit irrigation practices, the vines are already producing voluptuous, flavor packed & rich fruit, perfect for Revolution.
Categories: Syrah-Shiraz
Robert Karl Cellars
Winery: Robert Karl
Region: Washington
Sub-region: Columbia Valley
Claret
Syrah
Cabernet Sauvignon
Inspiration Reserve Red
We are very excited about this winery. Winemaker Joseph Gunselman, a physician by day, has made it his sole purpose to create a premium, hand-crafted Columbia Valley CS using the best fruit available. He also believes wine to be an essential, healthy part of a meal. Doctor’s orders! His 2000 offering is full of sweet fruit, berries, and vanilla flavors – masterfully balanced by a backbone of acid and sweet tannins. Downright delicious.
Categories: Cabernet Sauvignon, Claret, Syrah-Shiraz
Stephen Pannell
Winery: Stephen Pannell
Region: Australia
Sub-region: McLaren Vale
Shiraz
Shiraz / Grenache
2004 yielded the discovery of a serious new talent in McLaren Vale. Like Glaetzer, Pannell grew up in the wine industry. In 1967, his family founded Mosswood, the second winery and vineyard to emerge in the Margaret River district. Pannell’s Australian credentials include Seppelts Great Western, Wirra Wirra, Hardy’s Tintarra and BRL Hardy Wine Company where he was the Chief Red Winemaker from 1999 to 2003. Pannell’s ambition has also taken him abroad where he has gained experience in Burgundy at Domaine Comte Lafon and Domaine del la Pousse d’or, Bordeaux at Chateau Mouton, Southern France at Jacques Lurton and Italy at GD Vajra Barolo. Pannell seeks to apply European methods to the tremendous raw materials available in Australia without sacrificing flavor and ripe tannins. The minimal use of new oak also highlights the vineyard and regional characteristics of McLaren Vale Shiraz.
Categories: Grenache, Syrah-Shiraz
Tatiarra
Winery: Tatiarra
Region: Australia
Sub-region: Heathcote
Shiraz Cambrian
Shiraz Pressings
Tatiarra Heathcote Vineyard occupies a unique parcel of earth. 500,000,000 years ago natural forces moulding the world, hardened the planets surface forming Cambrian rock. Today that rock exists as a discontinuous band of red earth, extending from Heathcote township and running north past Colbinabbin, parallel to the Mount Camel range. The Tatiarra Cambrian Shiraz is always the product of synergy between winemaker, viticulturalist and terroir. Strict viticultural management is practised at Tatiarra Vineyard in order to maximize the relationship between vines, soil and climate. Yields are typically low, around two tons per acre. The resulting wines are perfectly balanced, possessing tremendous exuberance and are capable of long term cellar development.
Categories: Syrah-Shiraz
The Black Chook
Winery: The Black Chook
Region: Australia
Sub-region: Langhorne Creek
Shiraz/Viognier
White VMR
Sparkling Shiraz
As the bigger sibling of Woop Woop, the Black Chook once again represents a collaboration between Ben Riggs the wine maker at Penny’s Hill, and Tony Parkinson, proprietor of Penny’s Hill. The Black Chook is sourced from McLaren Vale, known for it’s consistent, Mediterranean-type climate and Langhorne Creek which characteristically produces Shiraz that is spicy, flavorful and elegant. Co-fermenting small amounts of Viognier skins with Shiraz adds wonderful apricot perfumes, at the same time as intensifying the deep rich color and velvety mouth-feel of the wine.
Categories: Syrah-Shiraz, Viognier
Viña Santa Marina
Winery: Viña Santa Marina
Region: Spain
Sub-region: Extremadura
Gargola, Tempranillo, Joven
(No oak)
Torremayor Crianza (Ribera del Guadiana)
(All Tempranillo- 85% French, 15% American oak for 12 months)
Miraculus R
(50% Tempranillo, 30% Cabernet, 20% Syrah- All French Oak 12-14 months)
Established in 1999, this modern estate lies at the base of the Lamoneda mountain range near Meridia, Spain. Currently 58 hectares are farmed in Extremadura and D.O. Ribera del Guadiana. Red grape varieties include Tempranillo, Graciano, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. White varieties include indigenous grapes such as Montua, Cayetana Blanca and Pardina. All grapes are vineyard-selected and hand harvested, table sorted, de-stemmed and very carefully pressed. After vinification the final wines are barrel-selected. A balance of mostly French and American oak is used. Barrel aging ranges from 6 to 14 months depending on the wine. Enjoyable, and terrific value.
Categories: Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah-Shiraz, Tempranillo
Winner’s Tank
Winery: Winner’s Tank
Region: Australia
Sub-region: Langhorne Creek
*Shiraz ‘Langhorne Creek’
Winner’s Tank is a recent discovery that highlights what can be accomplished when an extremely talented winemaker gets his hands on some premium, Langhorne Creek fruit. Winner’s Tank is a new venture between Reid Bosward of Kaesler vineyards, and David and Cathy Knight, owners of the Winner’s Tank site. The name relates to an old water tank that sits in the corner of the vineyard. In true Aussie spirit, a strong rivalry exists between the three neighboring towns in the local Australian Rules Football competition. Each year the winning team heads out to the vineyard to paint the tank in their team colors.
Categories: Syrah-Shiraz
Woop Woop
Winery: Woop Woop
Region: Australia
Sub-region: South Australia
Chardonnay
Shiraz
Cabernet Sauvignon
G’day. In Australia Woop Woop means not nearby, remote even. In sourcing fruit from this well-balanced South Australian Shiraz we went ouside our mormal territory to blend the best regional attrtibutes into a soft, elegant wine of rich flavours and good palate length. We went to Woop Woop to bring Woop Woop to you. Enjoy!
Categories: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Syrah-Shiraz