Shaw & Smith Adelaide Hills Shiraz 2019
Sale $34.99
98 pts Decanter – the real Decanter, not the inflated World Wine Awards…
Holy smokes, folks… been a while since an Aussie Syrah has captured this much attention. Compare with these legends:
Penfolds Grange 2017 – 96 pts @ $595
Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz 2017 – 96 pts @ $225
Standish Lamella Shiraz 2018 – 98 pts @ $254
This is “cool climate” Shiraz from Adelaide Hills. You would be forgiven for thinking this is just another over the top bomb, given Adelaide Hills’ situation just south of the Barossa Valley. But it’s not. Barossa sits in the valley floor, giving it the heat and dryness to develop the 16% alc monsters. Adelaide Hills is much higher in elevation, with plantings as high as 2,500 feet. The region also traps the clouds coming off the St. Vincent Gulf, making the region wetter as well. Cool and wet. The result is an intense Syrah that takes more guidance from the Northern Rhone than it does its northern neighbor.
I cannot do better than Decanter’s review, “Beware the siren with the ruby-red lips. In a smoky room, here she strides – confident, cool, arresting. Slender, stalky cherry and a smear of blackcurrant bite, spiked with crushed peppercorns. No sunny smiles here, this is deadly serious. Leaner, finer and taut, it marks a big stride ahead from previous vintages. This vision of cool-climate Shiraz marks a new age of measured sophistication.”
And Vinous has a nice take as well, “Dark, violet color. An assertively perfumed bouquet evokes ripe black and blue fruits, exotic spices and smoky minerals and a violet nuance builds in the glass. Concentrated yet energetic as well, juicy blackberry, boysenberry, fruitcake and star anise flavors unfold and turn livelier with air. Shows solid thrust and fine clarity on a sweet, persistent finish that's shaped by well-knit tannins.” 93 pts Vinous
The good news is we bought everything the distributor had in stock. The bad news is that is just 17 six packs. The good news is I am only offering to buyers with a history of Aussie wines in this range. So have at it before I release to the hounds!
