2021 Shiraz Viognier The Shiraz Viognier is our flagship, a careful selection of the best of the Shiraz Viognier parcels we craft from our Murrumbateman vineyard.
Review:
I've been chipping away at a bottle of this 2021 Shiraz Viognier all week of a nighttime, and a very interesting and impressive trend has emerged. Despite the wine in the glass being delicate, pristine and almost a little nervous (a product of the cool La Niña year that was responsible for over 1,000 millimeters of rain, when the average is only 630 millimeters), over the course of a couple of days at first, it opened up beautifully, the major impact being on the texture, which has silked right out and has brought all components of the wine into harmony. Onto day three and four, the wine has started to indicate little hints of the exotic spice, cocoa nib and roasted meat rind that it picks up in old age, yet it has not fallen to the ravages of oxygen. This evolution tells me everything I need and want to know about its quality and ageability. So, what's it like? It has notes of rose petals, raspberry leaf tea, brine, licorice root, redcurrant, tobacco leaf and even a hint of orange rind/bergamot. The palate is shaped by very fine tannins that cascade across the mouth, leaving a trail of cocoa nib, clove bud and again with the orange zest/bergamot suggestion. Such a beautiful wine in youth, it's no wonder much of it won't make its first birthday! As seems to be the ongoing trend, this has 6% Viognier inclusion and is lighter in alcohol this year, at 13.2%. Highly collectable.
- Wine Advocate 97 points
Faustino Gran Faustino I Rioja Gran Reserva is made from 86% Tempranillo, 9% Graciano, 5% Mazuelo.
Gran Faustino I 2004 is a wine that has a very positive evolution as far as tasting aspects are concerned. We have a garnet-colored, medium-bodied, bright wine with a long life ahead of it. It is clean and intense on the nose. Tertiary aromas predominate, with a marked presence of prunes and ripe fruit, perfectly blending with spicy and balsamic aromas from the barrel ageing. Black pepper is also present, reminding us that the Graciano is part of this very particular blend. It is on the palate where this great wine shows its elegance. Its entrance is subtle, but it gradually unleashes a flood of sensations. Notes of licorice, candied fruit, cocoa, and again, the balsamic notes we found on the nose also appear. A well-balanced acidity and polished tannins highlight its silkiness and roundness. It’s a wine brimming with nuances and complexity, very plush, with a sweet and delicate finish.
Classy wine with engaging tobacco, smoke and earthy aromatics. Complex and energetic with spice and red fruit flavours whooshing through the palate in a seductive style. A satisfying aged wine with thrillingly well-integrated new oak and a long, savoury finish.
-Decanter 97 Points