Out Of The Bottle
With David Ellis Tintilla Estate Patriarch Syrah 2007 & Yarra Burn Cuvée Riche Sparkling Wine
If
you move quickly, you’ve still a chance to grab a bottle of a Shiraz
that when reviewed in this year’s The Big Red Wine Book scored just one
point below the most famous Shiraz of them all, Grange.
Wine
critic Campbell Mattinson and wine publisher Gary Walsh shared their
knowledge on over 1000 red wines, including more than 750 new releases
across all prices and styles, and rated wines in the book on price,
value for money and investment potential; they awarded 94-points to the
Tintilla Estate Patriarch Syrah 2007, just one short of the 95 they
gave to the 2005 Grange.
And remarkably the
Tintilla is priced at just $60 a bottle, even though only 100 cases
were made of only the second vintage of this flagship red.
Robert
and James Lusby have been making Hunter Valley Shiraz for fourteen
years, and decided a few years ago to make a Tintilla “Patriarch Syrah”
from the most exceptional vintages, labelling it a “Syrah” in respect
to early Hunter pioneers who’d brought-in Syrah vines (that we now call
Shiraz) from France.
2007 was one of those years, with drought
and sunshine leading to optimal fruit conditions to make a wine with
concentrated flavours and potential for great life expectancy;
winemaker James says they called it “Patriarch Syrah” as his father
Robert had named his wines after his children, “and it seemed only
fitting that the company’s flagship wine should be named after Dad.”
The
2007 has intense dark-berry, clove, dark chocolate and Hunter sweet
leather flavours, and nicely integrated oak; one to enjoy with game
dishes. One For
LunchYarra Burn has launched a
first-ever Victorian premium vineyards Cuvée Riche sparkling wine, a
style that leans towards being luscious and honeyed and is ideal with
most party-room finger-foods from cheeses and olives to dips and
tapenades.
At just $19.99 this is a delightful toss-it-down drop for any celebratory occasion – or a Spring Sunday brunch.
Need a drink?
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