Oliverhill Clarendon Shiraz 2007

92 pts Wine Enthusiast Magazine - Firm structure and som rich, soft tannins on the finish.

Tasting Notes

Another dry winter, followed by dry hot days and cold night temperatures during spring. As a result, yields were down slightly on average, and picking 2 weeks early. There was low disease incidence with all varieties.The 2007 wines show rich fruit characters with fine mouth filling tannins. The use of French oak Troncais has added structure and balance while complementing the spiciness found in this Clarendon Shiraz.

Food Accompaniments

Lamb, beef, game.

Awards, Reviews and other Notes

Top 100 Wines of 2009 #87 - Wine Enthusiast Magazine

92 pts Wine Enthusiast Magazine
Nicely balanced McLaren Vale Shiraz, featuring mixed berries, toast and spice carried by a firm structure and som rich, soft tannins on the finish. Aromas of coffee, plum and graham crackers complete the package.

91 pts Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar (JR)
Glass-staining ruby. Powerful dark berry and candied cherry aromas are complicated by smoky minerals, cola and violet. Vibrant black raspberry and cassis flavors are firmed by zesty minerals and dusted with fine-grained tannins. A spicy note carries into the finish, which is impressively clean but shuts down with air. Excellent potential here, but it could use another year of so of rest.

90 pts Wine & Spirits Magazine

89 pts Robert parker Jr.'s The Wine Advocate (JM)
The 2007 Clarendon Shiraz was aged for 17 months in 20% new French oak. Purple-colored, the slightly reticent nose delivers notes of cedar, mineral, game and blueberry. On the palate the wine is firm and slightly compact. It appears to have enough fruit to blossom with another 3-4 years in bottle but will never be a friendly, generous style of Shiraz.

Winemaker Notes

The fruit is hand picked determined by flavour. The fruit is destemmed-crushed into 3 tonne open fermenters. The Shiraz is inoculated with Lalvin Syrah Yeast. Hand plunging takes place four times a day or more. The wine is fermented to dryness on skins, average 12-14 days. It is then basket pressed, into tank and left overnight to settle, then into barrels, Barrels are predominantly Vicard Troncais, French oak. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel; the wine then racked three times over 12-18 months. The wine is then coarse filtered, sulphured and bottled. All processes take place on premise.

Chemical Analysis

Price

SKU

Varietal

Alcohol %: 14.7
Total Acid: 6.6
Free/Total Sulfur: 38/117
pH: 3.5
Residual Sugar: 1.5

$31.99

7858

Shiraz