Most Aussie red drinkers know our Shiraz can be big, bold and packed with flavour. You could argue that these are the biggest reds on the planet. But that would be discounting Italian reds — especially those from the Amarone-producing region of Valpolicella — which can be just as powerful. The secret? Traditional techniques like air-drying grapes pre-ferment to intensify richness and structure. Source them from a high altitude grower who yields his vineyard low, air dries the fruit for an extended period and ferments to maximise extraction, and you've got yourself a bruising rivalry!
In this 6-pack, we’ve matched three massive, low yield, air dried reds from Ca' Botta with three bold Aussie reds, including the opulent Yaldara Grand Shiraz and full-bodied Angas King Reserve. It's a side-by-side look at what happens when both hemispheres go big — in flavour, structure and style.
The 2021 Yaldara Grand is a straight Shiraz, owing to the concentration and profundity of the Shiraz fruit from this vintage. Unsurprisingly, this offers more power and concentration than any previous vintage. A massive, deep and complex expression of the best bits of the Barossa Valley. Dark chocolate, liquorice, tobacco leaf, blue and black fruits, cedar, cassis, plums, cherries, spice and plenty of cedary oak and tannins. Incredible.
97pts Kim Brebach, 96pts Sam Kim, 95pts Ray Jordan, Gold AWC
Bright red fruit wrapped in the silk and spice you’d expect from a classic McLaren Vale Shiraz. Generous yet balanced, with a vibrant acidity that lifts the fruit. Layers of well-integrated oak add structure, making this a wine that will cellar beautifully for 10+ years.
Remarkably intense for a superiore, with dense fruits and excellent acidity tempered by French oak. The bouquet offers cherries, plums, sage and red flowers along with chocolate, smoke, minerality and olive tapenade. The palate is packed with ripe cherries, blackberries, blackberries along with white pepper. Soft and elegant tannins and balanced acidity leave your palate fresh. The second glass beckons.
Our 3rd vintage of the Torcinato, and absolutely the finest to date. This is a big and exceptionally well-structured and refined wine which requires at an hour in a decanter before drinking. It is powerful yet silky smooth, with intense red and blue fruits, cola, tobacco, blackberries, cherries and fresh thyme. Fruit is air dried prior to fermentation for 45 days meaning that 1.6 kg of fruit are required to make each bottle!
In theory this is an entry level wine for Ca’ Botta, carrying the IGT designation rather than the more favoured DOC or DOCG status. Why? Because this is a wine made using Amarone methods using primarily Amarone varieties with the inclusion of Cabernet which is not allowed in Amarone production... They add Cabernet to build freshness and change the tannin profile... to make something as good but a little different to a traditional Amarone. 2.2 kilos of fruit are needed to make just one bottle. Structural, black and intense, with complex flavours, fruit sweetness and exceptional length. A wonderful opportunity to try an exceptional Amarone style wine from the region.
Rich, black, dark, deep, black curranty, powerful and well oaked. Blackcurrant, black olives, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, velvety goodness here. A superb follow-up to the excellent 2017 vintage.
