The Perfectly-Cellared Bundle Plus Some Very Expensive Homework
We had a bit of a think about which wines are floating our boat the most at the moment from a cellared perspective. You know, where the tannins have softened a bit and some complexity is emerging but there is still a solid accent on fresh, primary fruit.
We settled on five wines: a 96-pointer from Mitchell (The Peppertree), a 95-pointer from Angas King, Kilikanoon's trophy-winning Grenache, JJ Hahn's 96-pointer from a vineyard planted in the 1890s and a 96-pointer from McLaren Vale. These are bulletproof and will work when you crack 'em at home, as a gift, or for when you head around to friends for a catch up. That all seemed like we were making things a bit too easy, so we've given you some homework in the form of two bottles of Yaldara's 96 point, $250-a-bottle Grand Cuvee Shiraz. You could study these now, but you'll want to bust out the cheat notes (decanter) so you can get a good sense of what's going on here. Do that, and you'll find these very engaging and informative already. Failing that, stick 'em away for a decade or so!
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.
Rich, black, dark, deep, powerfully fruited and structured with a decent lick of oak. Old school but drinking beautifully thanks to its age. Blackcurrant, black olives, bay leaf, dark chocolate, zesty acidity and cedary oak make this a powerful pleasure right now. Will continue to improve tho, for at least a decade.
A magical, medium bodied expression of very old vine Barossa Shiraz. Elegant almost ethereal fruit builds in intensity, revealing as it breathes black fruits, blueberries all enhanced by wonderfully floral aromatics. Complex, elegant, powerful and bloody awesome.
About as big as you can make a Cabernet and still have it taste like a Cab. Cassis, cigar box, cedar, black fruits, spice, cocoa powder and more on the go here. Definitely worth decanting, as this peels back the layers of tannin a little and pushes the fruit forwards. Pretty awesome!
96pts Kim Brebach, 95pts Wine Pilot, 94pts Sam Kim
A riper, darker and more supple expression of Peppertree Shiraz which retains the hallmark spice and subtlety. It was aged in old oak and released at 5 years of age – ready to drink! This is balanced and fresh, offering dark fruits, cherries, violets, dark chocolate, savoury notes and white pepper. Drink any time over the next 10+ years.
Gold, Top Gold and Trophy for best Grenache in Show Royal Adelaide Wine Show
Winner of Gold and Top Gold at the Adelaide Show and subsequently awarded the Trophy for best Grenache in show. An exceptional, medium bodied, old vine offering matured for 15 month in old oak, offering wonderful aromatics. Soft fruit is made mouthwatering thanks to excellent acidity.
