Grape Variety: 100% Shiraz

Growing Region: Clare Valley, Australia

Chief Winemaker: Mitchell Taylor

TASTING NOTE:
The first Taylors St. Andrews wines were released in 1999 and have a reputation as benchmark examples of great Clare Valley wine. The growing season in 2009 was near perfect in the Clare Valley. The Shiraz fruit from their selected sites was exceptionally well balanced; showing rich, varietal fleshy fruit flavours, with the St Andrews vineyards yielded no more than 2.2 tonnes per acre.

Once harvested, the grapes were gently de-stemmed to protect the vibrant fruit characters and minimise any extraction of harsh tannins. The fruit was then inoculated with a special yeast strain for fermentation. The must was hand-plunged twice daily to aid gentle extraction before being pressed and transferred back to the same oak barrels to complete malolactic fermentation. After this stage the wine was racked off lees prior to final blending. The blended wine was then transferred to a mixture of fine-grained French and American oak barrels and matured for 12 months prior to filtering and bottling in March 2011.

In the glass you have a dark red colour with a deep crimson hue. The wine has earthy, complex and enticing aromas of chocolate-mocha intertwined with spice and rich, dark berry fruits. The palate is a full and mouth filling, packed with rich fruit flavours and oak characters are in absolute balance bringing structure and grace to the palate from start to finish. This is a generous yet elegant wine that showcases Clare Valley Shiraz at its best. Decant for 45-60 mins and serve at 17-18C.

CELLARING POTENTIAL:
Drinking perfectly well this winter season; and will age well for another 7-8 years.

SUGGESTED FOOD MATCHES:
Perfect wine match with wild game, roast meats and spicy tapas, enjoy.

Clare Valley Shiraz in perfect balance.