Wine Advisor
Clarendon Hills, Astralis Shiraz 2009
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
The 2009 Astralis Vineyard Syrah has a very deep purple-black color and aromas of creme de cassis, mulberries and dried plums with nuances of cloves, fruit cake, peppered salami and mace plus a whiff of mocha. The full bodied palate is already harmonious with a generous amount of warm berry and fruit cake flavors supported by medium-firm grainy tannins, lively acid and finishing long and savory. Approachable now, it should drink best 2014 to 2024+. Importer: Wine Brokers Unlimited, Hayward, CA
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2009 Astralis presents a very fruity, floral nose with lifted notes of blueberries. The palate is concentrated with a slight prune character and has very crisp acidity. At this stage the phenolics are showing a little chewy before finishing long. Drink it now to 2027+. I am grateful to Roman Bratasiuk for presenting me with small verticals from his cellar of some of his greatest vineyard sources for this report, including the Merlot (as an indication that Merlot can do well in Australia!), the Old Vines/Romas Vineyard Grenache and a vertical of the Astralis vineyard Shiraz going back to 1991. Readers should note that the 2011 vintage Clarendon Hills wines are being released a little later than usual and therefore were not available for tasting in time for this report. However, I have been informed that they will be available for tasting very soon and will hopefully make the South Australia report. Importer: Wine Brokers Unlimited, Hayward, CA
About the Producer
Clarendon Hills is located in the famous McLaren Vale wine region, 40 kilometers south of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. The vineyards at Clarendon Hills cover 200 acres (81 hectares) and are planted to Grenache, Merlot, Shiraz and Carbernet Sauvignon. The average age of the vines is 75 years for Grenache, 25 years for Merlot, 75 years for Shiraz and 60 years for Cabernet Sauvignon. In terms of vineyard management, the winery's owners practice minimal human intervention and respect the characteristics of the vineyard, the grapes and the vintage. The grapes are pruned by hand during the growing process and picked by hand when ripe. For winemaking, the grapes are picked and fermented naturally in open stainless steel vats for 14 to 21 days. Although most wineries in South Australia use American oak barrels to age their wines, the owner, Roman Bretesque, who is a fan of French wines, prefers to use French wines as a reference and only uses French oak barrels for the aging phase of his wines, which lasts for 18 months. The wines are then not clarified or filtered, in order to preserve the character of the vintage and the vineyard. Although Clarendon Hills also produces some Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, it is the Grenache and Syrah wines from this single vineyard that are among the world's finest. These wines combine the elegance of French wines with the intensity of Australian wines, with a ripe, full-bodied palate and exceptional aging potential. Recent outstanding vintages include the 2003, 2002, 2001, 1998, 1996 and 1992.
