Visiting The Cove, our vacation rental home in Destin, (FL), we opened this big red Shiraz with artisan cheeses and chocolates.
While this is the flagship of the extensive Clarendon Hills line which includes eight different Shiraz labels, in the past, I have preferred the style of their Piggott Range more. This has more of the tasting profile of the incredible Tanunda 100 Year Old Vines Shiraz we’ve written about, not surprising, since this too is sourced from old vines, from their first vineyard planted in 1920. Like the Tanunda, Astralis has limited production of only 150 cases.
At a release and market price of $180, this is in the super ultra-premium stratosphere, even more than the Tanunda at a release price of $125. This is a classic example where taste is in the eyes of the beholder and all that matters is one's personal pallet preference.
I prefer any one of several of my favorite Shiraz labels that are all in the $70 to $90 range and a select few at even less. Of course, as I often write in this blog, the thrill of the hunt and ultimate quest is to find that high QPR (Quality Price Ratio) wine that offers the same satisfaction at a fraction of the (premium) price.
We tasted and wrote about this label back in 2014, then, the first bottle we have tasted from a case Ryan purchased and split with me at the time. -
As part of its premium price-point, Astralis (like the Tanunda) comes with premium packaging in its own branded OWC, Original Wood Case (pictured left).
McLaren Vale is in south central Australia on the north-west of the Fleurieu Peninsula about 25 miles south of Adelaide. It is one of the oldest and highly regarded wine producing areas in the country. It was granted its appellation status, in Australia known as GI or Geographical Indication in 1997.
The climatic and geographical diversity of McLaren Vale is suitable for a wide array of grape varieties which are grown there including Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Mourvedre, which, together with Shiraz, make up some of the most acclaimed 'GSM' blends. Other varietals grown in the region in lesser amounts are Merlot, Zinfandel, Tempranillo, Sangiovese and Viognier.
McLaren Vale is also the source of white wine varietals, most notably Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Shiraz leads the region's list of award-winning wines with the best wines coming from very old vines, some planted more than 100 years ago.
This 2005 Astralis Vineyard Syrah is sourced from a vineyard planted in 1920 and is one of the few Syrah cuvees in which 100% new oak is utilized. Wine Enthusiast writes that
Astralis has become one of Australia's top collectible labels. The Winemaker for this label is Roman Bratasiuk.
This wine got huge reviews and scores from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (99 points), 96 points by Wine Spectator, 95 by Steve Tanzers IWC and Wine Enthusiast, and 92 by Wine and Spirits.
Like the bottle we had a decade ago, at twenty years, this wine remains a bit subdued. As with many super highly rated wines, their profile reflects more a lack of negatives, than profound obtuse big sprites.
Despite lacking those big forward fruit bombs, this is still a big unctuous, tongue-coating complex wine, deep dark inky purple colored wine with layers of concentrated ripe black and blue berry fruits with a layer of graphite and mineral, which in my opinion detracts from the fruit and other complementary tones of expresso, tobacco and spice box, leading to a smooth silky polished tannin lingering finish.
RM 92 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=421401
http://www.clarendonhills.com.au/home.aspx
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