WS 2004: Powerhouse Australian Shirazes

Twelve classic-rated wines top this year's reds from Down Under

Harvey Steiman
Issue: September 30, 2004

Australia's best regions have already released a raft of exciting wines from the 2002, 2001 and 2000 vintages. Now, as the longer-aged marquee wines reach our shores, those years are looking even more impressive.

An even dozen wines, all made from Shiraz or blends thereof, earned classic ratings (95 points or higher on the Wine Spectator 100-point scale) in this report, which includes all the Australian reds tasted since last year's annual report (Sept. 30, 2003). In all, I reviewed close to 600 Australian reds in the past year, rating 130 of them outstanding (90 points or higher), the most ever.

That's due partly to the fact that Americans are seeing more wines overall as Australia challenges France and Italy as the leading exporter to the United States. But it's also because these wines turned out great even though Mother Nature threw growers a few curves. Specific regions suffered low yields in one vintage or another, but quality in the bottle is excellent across the board in the vintages occupying most of the shelf space.

On the downside, Australia has become such a hot commodity in the United States that fledgling producers are scrambling to get in on the action, and not all the resulting wines are worth considering. I tasted more than 150 wines that just didn't measure up to the ones included in this report, either on sheer quality or on quality for the given price.

Australia makes good, even outstanding red wines from red grape varieties other than Shiraz, notably Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon, even the occasional Pinot Noir, Merlot or Cabernet Franc. But its greatest dry reds have always used Shiraz, sometimes blended with Cabernet Sauvignon or, more recently, Viognier and other Rhône varieties.

Most of the classic reds are 100 percent Shiraz, but Torbreck uses 2 percent Viognier in the top-rated wine in this report, RunRig Barossa Valley 2001 (98 points, $145), an amazingly supple, round and pure wine. Its gorgeous blueberry, plum, mineral and subtle spice flavors soar through an extraordinarily long, fleshy finish. It's the best wine yet from David Powell, who started Torbreck in 1994 and has a string of outstanding bottlings in the 2001 vintage.

In Australia they call wines like RunRig "icons," implying a saintly level of quality and certain rarity. These icons have several things in common. They usually cost at least $75 a bottle, and triple-digit prices are not unusual. Most of them come from three regions clustered around Adelaide in South Australia: Clare, Barossa and McLaren Vale. They use old vines, which in South Australia means they were planted at least 50 or 60 years ago, sometimes even in the 19th century.

Penfolds Grange 1999 (94, $209) is a formidable follow-up to the awesome 1998 (99, $205), which received my highest rating ever for an Australian wine. The 1999 is not quite so grand, but has tremendous class, offering smoky, earthy blackberry, plum and currant fruit flavors that gain with each sip. It should age beautifully. The other Shiraz rivaling Grange in stature, Henschke Hill of Grace, is not included in this report. Henschke is holding off on releasing the 1999 vintage to give it more time in the bottle.

But there are plenty of other wines to get high rollers excited, each with a special characteristic. The Jim Barry Shiraz Clare Valley The Armagh 2001 (95, $100), polished and aromatic, spreads cardamom- and white pepper-scented blackberry, cherry and licorice flavors generously across the tongue. Elderton Shiraz Barossa Command 2000 (97, $66), rich and gooey like a warm flourless chocolate cake, finds a plush balance that keeps it from veering into heaviness. Barossa Valley Estate Shiraz Barossa Valley E&E Black Pepper 2000 (95, $85) is a mighty mouthful of black pepper-scented black cherry, stewed plum and licorice flavors that echo on a long, fine-grained finish.

Really big spenders might consider Astralis 2002 (95, $262) from Clarendon Hills in McLaren Vale. Winemaker Roman Bratasiuk has found a more refined style, less big and chunky than previous vintages. It's polished, round and beautifully balanced to bring the blueberry, plum and blackberry character into relief.

But you need not spend quite so much to get your hands on knockout Australian reds.

Three routes can get you more for your investment:

1. For every icon, look for a more reasonably priced alternative made by the same producer. Or search for the next hot wine in the category.

2. Look for less-celebrated regions. Eleven of the 12 reds scoring 95 points or higher come from Clare, Barossa or McLaren Vale, but really good wines from elsewhere seldom command such high prices.

3. Shiraz isn't everything. Australia does other reds well, if less consistently. Consider the better Cabernet Sauvignons or blends.

To identify the wines that might become the next icons, look for newer wineries or wineries coming into their own. One budding star is Hazyblur, which specializes in small-lot, beautifully made wines from better vineyards in different regions, such as its Shiraz Barossa Valley 2002 (95, $85). Taylors Wines of Clare sells its products as Wakefield in the United States, and its Shiraz Clare Valley St. Andrews 1999 (93, $50) has a gorgeous balance of flavors, with stunning depth and length. Wirra Wirra, long a mainstay of McLaren Vale, offers winners such as its Shiraz McLaren Vale R.S.W. 2001 (92, $45), with masses of plum, cherry and spicy, earthy flavors exploding in the mouth. Wirra Wirra's plush, velvety Shiraz McLaren Vale 2001 (91, $26) is impressive as well.

Arguably the most successful of the new breed is Two Hands, the brainchild of two 30-something Adelaide businessmen who put together some startup capital and spent it on vineyard contracts with the best growers they could find. With success they bought a winery and vineyard in Barossa, where Matt Wenk is making polished, harmonious wines such as the Shiraz Barossa Valley Bella's Garden 2002 (96, $40). It's distinctive for its pepper and exotic spice notes and its long, long finish. The Shiraz McLaren Vale Lily's Garden 2002 (94, $40) isn't far behind, offering a cascade of blueberry, plum, coffee and cedar flavors that linger effectively.

As it has grown, Two Hands has added a high-end wine, Ares, a Barossa Shiraz. The 2002 (95, $110) has tremendous intensity without going overboard on style. Two Hands is adding more regional blends in the Garden series to go along with the Barossa and McLaren Vale, as well as other blends with clever pictures on the label (the Picture series) targeted at $20 to $30. From the vines surrounding the new winery, Wenk also makes Shiraz under the Branson Coach House label, including the dark, brooding Coach House Block Rare Single Vineyard 2002 (94, $75) and the more refined Greenock Block Single Vineyard 2002 (92, $45).

As is the case with Two Hands, a winery that makes great expensive wine should be able to put something really good in the bottle for a few bucks less. That reasoning works for icons such as Torbreck, with a series of darned impressive wines: The Factor 2001 (97, $85), The Struie 2002 (94, $50) and Descendant 2002 (91, $85), all 100 percent Shiraz. It also applies to such wineries as Barossa Valley Estate, the commercial label of the Barossa co-op, whose Ebenezer Shiraz 2000 (93, $30) is only a couple of steps behind its icon E&E Shiraz Black Pepper. Elderton's regular Barossa Shiraz 2001 (93, $26) is a worthy companion to its Shiraz Command Vineyard, while Clarendon Hills Syrah Moritz 2002 (93, $62) looks pretty good next to the aforementioned Astralis.

Broadening the regional focus could lead you to Greg Norman Estates, created by multinational giant Beringer Blass to capitalize on the pro golfer's name and reputation. Its sensational Shiraz Reserve 1999 (96, $40) blends sources in Coonawarra in South Australia and Mt. Ida in central Victoria. This red vibrates with ultraripe fruit balanced by juicy acidity, finishing with remarkable harmony.

From the get-go, the Greg Norman line has been hitting 89 or 90 points for wines priced less than $20. Two years ago the winery introduced the Shiraz McLaren Vale Reserve 1998 (predecessor to the current release) at $40; it earned a 94-point rating.

Victoria is home to some icons of its own, such as Jasper Hill Shiraz Heathcote Georgia's Paddock 2002 (92, $100) and the really hard-to-find, colorfully named Wild Duck Creek Shiraz Heathcote Duck Muck 2002 (92, $300). Victoria Shiraz seems better appreciated in Australia than in the United States because the wines are not big, rich and powerful like most South Australian Shiraz. Better Victoria reds seem to have more acuity if less opulence, more acidity and less alcohol.

Balgownie Shiraz Bendigo 2002 (92, $30), for example, strikes a wonderful balance of crisp texture and expansive flavor. Some other options at relatively moderate prices including Passing Clouds Shiraz Bendigo Reserve 2001 (91, $25), jazzy with bright blackberry and pepper flavors, and Plunkett Shiraz Strathbogie Ranges Reserve 2002 (91, $26), whose vibrant acidity balances vivid cherry and blackberry.

And there are plenty of red wines worth seeking out besides Shiraz. Dominique Portet Cabernet Sauvignon Yarra Valley 2001 (91, $35), from the former winemaker of Taltarni and brother of Napa Valley's Bernard Portet of Clos du Val, is a seductive mouthful of currant, blackberry and vanilla flavors shaped into a polished package. Frankland Estate Olmo's Reward Frankland River 2000 (90, $26) blends Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon for a soft, seductive red. In Coonawarra, Punters Corner Triple Crown Coonawarra 2001 (90, $20) makes Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot into an impressively aromatic package.

Grenache and blends involving Rhône varieties are making more of an impact with each succeeding vintage. Clarendon Hills has owned this category, making single-vineyard Grenache that consistently ranks among the best reds from Australia. The style is dense and ripe, and for the second consecutive year my favorite is the tightly wound, impeccably balanced Grenache Kangarilla Vineyard 2002 (93, $55). The price is up nearly 50 percent over the previous vintage, which opens the door for some of the other nifty wines involving Grenache that are challenging Clarendon.

The best wine yet from Yangarra, the Australian winery owned by Kendall-Jackson of California, is its debut Yangarra Estate Grenache McLaren Vale Old Vine 2002 (93, $25), a real thoroughbred made from 80-year-old vines growing along the top contours of the home vineyard, the old Norman's Estate. Yangarra also made a wonderfully juicy Grenache-Shiraz-Mourvèdre McLaren Vale 2002 (91, $25).

Among the notable blends of Rhône varieties are the sumptuous Kalleske Grenache Barossa Valley Old Vine Basket Pressed 2002 (92, $42) and the new Yalumba Mourvèdre-Grenache-Shiraz Barossa 2002 (91, $30). Good values are Oliverhill Grenache McLaren Vale Bradey Block 2002 (91, $20), Sons of Eden Kennedy Barossa Valley 2002 (90, $22), Kurtz Family Boundary Row Barossa Valley 2002 (a blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro) (90, $20) and Hamilton's Ewell Grenache-Shiraz Barossa Valley Stonegarden 2002 (90, $18).

The folks at Wolf Blass, the Australian flagship winery of the Beringer Blass empire, have been busy, introducing a flurry of new and upgraded wines into the U.S. market. Australians know Blass for several specific bottlings color-coded by label. The high-end Black Label, usually a Cabernet Sauvignon or a blend of Cabernet and Shiraz, uses Barossa Shiraz and Langhorne Creek Cabernet to advantage in the 2000 (92, $62). I liked it every bit as much as the ultrarich, ultrarefined Cabernet Sauvignon Barossa Platinum Label 1998 (92, $34), new to U.S. consumers.

There's also a new line called Gold Label, expanding on what had been a single wine, the Gold Label Riesling. The new Shiraz 2002 from Barossa (91, $24) and Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 from Coonawarra (88, $24) are deliberately tailored to be graceful rather than opulent. Grey Label has long been highly regarded in Australia, and its debut wine here, a Langhorne Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 (90, $32), is tangy and refreshing. The crisp, cool-climate Shiraz Adelaide Hills Platinum Label 2001 (91, $72) is a jazzy, audacious wine, but the quality doesn't quite justify the price.

At the value end of the spectrum, from $10 to $15, I found a number of wines that can liven up any dinner table. Wynns Coonawarra Estate Shiraz Coonawarra 2002 (89, $12) has blueberry and currant on a plush texture; Barossa Valley Estate Shiraz Barossa Valley Spires 2002 (88, $12) delivers a lovely swirl of black cherry, raspberry and licorice; and Red Knot Cabernet Sauvignon McLaren Vale 2002 (88, $11) does likewise with the Bordeaux grape.

Hill of Content, the négociant label made for export by broker John Larchet for his Australian Premium Wine Collection, has three wines in that price category, including a surprisingly good Pinot Noir Mornington Peninsula-Adelaide Hills 2002 (87, $15). Kirralaa, the joint venture involving Robert Mondavi and Rosemount, delivers good values such as the appealingly pure Cabernet Sauvignon South Eastern Australia 2002 (88, $15). Paringa, which has extensive plantings in the hot interior Riverlands area, cuts down the yields to make winners like its Cabernet Sauvignon South Australia 2003 (88, $11).

In the $15 to $20 range, don't miss the seductive Peter Lehmann Clancy's Barossa 2002 (90, $16), a blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc; the velvety Jim Barry The Cover Drive Clare Valley-Coonawarra 2001 (90, $15), a Cabernet Sauvignon; and Marquis Philips Shiraz South Eastern Australia 2002 (90, $15), a real mouthful for the price.

Whether value-priced or deserving of icon status, Australia's red wines can deliver plenty of character. You can open your checkbook for the ones that already have a pedigree, but the exciting thing about Australia is how many discoveries there still are-not just with Shiraz but with other varietals and blends that may leave a few more dollars in the account.

Editor at large Harvey Steiman is Wine Spectator's lead taster on the wines of Australia.

Top Wines

Wine	Score	Price
TORBRECK RunRig Barossa Valley 2001	98	$145
Amazingly supple, round and pure, smoothly polished-the tannins almost disappear-but supporting the gorgeous blueberry, plum, mineral and subtle spice flavors.
ELDERTON Shiraz Barossa Command 2000	97	$66
Big and powerful, brimming with tarry, spicy black cherry, dark plum, blackberry and chocolate flavors. Rich and gooey like a warm flourless chocolate cake.
TORBRECK The Factor Barossa Valley 2001	97	$85
Glowing with gorgeous blueberry, plum and white pepper flavors that skim across the palate like a sailboat in a perfect wind. Mineral and spice weave through the finish.
KAESLER Shiraz Barossa Valley Old Bastard 2001	96	$110
A big but elegant wine, focusing pure blueberry, blackberry and plum flavors on a laser beam of tannins and acidity.
GREG NORMAN ESTATES Shiraz South Eastern Australia Reserve 1999	96	$40
Dark, deep and powerful, vibrating with ultraripe raspberry, blackberry, licorice, sweet peppers and spices. A knockout.
TWO HANDS Shiraz Barossa Valley Bella's Garden 2002	96	$40
Rich and distinctive, with pepper and exotic spice notes weaving through the chewy cherry pie, dried blueberry and coffee flavors.
BAROSSA VALLEY ESTATE Shiraz Barossa Valley E&E Black Pepper 2000	95	$85
Dense, dark and powerful, a mighty mouthful of black pepper-scented black cherry, stewed plum and licorice flavors.
JIM BARRY Shiraz Clare Valley The Armagh 2001	95	$100
Tremendously aromatic with cardamom- and white pepper- scented blackberry, cherry and licorice flavors.
CLARENDON HILLS Astralis Clarendon 2002	95	$262
Polished, round and balanced to bring the blueberry, plum and blackberry character into relief, with superfine tannins.
HAZYBLUR Shiraz Barossa Valley 2002	95	$85
A huge mouthful of yummy plum, blueberry and cream flavors that cascade across the palate like a raft on a wave.
JOSEPH Shiraz Clarendon Angel Gully 2001	95	$43
Sensuous, powerful and intense, beautifully built to showcase its pure plum, blueberry and exotic spice flavors.
TWO HANDS Shiraz Barossa Valley Ares 2002	95	$110
Brimming with blackberry, cherry and zingy spice character. Tremendous intensity; extraordinary length.

Smart Buys

Wine	Score	Price
YANGARRA ESTATE Grenache McLaren Vale Old Vine 2002	93	$25
Rich, ripe and massive, redolent of all sorts of dark fruits cascading over the palate like a roaring waterfall.
REILLY'S Shiraz Clare Valley Dry Land 2001	92	$25
Ripe, complex and aristocratic, dripping with spicy oak-accented blackberry, plum, pepper and licorice flavors.
SCHILD Shiraz Barossa 2002	92	$22
A raw, natural core explodes with gorgeous plum, blackberry, pepper and licorice flavors, with depth and intensity.
WOLF BLASS Shiraz Barossa Gold Label 2002	91	$24
Round, velvety and generous with its smoky blackberry and tar flavors, but the finish emphasizes berry and spice.
TAPESTRY Shiraz McLaren Vale 2001	91	$20
Tightly focused and beautifully balanced with black cherry, blackberry and a smoky, vaguely tobacco note.
YANGARRA ESTATE Grenache-Shiraz-Mourvèdre McLaren Vale 2002	91	$25
Big, rich and juicy, brimming with blueberry, plum, blackberry and black pepper flavors that jump out of the glass.
ANNIE'S LANE Copper Trail Clare Valley 2000	90	$20
Beautifully polished, round and silken, brimming with strawberry and cherry fruit. A wonderfully inviting, elegant wine.
HAMILTON'S EWELL Grenache-Shiraz Barossa Valley Stonegarden 2002	90	$18
Plush, with a minty dark chocolate edge to the cherry and pomegranate flavors, finishing with lively acidity.
LANGMEIL Shiraz Barossa Valley Valley Floor 2002	90	$22
Supple, ripe and polished, with peppery black cherry and licorice flavors playing out over fine-grained tannins.
LANGMEIL Three Gardens Barossa Valley 2002	90	$16
Rich, ripe and plush in texture, the flavors center on cherry and exotic spices, finishing long, smooth and generous.
PETER LEHMANN Clancy's Barossa 2002	90	$16
Seductive and polished. Lively with focused blackberry and currant flavors, shaded with touches of cedar and spice.
MARQUIS PHILIPS Shiraz South Eastern Australia 2002	90	$15
Ripe, dense and juicy; a real mouthful of dark berry, cherry, dusky spice and sweet oak flavors with a lively finish.
PIRRAMIMMA Shiraz McLaren Vale 2001	90	$23
Ripe, round and supple, generous with its blackberry, plum and sweet, spicy oak flavors, balanced nicely.
PUNTERS CORNER Triple Crown Coonawarra 2001	90	$20
Aromatic with cardamom, black pepper and red bell pepper wrapped around a core of cherry and currant fruit.
JIM BARRY Shiraz Clare Valley The Lodge Hill 2002	89	$15
Distinctly minty, expansively aromatic but tightening up on the palate, with firm tannins and dark fruit.
MARQUIS PHILIPS Sarah's Blend South Eastern Australia 2002	89	$15
A stylish red, distinctive for its spicy black cherry, berry and subtle mint flavors on a velvety background, lingering well.
WYNNS Coonawarra Estate Shiraz Coonawarra 2002	89	$12
Showing off its blueberry and currant fruit shaded with spicy oak, this has a purity and harmony that sets it apart.