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2009 Tatiarra Cambrian Shiraz
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| Heathcote, Victoria, AUSTRALIA |
| RATING: 98 |
VALUE:  |
CELLAR: 8 - 10 years (2019 - 2021) |
ALC/VOL: 15.50% |
TASTED: 29 Oct 2011 |
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2009 TATIARRA CAMBRIAN SHIRAZ.
THE CLIMAX OF A DREAM RUN.
Seven years after the first release, Tatiarra continues to set the pace in Heathcote while others coast along in cruise control. However the dream run ends here - and possibly with the best wines from this estate to date (it will be at least 2013 before you see another Tatiarra release, the exception being the 2009 Culled Barrel).
In a remarkable display of integrity towards their brand (and your hard earned cash) no wine whatsoever will be released under the Tatiarra label from the 2011 vintage (our hearts go out to those producers who lost more than just a crop). Heavy rains through December to April significantly reduced fruit quality while downey mildew and bortytis also played a part. 2010 should have been similar to 2009, until two weeks before vintage heavy hail storms followed by a huge deluge of rain again reduced the quality of the crop. The entire vintage was culled.
Few vineyards in the world volunteer themselves off the shelves. The ones who do invariably are at the high end of the passion scale - no regional stand ins, no substitutes, no compromising a long term vision to produce the world's greatest wines. Rick Kinsbrunner’s 2009 vintage was without a single bottle of Chardonnay or Shiraz produced
under the Giaconda label. Torbreck have already suggested 2011 is a no go. They will only make the entry level 'Woodcutters' Shiraz, small amounts of ‘The Struie’ and some 'Steading', David Powell summing it up as "the worst vintage in 35 years of winemaking...costing $8 million in sales that can never be recouped..." Daring to communicate with honesty, he adds, "If I’m not prepared to buy and drink a wine, I’m not prepared to sell it.”
Of 2011 Shiraz, James Halliday predicts "There may be some good wine at the top of the pyramid, very little in the middle and a vast amount at the bottom". Overall, the vintage has yielded a "300,000-tonne surplus, that is of such atrocious quality (botrytis and mildew-infested) that it should never have been picked". You have to admire those producers who believe that integrity should be the force underpinning their brand - an honest, powerful, and hard earned cultural value forged in the minds of drinkers by vintage after vintage of quality that delivers or exceeds the promise of the label.
An exceptional Shiraz from one of Heathcote's top estates that continues to take a no compromise appraoch in the pursuit of perfection.
Tatiarra and Torbreck have the courage to stand by their customers through one of the most difficult Australian
vintages in memory. Support for these few is all the more warranted – they're standing up for the industry as a whole instead of bottling product they know doesn’t cut it (as many will when a harvest estimate of 1.62 million tonnes for 2011 is the sixth largest on record from a year when it shouldn't have been - there is real potential for “Brand Australia” to be sabotaged by a surplus of poor quality).
Seven years ago James Halliday said of Tatiarra, "It is hard to imagine a more auspicious start to a new venture". The current predicament highlights what a fundamentally different operation this is. Winemaker, Ben Riggs is more excited about the 2009 Cambrian Shiraz than any other release (including the already legendary 'Caravan of Dreams'). It will likely stand up as the greatest expression from this vineyard produced to date.
A wine that has all the potential to evolve into the greatest Cambrian Shiraz yet produced by Tatiarra.
Tasting Note....
It will please many to note that the 2009 vintage of Tatiarra’s Cambrian Shiraz is the first to be bottled with a Stelvin seal. In comparison to previous vintages, it also spent a slightly longer period of time in barrel (just over 18 months) with extended bottle age before release (12 months).
Totally opaque youthful inky black purple colour with deep black purple hue showing Tatiarra’s renown colour saturation. Superb nose with perfumed aromas of ripe blackberry, liquorice, dark plum, violets, dark chocolate, confectionary and spice. The palate is super concentrated, yet not bulky or over the top – quite the contrary - energetic with a rock like structure delivering an explosive flavour profile of ripe blackberry, liquorice and dark plum that fills every corner of the mouth followed by a touch of vanillin oak and a very persistent blackpepper back palate. Very fine grained, almost velvet like tannins with a dry finish. Magnificent depth with exceptionally long aftertaste of ripe blackberry, liquorice, meaty spice like characters and blackpepper.
Cellar 8-10 years plus (2019-2021+)
Alc 15.5%.
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Rec
Retail |
A$44.70 |
Bottle Price |
A$39.99 |
Dozen Price |
A$474.00 |
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