1997 Kay Brothers Block 6 Shiraz

Date Tasted 21/08/1999: Another extraordinary vintage - in fact the 105th from this tiny 4 acre vineyard block. In July 1891 Fred and Herbert Kay collected Shiraz cuttings from Thomas Hardys Tintara Vineyard and began to plant Block 6 in 1892. Twelve acres were planted, of which only four acres remain today. These 100 year old plus vines produce wines of remarkable quality and concentration, however the trade of is that they are very low yielding.

The 1997 vintage yielded only 8.78 tonnes, that's equivalent to 2.19 tonnes an acre and a guarantee that this wine will be an essay of concentrated flavour. Opaque crimson purple colour. There is a magnificence on the nose that is reminiscent of the 1971 Penfolds Grange - a tiny trace of volatility that lifts the fruit to a new aromatic height. Wonderful aromas of vanilla, spice, ripe blood plums, blackberries, liquorice and liquorice allsorts. A great whiff! The palate is everything that can be expected from grandfather vines that are cropped at a very low level. Super ripe concentrated flavours of blood plums, rich ripe blackberries and blackcurrants with doses of fresh liquorice and pronounced blackpepper in the background. Fine grained tannins, near perfect, with excellent balance and long lingering aftertaste of blackberries and spicy plums. The production in 1997 is about half that of previous vintages and thus stocks are extremely limited. Cellar 8-10 years.
93 points 

EXTREMELY LIMITED STOCKS!!!