2003 Clarendon Hills Liandra Vineyard Syrah

A wine with a degree of voluptuousness that would cause Rubens some concern. The Baroque artist specialized in painting naked ladies, and in order to obtain the level of plumpness that he desired, fed his ladies on bread. If one had to survive on bread and wine alone, then this wine would be an outstanding contender. The vines are dryland farmed, yielding a maximum of 2.5-3 tonnes per ace in their top years. The crop levels in 2003 were around the 2-2.5 tonnes per acre mark.

Opaque black purple colour – a visual delight with its wonderful saturated hues. Superb nose, with perfumed lift of blood plum, blackberry and violets. The palate is mouth filling with ‘joosy’ flamboyant flavours of black pepper and blackberry followed by hints of liquorice. The ‘fleshy’ nature of the palate is further emphasized by the velvet smooth tannins. Perfect balance with very long and pronounced black pepper aftertaste.
Cellar 8-10 years (2012-2014)
Alc/Vol: 14.8%

Robert Parker's Review
The 2003 Syrah Liandra Vineyard offers a tremendous perfume of black fruits, incense, pepper, vanilla, and licorice. Full-bodied, with beautiful integration of its structural elements as well as tremendous purity (a characteristic of all the Clarendon Hills wines), it should hit its stride in 2-3 years, and last for 12-15.
(Notes sourced from Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate #155)
ROBERT PARKER'S RATING: (92-95) points