2004 Marquis Philips 9 Shiraz

The Marquis Philips brand was born from a collaboration between Sarah and Sparky Marquis and US importer Dan Philips.  Wine lovers will be very familiar with the dynamic duo, who have in the past been responsible for making wine for Fox Creek as well as Henry’s Drive.  Sparky is a firm believer that 90% quality of the finished wine is directly due to the management regime of the vineyard and 10% attributed to the winemaking skill. The packaging of Marquis Philips is a delightful graphic play on the American Eagle and our own Kangaroo, resulting with the creation of the cult Roogle label, whereby the head of the eagle is superimposed over the body of the Kangaroo.

Both Sparky and Sarah have produced an exceptional run of wines throughout their careers, with an emphasis on the ‘WOW’ factor which has brought them wide acclaim from Robert Parker who wrote, “Two brilliant winemakers, this husband and wife team exhibits immense talent for capturing the magical richness of South Australias Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, and bottling it in a pure, un-manipulated fashion.”

The fruit for the S2 Cabernet and the 9 Shiraz is sourced from relatively young 5 and 7 year old vines yielding an average of 3-4 tonnes per acre.  This is a surprising result and attests to the quality of vineyard management and balance which is achieved.  The grapes are fermented in a contemporary manner in 14 and 25 tonne stainless steel fermenters, in a relatively cool temperature ranging from 14°C and 18°C.