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2004 Tatiarra Caravan of Dreams Shiraz

Heathcote, Victoria, AUSTRALIA
$180. 00
Bottle
$2160.00 Dozen
Cellar: 10 - 15 Years (2015-2020)
ABV: 15.5%
Closure: Cork

The 2004 Tatiarra Heathcote Shiraz Collection will take you beyond any Shiraz experience you have ever had before.

Recently "GARAGISTE" (based in Seattle, U.S.A. and one of America's most reputable wine merchants) tasted the wines and were plunged into a sensory tour-de force, re-surfacing with reports so graphic, so potent, that there is little we can add. Put simply: "This is why you drink wine."

This abridged version of Garagiste's full report begins with the 2004 Tatiarra Cambrian Shiraz:

"...if you are a Clos Rougeard meets Lagrein meets Hermitage meets 1955 La Mission Haut Brion sort of person then this is for you...This is a painful experience of acid, complexity, cherry rock and masculine traits that will push aside the uninitiated back to their gentler South Australian experiments. A megalith waiting to unfold...One of the very best wines produced in 2004 anywhere in Australia...For the money the Cambrian has to be one of the most complex and complete wines made in Australia today. THE HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION."

If the stunning 2004 Cambrian Shiraz could be bettered, only one wine could do it, the 2004 Tatiarra Caravan of Dreams Shiraz Pressings:

"...the very best wine of the vintage going beyond the critically swooned over 2003 Pressings. I'm not sure how they could accomplish this...Chiseled, liquefied rock and earth meshed with just the slightest suggestion of heavy cream and a tannic structure that would take Godzilla several films to break through, the 2004 is a mighty wine of earth and fruit with an impossibly complicated, wound up and layered personality that is truly one of a kind in Australia. This is as close as it gets to an old-style Grange character (think 1962 or 1971) while remaining clean, fresh and impenetrable. If you purchase this wine it will be very disappointing if opened today - it will illicit more than a few "who cares?" remarks and evil glairs from your guests. This is all about the ageing potential - if you buy Grange (at four times the price) and you don't buy this then I'm not sure what to say. THE VERY HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION."

After surfacing for air, the tasting panel were then confronted with a wine that stretched their conceptions of the variety to new horizons, the 2004 Tatiarra Trademark Shiraz:

"It is one of the very best (if not the very best) wines of 2004...The devilish amalgam of sultry Footprint with the iron fisted Pressings has produced a "wow" of a beverage that somehow bridges the off-putting nature of the regular Tatiarra wines and softens it with the 2004 McLaren Vale fruit. This is akin to your young Latour being softened with Le Pin - a compelling combination of style, substance, mouthfeel and incredible length and breed this wine has left so many tastes in Australia speechless that I'm not really sure what to write anymore. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED".

The 2004 Tatiarra collection is an utter triumph for Tatiarra's 'dream team' (viticulturists, Ian Rathjen & Bob Wilson together with winemakers Ben Riggs & Peter Flewellyn). Their triumph is only over-shadowed by the loss of Tatiarra co-founder and C.F.O., Bill Spring, who passed away in September. These wines are dedicated to the vision he shared with Nick Chlebnikowski: to produce the world's finest expressions of Shiraz. With the release of the 2004 Tatiarra Collection, that vision is now reality.

The Caravan of Dreams is a tribute to the founder of the Tatiarra Vineyard, Bill Hepburn, who planted the first Shiraz vines some decades ago. The only comfort that he had in those early days was a caravan (in which he lived) and a 'thunderbox' which was located under the shade of a large gum tree. The rest is history. The Tatiarra Caravan of Dreams has captured the hearts of wine lovers world wide. The only set back being its extremely limited production with no potential to increase volumes due to the very nature of a pressings wine.

Tasting Note:
The colour is again a saturate of black and purple which clings to the walls of the glass, creating the impression of stained glass. Superb lifted nose of blackberry concentrate, black cherry, vanilla and spice. Like the Cambrian Shiraz, from which the pressings wine is derived, this wine delivers an explosive powerhouse of flavour and force. Big, velvet texture and monumental flavour profile. Flavours of liquorice allsorts, vanilla, spice, blackberry and plum are overlaid with black and white pepper. Exceptionally long palate and aftertaste. A TRIUMPH.
Cellar: 10-15 years (2015-2020) 
Alc/Vol: 15.5%

Other Reviews...
A revelation, the 2004 Shiraz Pressings, which was aged 16 months in new American oak, may be the finest Shiraz I have ever tasted from Heathcote. Nearly overwhelming terroir characteristics of graphite, crushed rocks, and wet steel interwoven with acacia flower, crème de cassis and blueberry notes jump from the glass of this multi-layered, superbly concentrated effort, which displays freakish precision. Offering a seamless blend of extraordinary fruit, but also enormous potential, complexity and definition, it is an amazing effort from winemaker Ben Riggs! Anticipated maturity: 2007-2020+
RATING: 98+
(Notes sourced from Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate #161)