2019 Place Of Changing Winds Heathcote Syrah
Other Reviews….
The first thing that came to mind when I put my nose near this Heathcote syrah was concrete. I’m not sure that concrete really has a smell, or not dry concrete anyway, but nonetheless I scurried over to the tech sheet to see if concrete was involved. The wine was fermented in steel and concrete tank before going into large, neutral oak. It saw 100% whole bunches but it’s not overtly stemmy. The home of Place of Changing Winds is in the Macedon region; this syrah is from purchased grapes grown at Colbinabbin in Heathcote. It’s the 10th shiraz release (formerly known as Graillot). It’s the second release to be made entirely in the Place of Changing Winds cellar.
It’s an incredibly fresh wine, both in style and in presentation. It’s juicy and refreshing, and for that alone it feels very different to the Heathcote norm. Intricate, lacy, fine-grained, grapey; all these words apply. Cherry, plum, sultana and boysenberry are all evident, as is earth, sweet spice, tobacco, meat and stem. It’s a wine with many positive but its best aspect is its finish, which curls out like smoke rising from an intensely defined source. We’re in good days now but better days yet are ahead. This is an elegant, intricate, filigreed delight. Drink 2022 - 2028+
94+ points
Campbell Mattinson – The Wine Front (March 2021)
Colbinabbin vineyard for Place Of Changing Winds, a wine that came with a great deal of satisfaction for vigneron/distributor/writer Rob Walters. This project is at full steam and seems to find more room to move each year. Kudos.
Succulent red treading deeply into savoury territory, leads with game meat, charcuterie, clove-cinnamon spice characters and doubles that through the palate with the laid back sluice of red cherry, dried raspberry and light smoky notes. Good length here, impressive web of fine, lacy tannins, impressive texturally and generally as a presence in the palate. Wonderful drinking. Drink 2021 - 2022+
94 points
Mike Bennie – The Wine Front (March 2021)