N2 Templates Project

Current vintage

2005

Our most celebrated wine, first made in 1994. It has great depth of colour, aroma and flavour, typical of the best wines of the McLaren Vale region. The Reserve has an extraordinary range of flavours with blackberry, blackcurrant, liquorice and dark chocolate. The wine has a rich sweet fruit mid palate and the finish is long. While approachable when young, it is best cellared.

Appearance

Intense vibrant purple, black colour.

Bouquet

Lifted complex aromas of spicy berry fruit, with smoky chocolate and savoury integrated oak complexity.

Palate

The palate has a thick rich entry with mulberry and milk chocolate flavours. The structure is thick and rich, with a solid concentrated juicy blackberry & mulberry flavoured profile, a well integrated full palate with generous length of flavour.

Winemaking

Sourced from selected premium McLaren Vale vineyards with predominantly Bay of Biscay soils. Harvested when fruit flavours, grape tannins and acids reached maturity. Fermentation on skins was for 9 - 10 days with a proportion of the wine (90%) completing fermentation in barrel. Maturation of fruit from each vineyard was considered and completed in specialized oak from a range of coopers from France, USA and Australia. Maturation was for 16 months in both new and used oak barrels. Barrel by barrel selection during all stages of fermentation and barrel maturation to ensure only the best Shiraz barrels were selected for the final blend.

Technical analysis

Ageing potential

Drinking best up to 2014. This wine can be decanted for up to 2 hours prior to consumption. Our Shiraz is an exquisite accompaniment for full flavoured food, but is sufficiently complex and satisfying to be savoured on its own.

Awards

Blue Gold Medal, Sydney International Wine Show 2008
Excellent Classification, Langton’s Classification of Australian Wine IV
Silver Medal, Decanter World Wine Awards 2007
Silver Medal, Sydney Royal Wine Show 2007
Silver Medal, Royal Hobart Wine Show 2006
Silver Medal, McLaren Vale Wine Show 2008
Bronze Medal, Royal Hobart Wine Show 2008
Bronze Medal, International Wine & Spirit Competition 2007
Bronze Medal, Great Shiraz Challenge 2007
Bronze Medal, Vintage Cellars National Wine Show 2007
Bronze Medal, Royal Adelaide Wine Show 2008
Bronze Medal, Royal Queensland Wine Show 2008
Bronze Medal, Royal Melbourne Wine Show 2007
Bronze Medal, Royal Adelaide Show 2007
Bronze Medal, Royal Melbourne Wine Show 2006
Bronze Medal, McLaren Vale Wine Show 2007
Bronze Medal, McLaren Vale Wine Show 2006
4 Stars, Winestate Shiraz & Shiraz Blends, September/October 2007

Viticulturalist

Nick Wiltshire

Winemaker

Chris Dix & Scott Zrna

Tasting notes

2005 Reserve Shiraz Magnum (1.5l)