Hunter Valley Shiraz 2021

This cuvée comes from a selection of the best plots of the Tyrrell’s estate and neighbouring vineyards, in the heart of the Hunter Valley, New South Wales. The vines, mostly dry-farmed, average forty years of age and give the wine a fresh, savoury and typically local expression.

The grapes are destemmed without crushing to keep as many whole berries as possible and encourage measured extraction. The wine is then aged in large, old 200-litre French oak vats, vessels that respect the purity of the fruit and limit the oak imprint.

This wine reveals notes of ripe strawberry, fresh cherry, raspberry, juicy red fruits, pepper, sweet spices, blond tobacco, bark, walnut, dried herbs and flowers. The medium-bodied palate combines a supple, juicy texture with savoury, delicate tannins. Lively, crunchy acidity stretches out the fresh, spicy and delicious finish.

Australia began making wine more than two centuries ago. The result is a country rich in old vines, multi-generational winemaking families and deep-rooted knowledge of and respect for the craft. Add to that a thirst for exploration and innovation, a fearless attitude and a varied portfolio of 65 wine regions across many climates, and you have the makings of an extraordinary wine country like few others. Australia burst onto export markets in the 1980s and has since been offering the whole world dynamic, fruity wines of exceptional value. Until the late 1990s and early 2000s, the story of Australian wine was dominated by overly concentrated examples of Shiraz, Grenache and red blends. Between these two extremes lies the diversity of Australia's high-quality and regional wines, which has always existed. Australian viticulture is mainly concentrated along the southern ocean fringe, where conditions are cooler. There are four main wine regions, located around the major cities: Western Australia around Perth, South Australia around Adelaide, Victoria around Melbourne and New South Wales around Sydney. The country is one of the world's largest wine producers and was the 4th-largest exporter in the world in 2011. This recent development has made Australia one of the most prominent countries for the quality of its wines. You can taste Australian wines all over the country. Each Australian region has its own grape varieties. Australian wines are defined by their grape variety, unlike French wines, which are defined by their terroir.