Cascabel Shiraz 2005

94 pts Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate #173 - Delivers intense, complex black fruit flavors, well-concealed tannins, and great length.

Tasting Notes

The grapes for this single vineyard Shiraz come from a cooler site at the southern end of the Fleurieu Peninsula, some 25 Km south from us. We deliberately selected this place, to avoid the jammy and overripe characters commonly associated with Shiraz grown in northern and inland regions. Color: inky, dense ruby Nose: peppery, with a scent of blackberry liqueur and cassis Palate: rich and satisfying, with spicy plum fruit character, leading to an intense finish

Food Accompaniments

Eggs on Cocotte with Truffles, Crab Cakes with spicy tomato Sauce, Kidney Risotto

Awards, Reviews and other Notes

94 pts Robert Parker, Jr.'s The Wine Advocate #173
Opaque purple-colored, this Shiraz has an impressive bouquet of pain grille, tar, licorice, smoke, blueberry, and blackberry. Full-bodied, this packed effort delivers intense, complex black fruit flavors, well-concealed tannins, and great length. Somehow, this large-scaled wine manages to retain a sense of elegance. Drink it over the next 8-10 years.

91 pts Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar 2007
Deep ruby. Textbook syrah aromas of powerful dark berries, smoked meat, anise and flowers. Vibrant cherry and blackcurrant flavors are framed by silky tannins, gaining sweetness with air. Fresh, spicy and impressively penetrating on the finish, where the smoky licorice quality echoes.

89 pts Wine Enthusiast Magazine (WE)
Expressive flavors of black earth, tar and wildflowers are intense but balanced in this well-crafted and complex red. Fresh acidity balances mouth-coating tannins while rose flavors well up on the slightly warm finish.

Winemaker Notes

All the grapes were hand picked and brought to our winery in late March 2005 at 14.7º Bè. Fermented in an 8 ton tank and 1.5 ton stainless steel open fermenters, with whole some bunches Allowed to reach reasonably high temperatures, up to 30º C. Macerated on skins for 3 to 4 weeks after fermentation in order to gain better palate structure (without commercial tannin added) even if this may sacrifice some fruitiness and color. Pressed straight into barrel where Malolactic Fermentation occurred spontaneously. Removed from barrel after 18 months and allowed to settle in tank naturally. Bottled in May 2007 by gravity filling with screw caps, labeled and packaged by us, with our own equipment; we consider this, essential to give each wine individuality and to keep full control over the quality.
Cascabel Winery is located on a gentle slope at the southern end of McLaren Vale, and predominantly planted with Spanish varieties. Their two trained winemaker/owners Duncan Ferguson and Susana Fernandez are highly committed to “in house production” with traditional European winemaking techniques using handpicked and dry grown, low yielding grapes. The results are wines that reflect variety and soil personality, as well as that of the owners.

Chemical Analysis

Price

SKU

Varietal

Alcohol:15.0
pH:3.68
Total Acid: 6.4
Residual Sugar: Dry
Free/Total Sulfur:22/70

$32.99

6912

Shiraz