Passing Clouds Reserve Shiraz 2004

2004 Passing Clouds Reserve Shiraz 91 pts Parker
96 pts Jeromy Oliver

Tasting Notes

8/31/07
Passing Clouds is one of Australia’s more distinctive Shiraz producers and in exceptional years this is regarded as one of Australia’s finest. Only a few of the best barrels are selected for their reserve bottling guaranteeing a wine with some serious pedigree. The end result is a wine with a firm backbone with some brightening acidity wrapped inside gorgeous fruit characters, playing the full spectrum of red, blue and black flavors. The wines from Passing Clouds always need a few years to really shine and this, the 2004, is just now starting to come out of its cocoon. Sleek textured this has started to flesh out nicely its starting to gain momentum and should really drink beautifully over the next 6-8 years.

Food Accompaniments

Assorted red meats

Awards, Reviews and other Notes

96 pts Jeremy Oliver 2007
A superb, oaky and minty shiraz of first-rate balance and focus. Its heady perfume of cassis, dark plums, blackberries and violets has a rather polished oaky underswell of dark chocolate and vanilla, with spicy nuances of cloves and cinnamon. Its sumptuous and palate-staining expression of dark, minty fruit is tightly knit with fine-grained oak and framed by firm but velvet-smooth tannins. Drink 2016-2024+" Jeremy Oliver, OnWine. Regards,

91 pts The Wine Advocate Dec 2006 Issue #168
Aged completely in American oak, this beautiful Shiraz reveals a deep ruby/purple hue, sweet blackberry and blueberry fruit, a subtle note of wood, good opulence, and a steely backbone. It should age well for a decade.

88 pts. Wine Spectator. January 15, 2007.
Lean and firm, with black plum, smoke and cedar flavors that persist into the tart finish. Seems tightly wound now, but there is plenty to develop with time. Best after 2008

Winemaker Notes

Full bodied, dark berry fruits, hint of chocolate, syrupy finish. Selected ripe fruit from three local vineyards. 50% Passing Clouds - Kingower, 25% Axedale, 25% Rheola None of these vineyards are irrigated – all dry farmed in the most extreme conditions. Due to the constant winds and low humidity and rainfall, there is no real need to use pesticides or un-organic type fertilizers. Excluding the small addition of sulfur before bottling, this wine is made organically. Hand picked, hand plunged in small vats, airbag pressed

Chemical Analysis

Price

SKU

Varietal

Alcohol: 14.7
pH: 3.55
Total Acid: 6gpl
Residual Sugar:.08
Free/Total Sulfur: 26 ppm

$26.99

6245

Shiraz